Mommin' It Up!

October 20, 2011October 20, 2011

I’m a Hazard to Myself

So the other day after I was trying to close the door of Bobby’s car with my foot (because you know, my arms were completely full of all the Stuff Moms Have to Carry in From the Car All the Time – you know, that STUFF?) and somehow banged my knee really hard on the corner of the door, and screamed and cursed because it hurt SO BAD (and yes it did bruise within 5 minutes), I came into the house ranting and raving about how sometimes I just freaking HATE being me.

{sidebar, was that not the LONGEST run-on sentence/paragraph EVAH? I know you loved it, Berry.}

Like last week’s attempt to make coffee that failed thrice, many things I do or don’t do, or can’t do, make me crraaazy. Like two days later I banged my other knee on something else and got a matching bruise, but now I can’t even remember what that something else was, which also makes me craaaazy. I JUST.WANT.TO REMEMBER THINGS. And also not bruise myself all the time.

For the past couple days, I haven’t been able to get this Pink song out of my head…

I’m a hazard to myself

Don’t let me get me

I’m my own worst enemy

It’s bad when you annoy yourself

So irritating

Don’t wanna be my friend no more

I wanna be somebody else

More often than not, I find myself in a state of annoyance…with myself.

Good times. Anyone else?

October 19, 2011

Recipe Swap

I’ve tried a number of new recipes lately (thank you, Pinterest) and while they haven’t all been hits, I’ve found two I absolutely loved and wanted to share.

The first is “Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast” from AllRecipes.com.

This pork roast is so good, I can’t even do it justice. Andy and I absolutely loved it; he said it was better than any steak he’s had in a long time (and the kids ate it too – I told them it was chicken). And it was so easy. As you may recall, I shy away from slow cooker recipes that require more effort than tossing everything in together. If I see I have to sear the meat or some such business, I move on to the next recipe. With this one for pork roast, all I did was slice an onion, put the meat in the slow cooker, and mix together an easy marinade. I served it with egg noodles and broccoli… holy yum.

The other recipe that I loved is from Cooking Light – chili corn chip pie.

It’s an at-home, slightly-less-fattening and sort-of-classed-up version of our swim team season staple, the walking taco. As I was cooking it, I said to my dad and Andy, “I have a feeling what I’m making is really complicated taco meat, and if it doesn’t taste any better than when I through a packet of Ortega seasoning in there, I’m going to be mad!” (Note: It wasn’t complicated – remember, this is me we’re talking about.) Fortunately, it was worth the (minor) effort. It was great – we all gobbled it up. I recommend making a double batch to ensure leftovers!

Those are a couple of my new favorites, but I want to hear from you. What recipes have you stumbled upon lately, or what are your old favorites?

October 18, 2011October 17, 2011

From one mom to another

A little less than two years ago, I found out that a friend of mine, Jeni, whom I’ve written about before because of her fab business Custom Carabella’s, was about to become (in addition to being a mom of three) a foster mom. I was totally surprised (because I’ve never known anyone who did that), and extremely impressed (because I think it would be a seriously hard thing to do). But Jeni has a real heart for kids who needed families, whether temporarily or permanently, and she has been foster mom to B, a darling little boy, since he was just a few weeks old. Since then, she has been encouraging and recruiting others to care for kids who need families. She’s become a crusader for kids who live in Greene County, Ohio, which is the county just next to where Emily and I live. One thing I’ve heard Jeni say as she has worked to spread awareness about the need for loving foster families is that many people say they’d like to help, but they don’t feel called to foster.

Well now, Jeni has come up with a way that those people can help. A way we ALL can help. And I am going to challenge you, my readers, especially if you live in the Dayton area, to help Jeni out on this one! She has single-handedly committed to providing NEW Christmas presents for every child in foster care in Greene County.

So she has committed to it, and I am asking YOU to help her make it possible! You can check out her blog post here on the exact details of how this all came about. As a foster mom, Jeni knows that a lot of foster children receive nothing from their birth families on holidays or birthdays (her own foster son got nothing for either from his birth family). It can be a terribly lonely time for kids trying to fit into their foster families own holiday traditions. And, many of these kids have little or no possessions of their very own to even take with them from family to family. Jeni has committed to providing each of these children with at least one wonderful possession of their very own.

So, how can you help? You can give. You can sponsor a child in Greene County foster care’s Christmas present. You can give $100, $50, $25, or any old amount you want! I am going to challenge you, like I did when my friend E was working to beat Ovarian Cancer, to give at least $5. Emily and I have chosen to sponsor a gift for $50, because once again, we are not going to ask you to do anything that we would not do ten times over!

So, I am asking you, especially if you are local, but even if you’re not, please help make this Christmas amazing for the kids in foster care in Greene County, OH. Let’s show them some love, and help them believe that they are lovable.

Here is the button to donate to PayPal – go give!

And before you do, or after you do, please go read Jeni’s blog about this effort – Fostering Christmas Care. Take a couple minutes to read how this amazing effort came about!

Jeni’s goal is to have all the funds raised by November 6th (which just happens to be Orphan Sunday) – so get clicking and get giving! LET’S DO THIS, Mamas!!