Food Storage Items of the Week

Has anybody else been stressing about food storage lately? Of course you have!!! I mean, just turn on the news and you will run to the store as fast as you can. Since we moved a year ago our food storage was VERY depleted. Spencer's kindergarten class loved me last year because I donated 6 months worth of can goods to his food drive. Was that the best plan? Maybe not. I probably should have just boxed it up for this house. Oh well. So, the last couple of months we have been working to build it up again. We did a couple of big Costco trips, but the bottom line is we are going to have to build it up slowly. So, I have been focusing on buying a couple of food storage items each week at the grocery store. Maybe I will share my ideas with you, and you can share yours. Or maybe I won't if you think this is a dumb post. We'll see... I bought a couple of each of these items this week.

My 2nd biggest fear

A few years ago I came out of a grocery store with my two little ones in the cart and lots of groceries. I was heading toward my car in the middle of the street when a bee approached me. I pushed the cart out into the middle of the road and started running and doing the crazy arm flapping dance. The cart really took off since it was pretty loaded down. I saw this happening, but I couldn't do anything because there was a bee buzzing around my face! This is when I realized I have a real problem. I had always assumed when I became a Mom I would do anything to protect them, but I guess not. When it comes to bees, it is every man for himself (ok, and when it comes to the dentist). I felt horrible after this incident and vowed never to do that again. But, the fear has taken over. Since that incident several times while pushing my kids in the stroller for a nice walk a bee has approached me. What have I done? That's right, pushed the stroller and ran down the road like a mad woman. I totally abandon my children for a bee. This is a crazy, senseless fear. Or is it? I mean they do have stingers, and some people can actually die from a bee sting. And sometimes they come out of nowhere and attack, am I right Karen? Also, there are A LOT of bees around my house. Well, actually they are wasps, but all the same to me. If you are judging me, you just don't understand. Coming soon, my number one fear...

Goodbye corndog, Hello salad!

I am soooo over my hunt for a good corndog. What was I thinking? Those things are nasty. This is my new food obsession. The sweet pork salad at Costa Vida. OH MY! You just cannot believe how much I love this salad. The sweet pork is so amazing! If you have a Costa Vida in your town you must go immediately. I think this picture is actually of the chicken salad there, but get the pork, you won't be sorry. My food blog has the link for Costa Vida. Just DO IT!!

I'm Thirty, you got that?

I LOVE being 30. I can finally tell people, I am thirty and I have 3 kids so don't even mess, ok? You might be surprised how often I have to say this in my head because I get comments like these two examples all the time. This first one happened a couple of months ago at my son's 7th birthday party. A Mom from the neighborhood was dropping off her son for the party. I had never met her before because the kid was a friend from his school class. I made sure to meet her at the door so she could feel a little more comfortable dropping her son off at a stranger's house. I don't think I gave her that impression, and this is why. Halfway into the conversation I mentioned how much I enjoyed working with her son in class when I volunteered. She then looked at me in shock, and said are you Spencer's mom? I thought you were his sister and I was waiting for your mom to come to the door. Hmmm, akward.... Next, a couple of years ago I went to visit a lady in our neighborhood in Utah. I think I was taking her an invitation for a church party. She was not active in our ward at the time, and I had never met her before. They sent me over because we were about the same age with kids the same age. I walked over with my kids in the stroller, and parked them on the driveway while I went up to the door. She answered the door, and I introduced myself and told her why I was there. We made some small talk, and then one of her kids came to the door and did something funny. I commented how that is just like my son. She looked at me in shock and said, you are a mom? I thought you were selling cookies or something for school. What.... awkward. This happens to me ALL the time. Its not just that people think I look a couple years younger than my age, they think I am in high school! What is up with that? I know my sisters have the same problem, so maybe it is in the genes. I guess I should be flattered, but really I am over it already. I have earned my 30 years!

Isn't life fun?

All three of our boys have found this drawer irresistable. Go Matthew!

Another ice cream thought

What is up with this ice cream? You see what it says on there? No Sugar Added. What??? Why??? What is the point? It tastes really creamy and fatty, but completely bland and almost tasteless. I was even eating it with Nestle quick chocolate mix in it because I never eat just plain vanilla (I am just not a vanilla girl, you know what I mean?) and it still tasted awful! Of course I just kept eating the whole bowl trying to figure out what was wrong with this ice cream. Then I had to get the carton back out and there it was, no sugar added. What a joke! Maybe this serves some purpose out there, but really if you are that desperate to cut sugar from your diet you shouldn't be eating ice cream either. Right? Whatever!

The Summer Buzz

Anyone need a buzz cut? Come on over!

Oh, I get it now

My family had six kids growing up, and I was second oldest. I have lots of memories of when my parents had my younger sister and brother because I was 10 and 14. I remember being embarrassed by some of the baby equipment they were still using for them. I especially remember the old falling apart carseat that was peeling everywhere and the old cribs that seemed to be a disaster waiting to happen. Well, this is the state of my baby equipment that my third boy is dealing with....

What can I say? Almost everything we own is broken or damaged. They just grow out of everything so fast, and I can't keep up. These boxes are holding up the crib because we lost the screws that hold it together in one of our moves. That carseat, well it speaks for itself. Do I care? NO! I am totally over it. Obviously. My sister Sally knows my new favorite motto to live by: Whatever, who cares!

First Hot Day

Notice how Matthew has the wet hair. Sam and Spencer were kind of tiptoeing around the pool because the water was cold! Matthew just kept diving in and swimming all around. This was his own private swimming pool and he loved it.

My "oldest" child

Almost every day you can hear me say, Boys get in the car please. Sometimes they do, sometimes they need a lot more "prompting" than that. Lately, this is where I find Matthew after my request. In the front seat, just waiting to head out. The other two boys will be back in their car seats, but Matthew takes the front every time. He even has his seatbelt on sometimes!

Oh, just in case anyone was thinking of reporting me, I do move him back to his carseat before we leave, in tears most of the time.

Oh, Sammy

Happy Birthday to my Sammy! This kid just blows my mind with his comments. I am either laughing really hard, scared for where that came from, or really impressed. Here is the latest:

Sam: I want to tell you something about nothing.

Me: You want to tell me something about nothing? Ok, lets hear it.

Sam: Look inside my hand. What do you see? (holding out his hand..)

Me: Nothing

Sam: Thats right. Nothing.

Sam: Nothing is just nothing.

BRILLIANT, seriously brilliant.

Sam is truly the peacemaker in our home. He adores both of his brothers and can't help giving in to either of them at all times. He is in our backyard almost all day long. Sam has the greatest imagination. He loves to help me in the kitchen. He loves to go camping with his Dad. He is the greatest kid!

Sam's Party

We decided to party like Rock Stars and rent a Bounce House for Sam's 5th birthday party. It was a BLAST!!!! It was such a great day, and I just want to rent this at least once a month.

Wow, Summer is sooooo Fun...

This is what it has looked like at our house since school got out on Wednesday. Don't they look thrilled for all the fun activities I have planned? Oh wait, I didn't plan anything yet. That explains all the boredom. Better luck next week!

It's a Shoe Thing

On Friday night we went to a Bishopric party, a small group of some friends from our church. We played a version of the newlywed game. Jeremy and I looked at each other with knowing, confident smiles. We were the champs at a Harvard Law School couples party when we had been married for two years. I mean seriously, we rocked. Well, not this time. This is just one of the questions that threw us off. The question was asked to the men, how many shoes do you think your wife has? Yes, finally I knew we would get this one. He knows how much I love shoes! Wrong!! His answer was 6. I said 15, knowing I probably had at least 20. He then proceeded to tease me because how could anyone have more than 6 shoes when they only have two feet?

Here are Jeremy's shoes. Current count is... 15.

Here are my shoes. Current count is... 28. This is actually a pretty sad collection of shoes. I think at least half of them are completely OUT. Oh well. I do really enjoy a good shoe.

What's in your Cart?

I LOVE to see what other people have in their shopping carts. I think it is fascinating to see what other people buy. Sometime I just want to go wander the grocery store and examine what people have in their carts. So many times when I am at the store I see people with things, and I just want to say, "What are you going to do with that? How do you eat that? Are you having a party? Can you teach me how to use that ingredient? Are all those Lean Cuisines really working? " Maybe there could be a reality show about this. I think I could be a really good host for that. Anybody have any connections out there? I always feel bad staring at other people's grocery carts. I try to be kind of discreet, but really I am dying to ask them about everything they are buying. Maybe I need to be a grocery store checkout girl. I would be just like that Saturday Night Live skit with the really annoying checkout worker at Target. Every time someone comes through her line she says, "Oooh, where did you get that? Was it on sale?" Then she runs off to go find it in the store and leaves the customer hanging at the checkout. That would be me.