Three of the things that made me laugh today...

Sexism is alive and well!

A+

This is the best...I love how the teacher circled it and drew a question mark.
And the big, fat, circled 0? Come on, where's your sense of humor? That kid would've gotten a point just for making me laugh!

A Sunny Winter Day in Kansas

A break in the FRIGID weather gave the kids an opportunity to get out in the rapidly melting snow and do some sledding...well, sort of. Grandma has a sweet little sledding slope on the side of her house, so we suited up and headed out.

Da Boyz

Jace, Jack & Owen...OP's next generation of heartbreakers...

What I Am Learning the Hard Way...

"The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."

— Jill Churchill

Chaos, Take That! Part II

Lately, I've been feeling like so many aspects of our life is in chaos...work, kids, house, etc. Although I'd never proclaim to be a perfectionist, I can get a tad bit anal about certain things, one being clutter. Perhaps I'm a self defeater, but I can be quite the clutter bug if I allow myself free rein. So, new year, new me, right? I've enlisted Bob in our war to take back control of what we can.

First on our list? What to do with our coats/shoes/gloves/hats/scarves. Our little house has no mudroom to speak of...instead, it has this sad little excuse of an entry off our garage. We had a big basket for all of our shoes, which took up a good third of the entry. The kids were always tripping over it, slowing our progress into the house. I had hooks hanging on the back of the garage door, so when you opened it, you had to duck out of the way. So, I moved a computer armoire out of its place against the low wall at the bottom of the stairs (next project, moving the armoire to our ACTUAL office which is now serving as a storage unit) when you walk in from the garage. We put up a strip of baseboard molding ($16 at Lowe's), painted it the same color as our trim, then installed 5 large oil rubbed bronze double hooks ($6 each at Lowe's). Add another big basket and an old chair ($15 at a garage sale in KC), and voila! an instant mudroom! I'd love to eventually add a storage bench to the spot.

The Birds.

There was something very Hitchcockian about this flock of birds that stopped off in our yard today for a little snack. We were sitting at the table when they swooped in, much to the kids' delight. While they thought it was cool, my gut was telling me to close the chimney flue and board up the windows.

2009, You're Looking Good!

Happy New Year! Was it just me, or did 2008 fly by? I guess I was just having way too much fun this year! We had big plans to attend a friend's New Year's Eve party, but sick kids rescued us from a night of fun and festivities. Well, I got to run out for about an hour while Bob stayed with the kids. Don't boo me just yet, Jack was asleep, and Bob never turns down a quiet night on the couch. Although, he was upset he missed out on Rock Band with the guys. I had just enough time for some fun girl talk, yummy treats and a little RUN DMC karaoke with the girls...Amy was my rap partner and we pretty much sucked. Thanks to our hostess for a great party...wish we could've rung in the new year with this fun bunch.

On New Year's Day, we took it easy. My family started showing up in the afternoon, and my mom and I started cooking our New Year's feast. We like doing Italian every new year, complete with my Dad's recipe for Milanese, which is breaded steak. It's not exactly low fat, but it's definitely delicious! I made a quick 'n' easy tiramisu, some ravioli with pesto, garlic bread and a lentil dish for good luck. I also made a baked brie which was beyond yummy!

Step 1: Pound out the pieces of meat

Step 2: Dip in egg mixture, dredge in Italian seasonings, garlic salt, flour and bread crumbs...

Step 3: Sport a cool cooking outfit...in this case my mom's wearing her Em Chamas tshirt, one of David's cage fighting sponsors.

Step 4: Fry in hot oil until done and a dark golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges.

Step 5: Mangia!

It's not a surprise that we spent the rest of the evening playing the Wii. Today's obsession? This crazy game, Order Up! It's a cooking game, and the guys were yelling and cheering as if they were playing any other guy game. It's actually highly addictive and a little stressful...

Note Daniel's clenched fist. I think he just burned an order of fries.

Yes, you must wear the chef's hat when it's your turn.

Tennis.