Mom With A Pen » These things make me happy

Boo!

Maniacal Mommy — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:12:13 +0000

I know I am a jumpy person. I could blame it on growing up in Texas, where the occasional scorpion or more common fire ant made you wary. Lots of things are poisonous there. I brought home a present from Texas once, and apparently rode with a black widow spider all the way back to Michigan. That still gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Little Readers

Maniacal Mommy — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:04:47 +0000

JD has really taken a shine to reading lately. Not just paging through his board books, but actually bringing me books and telling me “wead!” True to his age, he really enjoys the same book over and over and over. I have read “Where Is Baby’s Pumpkin?” so many times in the past two days it has gone from cute to “good grief, let me dig out our old flap books for a change of pace”.

Fresh Air

Maniacal Mommy — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:33:42 +0000

We have taken to having our dinner outdoors. It’s nice to eat under the shade tree, and whatever JD drops, the chickens clean up for me, so it’s rather win-win. Plus dinner tends to coincide with what I call the “witching hour”.

Berry Good Times

Maniacal Mommy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:20:34 +0000

I was talking with my sister recently, and she commented “we sure do know how to make some work for ourselves, don’t we?” I laughed at the time, but that phrase haunted me for a few weeks.

Beautiful Things

Maniacal Mommy — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:16:35 +0000

My final round of trashy magazines hit my mailbox last week. The special price had ended, and let’s face it: without the Stephen King column in the one, I really had no reason to get it. We get to see a movie on the big screen maybe once a year, not counting free kids movies or “must see” kids movies.

Nekkid Baby

Maniacal Mommy — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:05:47 +0000

There is just something special about toddlers. It’s fun to watch your kids grow up, sure. When they can finally have a conversation with you about things other than “I’m hungry” or their favorite toy du jour, it’s magical. When they are so proud of themselves for riding their bike without training wheels, or swimming without floaties. It’s all wonderful.

Date Night

Maniacal Mommy — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:12:48 +0000

Last night was “date night.” Or our version of a half assed date night. We ate dinner at home with my MIL, who was going to watch the boys. We opted to grill our meal rather than eat out, or just do a rushed drive thru Taco Bell meal and calling that eating out. Now, I love me some Taco Bell, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that a few steaks, baked potatoes, and our home grown asparagus tallied up to much less than two dinners at a real restaurant would cost. If we had time to eat at one, which we wouldn’t, because MIL was running late.

Shock and Awe

Maniacal Mommy — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:58:02 +0000

Finances can be tight when you are doing the whole SAHM thing. I try not to look at the Sunday sale ads beyond groceries, because I hate to have something catch my eye that really isn’t necessary. Shiny, new things that really aren’t in the budget, you know?

Picketting for Pretty

Mom With A Pen — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:48:09 +0000

Life has a funny way of saying, “Hey, what the heck. Are you an idiot?” And often, I’ll reply, “Yup;” sometimes when someone is looking… just to make them think twice about sitting next to me… because everyone needs their space. Yes, I’ve been walking in a daze. Let me add to that…for the past year and a half. Half exhausted from my non-sleeping one-year-old (and the whining and tantrums of the six-year-old); half carb-induced because I can’t seem to stop shoveling in chicken nachos. What is it with that stuff? Umm…yes, I’m eating a heap now.

Mmm….greasy!

Maniacal Mommy — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:16:51 +0000

I love to get my fry on. Sure, I try to feed my family healthy foods. We have a garden that provides us with many of our vegetables; plus strawberries, grapes and apples grow in the yard. We don’t eat out all that often, but enough that my youngest knows to say “mmm” when he sees the Golden Arches or any given fast food joint. I watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and rejoice that our children’s private school serves primarily “homemade” foods.