Okay, I Guess Peeps are Good for Something

I found two sites today that show some pretty cute things to do with Peeps. So I guess I'm not the only one who likes to just look at them rather than eat them.

I especially like the peeps in the hyacinth vase. I found it here.


And here's something for the stamper in all of us. It's a little cutesy for me, but it's kind of a fun idea. I found it here.

Primary Proverbs - Belated

I keep forgetting to write about this cute conversation I had with my class on Sunday.

Me: We know that Easter isn't really about bunnies and eggs and baskets and such. Right? What is Easter really about?

Billy: Pssshhh! I know it's not the Easter Bunny that hides the eggs! It's my mom and dad.

Sally: Yeah, me too. They try to hide them hard, but we always find them!

Me (trying to preserve some of the magic for a little longer for anyone that might still believe): I don't know... sometimes I find eggs that I know I didn't put out! Really!

(This is not a lie. I often am surprised the next morning at where I have hidden the eggs. See, momnesia has some surprising perks!)

Johnny: My parents always try to trick us, but we get all the eggs.

The other children in class nod in agreement.

Johnny (in total seriousness): But I know that Santa Claus brings me my presents at Christmas time! He's really real!

Sally: Yeah, me too! Once I got this present at Christmas and no one knew where it came from. It wasn't from my mom and dad - it was from Santa.

Billy: Yeah, Santa's real. Because he's human and not some dumb rabbit.

Haircut

For the past couple of months I have been trying to grow my hair out. It had gotten pretty short and there were a lot of layers in the back that I was tired of.

But now I am SICK of growing it out! I think it looks terrible and boring. I'm just used to having a more polished haircut, and this is just yucky. Okay, here's what it looks like. Ignore the scrub PJ's and that I have no make-up. Oh, and that in the pictures in the kitchen I didn't realize how much I needed to brush my hair. :)


I've been surfing the net, looking for haircut ideas but have only found a few I like. (Why do most of the short haircut styles have hair sticking out everywhere? Like they put a finger in an electrical socket?) I think these ones might be a bit more high maintenance than I'm looking for. Plus, I think I do want to keep growing my hair; I just need a haircut that will allow me to do that without looking like a freak. And dare I go back to bangs? (I haven't had bangs since the 7th grade!) Or maybe I should just go with a basic blunt A-line bob...


What do you think?

St. Patrick's Day

So I usually try to make a traditional Irish dinner on St. Patrick's Day: corned beef, cabbage, root veggies, soda bread. My mom used to do it and I really like it. But no one else in my little family will eat it.

Fine. I decided to celebrate with green food. Why bother? Because it's something to do in the month of March; I'm bored waiting for Spring! Plus, I thought the kids would like it; especially Spencer, who really understands St. Patrick's Day this year. (Or at least as much as a four year old can - not wearing green? I get to tickle you!) ((We don't pinch in our house. That's the rule.))

So I started with green Cream of Wheat for breakfast. It was well-received - Spencer didn't even complain about having to eat hot cereal. (A St. Patrick's Day miracle!) Easy, yummy, no problemo.


Then my luck started to waiver. I decided to make Chocolate Mint Parfaits for Effin-H-E (Family Home Evening). The recipe is so easy and it looked so yummy! Well...


Serious mistakes in measuring were made. The consequences were severe. (Not to mention strong - a little peppermint extract goes a long way.) Punishment ensued. Luckily, repentance was (somewhat) allowed, so things weren't terrible. Just not as good as I think they could have been.

But, I brushed aside the more-difficult-than-it-should-have-been dessert making and turned to dinner. I decided to make a special chicken pot pie. And by special I mean green. And by make I mean use store bought pie crusts and leftover chicken noodle soup. I know, it sounds weird. But it's really good. I just add some mashed potato flakes to thicken the soup, throw it all in a crust, top with some shredded cheddar (yummy!), throw another crust on (and I mean throw), and bake.


I thought Spencer would get a kick out of green pie. Not so much. I think his precise words were something along the lines of "EEEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!!" He eventually ate, but only because Lance fed him. Josh didn't seem to even notice the color change in his food.


Oh well. The boys enjoyed their parfaits, even if they weren't perfect tasting. As you can see, Josh really got into it. (I like the picture of him showing off his tats.)


And Super Spencer (hence the cape) gave them a thumbs up. (No, really - his thumbs just aren't pictured.)

Here's to hoping that I have better luck next year with my St. Patrick's Day food choices!

Nursery Success

Yesterday was Joshie's first time in nursery. It was a complete success! No tears, no bellowing, no heartbreak - Josh loved it! I have to admit that I was a little surprised. I thought for sure that he would react the same way he does when I take him to the Toy Room while I work out: cry for a minute after dropping him off and then cry for a while after I pick him up (just to show that he's still mad at me for leaving). Lance must have more faith that me, because he didn't seem at all surprised at his behavior.

Well, just for posterity's sake, I thought I'd show a few clips of what I thought Josh might be like in Nursery. (Although this is more of annoyed Josh rather than sad/angry Josh.) (The true, angry Joshie lurks pretty close to the surface!)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He's in his chair because the dishwasher is being filled. And when the dishwasher is open, Josh feels the need to climb in it and destroy. Like we need that bill

'Tis Grand to be a Little Boy...

... and have St. Patrick's Day tattoos.
The boys loved them so much that it was all I could do to get any pictures. This was the only way I could get Josh to stay in one place:
Thank you thank you thank you, John & Maura! You are an awesome surrogate aunt and uncle!!

Another Complaint

Today I got a coupon for Papa Murphy's and decided that it sounded good for dinner. So I called them and ordered the 5 meat stuffed pizza. (That's what the coupon was for - I'd have preferred something with veggies, but my men loved it so I guess that's okay.) Anywho, back to the story. So I called them, placed the ordered, and then took the boys to the park for an hour.

I got to Papa Murphy's, stood in line for 10 minutes while the boys ran around like the little banshees that they are, finally got to the front and was told that my pizza was not ready yet.

Usually this would just be a 'Dang' moment. But this was the THIRD time this had happened to me with them. So I had this little conversation with the cashier:

Me: What the @#$#@%!??? This is the third time this has happened to me with you jerks! What's the point of calling in an order if it's never going to be ready on time?

Cashier (to some high school dropout working behind the counter): Uh, can we get this ladies' pizza?

Me (still raving): I mean, really?! Why do you guys even answer the phone if you're not going to make the pizza I order? Do you even understand the concept of a phone order?

Cashier: Yeah.

Me: I don't think you do.

Cashier: Uh, let's get her pizza, guys...?

Me: Too late. Boys! (Speaking to Josh and Spencer) Time to show these people what happens when they mess with Madsens! Destroy! Destroy!

At which point Josh and Spencer started to gleefully empty all of the toppings bins and throw raw dough at the workers.

Okay, not really.

But I kinda wish it had gone like that.

Because I did politely point out to the cashier that this was the third time this had happened to me and that I wasn't very happy about it. And that it was over an hour ago that I called and that the pizza should have been ready. To which she (really) just replied, "Hey, I just started my shift."

I just about walked out. But instead I just said, "Well, I'd like to have it made now." And they made my pizza pretty quickly, albeit quite grudgingly. It was as if I was putting them out.

As Spencer says: buttever. (Like whatever, only but. Use it in a sentence today!)

So I got home and did what I seem to have been born to do: I wrote a letter of complaint! (I actually haven't blogged about all of the letters I've written. What can I say? Customer service is important to me. And yes, I have worked in the service industry before, so I do know what it's like.) Anyway, I actually emailed it. But it said that the store manager would email me within the week. And it made me feel better just writing it. I'll keep you updated on what happens.

Will I ever go back to Papa M's? Of course I will, their pizza is great! But I don't think I'll bother picking up the phone first.