Proud Mom

I am a fan of a ton of blogs, but my loyalty is really to less than 10, and I "know" all those people except one. The Hipster Mom is just wonderful & makes me happy to be a sappy, helicopter mom while still retaining my own self interests and identity. However, I wanted to write a little something about my "face." Readers, there is a mom on the sidelines of soccer games, viciously screaming and the name they say is "Face," that mom would be me. It is indeed a weird nickname, it was from the first day I got to see Seth, which was when he was 3 days old having been born with gastroschisis. I was just amazed by his little face, it stuck from that day on. Of course the hubs hates it, but has adjusted. As well there are times when I mistakenly call da sis (who is pumpkin head) by that name, and da kid does not like it (it is just because when your kids are around and you call out every name but their's, maybe even the dog's before you get to the correct one). I think my kid is amazing because he loves great music, and is even beginning to show his first signs of rebellion through music (he is kinda all about some rap to the hub's dismay). He is funny and wickedly sarcastic. He has stunning blue eyes and knows how to use them to his advantage, once in public he wanted something to which I denied him. His response, "don't make me pull out the magic weapon" and moved his hair from in front of his eyes! Like his dad, he without realizing it will play in his mom's hair when we watch movies (and I fall asleep). On most days, he is my best friend. Unfortunately, & probably because of my age, we also fight like friends. He looks totally like the hubs, but people don't see it because he and I have the same mannerisms and spazzy personalities.He & I can finish each other sentences, and can answers questions before we ask them.

Readers, on Tuesday my little Face graduated from elementary school. It was intense enough when the graduation speaker said "I was scared entering my pre-K classroom, but there I would meet the three people that would become my life long friends and graduate with me today, enter my kid's name & his 2 of his best friends." I started to lose it a little bit and had to feign yawning when my eyes misted up. For hell's sake it is a 5th grade graduation, who gets emotional about that?

Then my shaggy haired kid crosses the stage, being first up I had not even been of sane mind enough to record it. I got one faint, dark picture. Readers, after they called his name, then proceeded a laundry list of awards and medals he was awarded, everything from second place for OM for his school, Duke University TIP/MAP, Certificate for academic excellence, and Continental Math. Readers, I can tell you now what our president's signature looks like bc he was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence! What ended up really blowing our minds is that this kid made honor roll. My kid has never gotten an A(E) in his life on a report card. I could barely hold it all in.

Readers, I could not stop talking with my hands, or gushing. I was real intense, and felt my crazy mom flag fly.

Later that afternoon, we have a graduation cook out for his friends and our families. He gets his grad gift from us.

So, Readers, what I officially have on my hands now is a middle schooler, who just got a cell phone. What comes next?

I makes some breakfastes...

I am not too sure why when I am so excited about something I do that confounded illogical grammar misuse, but I likes it!

Now that the crash of 2010 is over, Readers I am not on computer #5, I can get back to some blogging!

For Mother's Day, I made TMom a brunch that included tomato pie (which they had never had) and Picky Palate's "Egg Mcmuffins."

Readers, I did something of the culinary world that I have never ever done before! I cooked two things in the stove at the same time!!!

I also discovered that my oven has a light in it! Does your over have a light? Do all ovens have lights? Will I one day have to replace that light, or more likely the hubs will have to replace that light? These are questions I am excited to answer if you could imagine that!

I will say that these egg Mcmuffin things were pretty good, even if I was suppose to have a "Texas-sized" muffin pan, which I do not. So my compromise was to punch the ever living crap out of the sourdough english muffins until they began to mold themselves around the muffin slot (let's be honest, take it from the Saturday Night Live ladies of NPRs Delicious Dish {Schweddy Balls}, cooking sounds dirty so often that it amuses me daily. I am like a 5 year old in the kitchen.). So there were a few occasions where the weight of the egg would not keep the muffin in place (I am literally unable to type this up now without blushed-cheeked laughter), then I placed in a bacon piece and instead of making small strips, I make it into a circle like building a fort so the egg would not spill out, then covered with cheddar cheese and cooked (should I be using another word here, like baked or broiled or heated?) for 15 minutes. They were pretty good. I am pretty much sold on any breakfast food that has bread in it!

What's your favorite breakfast food? Wanna send me a recipe and see how awkwardly I can make it? I will bribe you with blog shout-outs!

Good Woman & Megadeath's Birthday

Readers, I asked you how many birthday parties you had been too, I have knocked a couple out in our time apart.

The Good Woman turned what I am sure is some age that is too young for me to hang out with as I have jumped into that new double digit realm, but all the same we went for some bowling and Athens action. Kingpins Bowling & Brew offers an interesting experience of throwback proportions. Having won a special night of bowling, we got to reserve one lane for one hours, two shoe rentals and one appetizer, which I did not get a picture of because we ate them too quickly (and awkwardly, I love sliders as much as the next person but they are particular in size, aren't they?). She did wear the crown however!

We also had ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, which just to prove what a Good Woman she is, she bought, so I would not go into the reserve AMEX gift card.

For Megadeath's Bday, she had a dinner party and I made cookies, and by "I made cookies," I mean, TMom showed me how to make chocolate drop cookies and I took pictures with my phone for the blog (but now I know!).

There was even a pinata that was filled with really good, like the stuff you round back to THAT house on Halloween when they are dishing out the good stuff, candy!

I love birthdays, and this year they have been really special because I am so used to simply taking someone out to eat for their present that it has been challenging to create something different. Honestly readers, it is hard to buy presents I am finding. I think there is an intimacy in giving a good gift that comes from really knowing someone. Or getting over yourself enough to give someone something they want rather than what you want, or want them to have.

Readers, what's your staple for gift buying?

What is that light I see?

Is it life from underneath stacks of articles and student forms? Is it my neglected kitchen, family, friends or blog?
It happens to be that I have located that my oven has a light in it! But I will get to that in due time.
Readers, how are you? How have you been? How many birthday parties have you been too since we last met? Too many appears to be the only correct answer.
Here are some points to ponder that have unfolded since we last met.

• Readers, I have eaten my weight in frozen pizzas lately, we are talking about 3-4 a week.
• I have a completed draft of a literature review
• The kid is about to graduate from elementary school & has been blasting us with honors, but that another post.
• I have not only been staying in bc of my NYR, but because I have morphed into a cat and require 10 hours of sleep a day, so I do not have many fantastic tales to tell.

Here are some things to look forward too however:

• I have no classes this summer
• I have not students in my building this summer
• I have da sis coming into town soon
• I am planning a week long car trip to New Hampshire through way of DC and Boston.

I feel like the above are great reasons to tune in because I am not too sure how you travel in a car and don't eat out, and da sis is coming down to teach me our mom's spaghetti sauce recipe (which I will not be sharing but I will post pictures and maybe write a sappy mom piece again)!

Readers, it's been a long time but I am back and I think with a vengeance.