Parlez Vous Francais?!

As we were leaving to go do our Friday errands... bank, grocery & the dollar store, I handed Micah to Dad to entertain, for a minute, while I cleaned out the back of the car.
So as Micah pretends to drive, turns on/off the windshield wipers, turn signals & grabs every possible lever/knob and doo dad in sight, I warn Dad this is not going to end well.
That's when I hear the bluetooth lady (with whom I've had issues in the past, I'm quite sure she hates me) say those eight fateful words... "Changing default language to french, one moment please".
Wait.... What the hell did she just say?!  French?! Nooooooooo!!!
As Dad tries, in vain, to cancel the operation, it becomes clear to me that we're quite possibly screwed.
I, being the eternal optimist, suggest checking for the settings on the radio... Surely it's no big deal... It'll be easy, Right?!  Yeah, no.  There's no setting on the radio to change it back.
Now, at this point, most normal people would probably be thinking... "Get out the manual". Which would usually be the correct answer... For most normal people.... Not us. We like to live on the wild side.
We decide to reason with her. Surely if we ask nicely, she'll switch it back.... Yeah, not hardly.
Dad pushes the button to activate the listening function of the bluetooth & respectfully requests "Change default language"...
To which "she" responds... "Pardonne"?, in a very snooty french accent, mind you.
He tries again "Change default language", a bit louder and more sternly this time.
Again, she responds simply... "Pardonne"?
(I'm still wondering why we never got out the book before it got ugly.... Possibly because we were too busy laughing hysterically)
At this point it was getting crucial, he starts randomly hitting combinations of buttons while talking real ugly to and about the bluetooth lady.
I was laughing hysterically on the outside, but on the inside, I was sure we were gonna be stuck with Kia's hellish version of Marion Cotillard forever.
Dad made one last attempt. He hit the button, then very calmly & confidently, he said "Change default language to english por favor".
I then and there made the executive decision to consult the manual, and by "consult the manual", I mean, I  threw him the book & let him fugure it out.
The fix was quite simple actually, hold down the bluetooth button for 10 seconds and scroll through the other languages 'til you get back around to english.
In the end, a major tragedy was avoided, we had a great laugh and even learned a few words in french... Glass half full.
: )

Our Adventure At The Exit 1 Rest Stop Art Exhibit...

I'm pretty sure there was a sign somewhere, that said something about not crossing the barriers, but bless his heart.... Micah can't read.
: )

It's Monday Already?!

Hello all!
Sorry It's been kinda quiet around here the last few days, I have been gone to Missouri, for a family reunion. I had a blast, even won some great bingo prizes, but boy am I paying for it today. I guess I've reached the age where riding 8 hours in a car just isn't all that much fun anymore, but it was so worth it to see my family!
Too bad my body doesn't agree with me... My back is on strike & refuses to work, so I think, I'm gonna take a handful of Ibuprofen, grab my ice pack & relax for the rest of the afternoon... As much as one can  with a 2 year old, that is.
I have several recipes & a very helpful backache relief tip scheduled for later that you won't wanna miss.
Not to mention the Cook'n recipe organizer review & giveaway that goes live tomorrow, you definitely don't wanna miss that!!!
One lucky winner will receive a FREE copy of the Cook'n recipe organizer. ($99 value) This really is a handy thing to have!
I'm tellin you guys, this is gonna be a really fun week... lots of great summer recipes lined up, some great household tips and a couple of great giveaways coming up too.
Thank you all for being here and I hope you have a great week!!!
: )

It's Official...

Summer break is definitely in full effect! You're probably already being inundated with complaints of boredom and/or constant hunger.
Here's a few  family fun ideas to help keep yourself relatively sane, until school starts back.
Have a backyard scavenger hunt. It's free, easy and will keep the kids entertained for a while. Especially if you put items on the list that are not present in your backyard.
Watch a movie together. Let your favorite child pick out a movie and force the others to watch it. (kidding)
Play a game of Uno. Because of it's simple color/number matching format, Uno is a game most kids can learn fairly easy. It's way easier than trying to explain to a kid why a straight beats 3 of a kind.
Go to the park and feed the ducks. (if your park doesn't have ducks, feed the pigeons or squirrels...improvise)
Most of us are within relatively close proximity to a park that has ducks. This is a cheap way to keep the kids from killing each other, if only for an hour. Check out your local bread store and ask if they offer discounted bags of day old bread. I affectionately refer to this as "duck bread". At my local bread outlet,  $1 will get you a bag filled with enough day old bread to choke a small army of ducks. (not that I reccomend choking ducks, with bread or otherwise)
Contact your local bowling alley. Alot of them offer free bowling for kids on certain days.
Find a friend or a relative or a friend of a relative or a relative of a friend, that has a pool and invite yourself over.
Pitch a tent in the backyard. Light a fire in the grill, roast marshmallows and tell the kids stories of "back in the olden days, when I was your age". You'd be surprised how little things like the story of your first heartbreak, or not getting picked for a team or being picked on for your spikey Bart Simpson hair do (not funny), mean to your kids. It makes you more relatable & almost human to them..  (it also gives them ammo against you in future arguments, so you might wanna be careful what stories you decide to share)
Bake cookies with them. Yes, it'll be way messier than if you just make 'em yourself, but the memories you're making and life skills lessons you're teaching are so worth it. Besides, you can always make them help clean up. Isn't that why we had 'em in the first place?!
Play a board game. Yes, kiddies, there are games that do not require electricity. Board games are great and teach kids lots of great skills. How to take turns, how to count, how to tell colors and most importantly how to be a good sport regardless of whether you win or lose.
Water balloons and water guns can be either a whole lotta fun or a whole lotta drama. If your kids are scared to get wet or assaulted, this is probably not for them.
Summer is a time for your kids to relax and unwind and a time for you to make some great memories. As I've learned the hard way, our kids are only kids for a little while. Before you know it, they're seniors in high school, getting summer jobs, driving cars and all of a sudden,they don't have time for you, so make the extra effort and spend some quality time goofing off with your kids this summer.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

As we were discussing our previous day's events, this morning, Mike very nonchalantly informs me that we have a mouse in the house.... Or at least what he "thinks" is a mouse.
"What do you mean, you think it's a mouse"?  "How can you not know"?!
"Well I saw something scurry across the floor, really fast when I flipped the light on, I assume it was a mouse".
I pressed him for more specific information... How big was it?... What else do you think it might've been?...
Where'd it scurry from and where did it go to? ...
His response was NOT what I wanted to hear... "Well, if it wasn't a mouse, it was the biggest, fastest spider I've ever seen".
Mind you, we do have spiders here quite often. I've killed a black widow in my storage shed and I'm constantly bombarded by grass spiders all over the house. Through the years, I've come to grips with it,  kinda made peace with the fact that the spiders are here... Until I see one.
Not wanting to believe that the Godzilla of spiders is creepy crawling around my kitchen, I school Micah on what a mouse is and what one looks like, in case he's in the kitchen when it shows back up.
The more I looked at the pictures, the more ok I was with this furry little devil being in my house.
Cut to an hour or so later...
Mike leaves and it's just Me & Micah, in the house. I get up to check out the place in the kitchen where the mouse/spider was seen the night before. I find no traces of mice being around... no droppings, no food half eaten, no nest built out of stolen household items, nothing.
Feeling slightly relieved at the thought that the mouse/spider hasn't taken up permanent residence in my kitchen, I go to the bathroom. I had no sooner sat down, when Micah starts yelling "bug", repeatedly. Knowing Micah is somewhat of a tricker, I ignore him and continue my business. That's when I saw it...the Godzilla of spiders was crawling out of the bathroom, into the hallway. OMG! What am I gonna kill this thing with?! I grab the closest thing, which happened to be the toilet paper holder, and try to squish it... It's barely out of my reach. I pull up my shorts & do a "not so graceful" gymnastic maneuver into the hallway. I plant the base of the T.P. holder squarely on spiderzilla's  body & push down firmly. I lifted up the holder, expecting to see the mangled body of spiderzilla, when he took off like a bat outta hell, apparently I had only stunned him. I once again aimed & struck, leaving the T.P. holder on top of him until I found a more suitable weapon... Steven's flip flop. With surgical precision, I lifted & squished with one fail swoop.
I did it!!
I had battled spiderzilla and won!!!
In conclusion, I say...
Watch out Mr. Mouse, Mama's feelin lucky today.
: )

ZOMBIE!!!

No, not the kind who wander through city streets aimlessly looking for nice tasty brains. The kind you find in your garden.
Yes, things that were once dead, are now alive in your garden.  It sounds too easy to work, but it really does. All you need is some store bought green onions. Use the green tips in your favorite recipe, then simply plant about 2 inches of the leftover white root ends in the ground. Give 'em plenty of sunlight & water and sit back and watch your zombies sprout.
These do great in containers & can even be kept on the counter, under good lighting.
You can also use the same method for growing garlic. Plant one clove of garlic, pointy side up, in a pot, aprox 2 inches deep. Cover loosely with dirt and water.  Viola... Zombie garlic. This one can take a while to mature. I'm not positive on growing times, but you can read more about it here.

Why blog?

As I was wracking my brain for something to write about, I thought to myself... "Why am I even doing this"?
Well, I guess there are several reasons.   I am not what one would typically call "sociable". I mean, I like people & people like me, but as I've gotten older, I just don't feel the need to "get out" as often as I used to. This platform helps me stay connected with the people in my life that I don't see as often as I'd like.
It's also a great way to share my favorite recipes. When I'm in the kitchen, making a dish, from a recipe I got from my mom, I often think about Kaylee (my "daughter from another mother") and how to best pass my recipes along to her.  Kids are so tech savvy nowadays, so I figure this can serve as a great digital recipe book for her to use.
It gives the right side of my brain something to do.   As I've gotten older, both physically & mentally, I've noticed my brain (and body, for that matter) just isn't quite as quick as it used to be. (I blame the boys) 
I have a horrible memory! If you ask me what I had for dinner last night, I'd be doing good to remember. I can blog about all the things I want to remember & come back and read it at a later date... It would be almost like doing it all over again. lol.
I've read, when you do creative things, such as painting, singing or writing, it's like a workout for your brain.  Since my painting skills are like that of a gang of drunken mexicans (personal experience, not racial bias), and my singing is only good, in the shower, after a few drinks (on your part, not mine), that only leaves writing! So here we are.

Today's Adventure...

The day I've been dreading, for weeks, has finally arrived. I can put it off no longer...Micah needs a haircut.
So we pile in the car, Mike, Micah & myself and head to the local beauty college. Yes, beauty college. Where else can you get a 5$ haircut nowadays?  Besides, what better way for the students to gain experience than to let them practice on my sweet little angel.  Did I mention that my "sweet little angel" despises having his hair cut?
So while the students are in the back, drawing straws, to see who gets to cut Micah's hair, Dad & I begin the bargaining.
"Are you excited to get a big boy haircut", I ask Micah. He responds with an emphatic "Un Uh". (At least he's honest)
"Are you going to be a good boy while you get a big boy haircut", Daddy asks. Again, responding honestly, he says "Un Uh".
At this point, I begin to pray for the poor, unsuspecting, girl who is about to try to cut this child's hair, while Daddy bribes young Micah with promises of candy.
Our victim... Err, I mean stylist approaches, with obvious trepidation. "Is this his first haircut", she asks with a shaky voice.
"No, it's his second", I respond apologetically.
We walk over to her chair & he's still maintaining his composure. (probably just saving his energy for the big event that is yet to come)
She puts the little paper strip around his neck, draped the cape over his shoulders & gets the water bottle. So far, so good. I was almost convinced this might actually be ok... Then it happened.... She squirted his hair with water.  The tears started flowing as he tried to free himself from the confines of his plastic prison.
I offer comforting words & both of my hands to hold...but she "man'd up" & kept cutting. (kidding)
He reached out,  grabbed my hands and began to calm down a little. The next 15 minutes were filled with a few more tears, requests for candy and pleas for help.
After it was all over, Micah came out of the ordeal, no worse for wear, with a decent haircut (which ended up costing 10$, because Mike felt so bad he gave the poor stylist a 5$ tip for her troubles) & a nice big pack of M&M's.
: )