Foto Friday

My favorite photos from our Thanksgiving trip to Green Bay:


Dan and the boys with their Great-Grandmother, Mary


Itty with his Godfather and Uncle, Damien


The Desert Dwellers in the Lambeau Field Atrium

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Cheesy Pizza Meatloaf, Green Bean Casserole
Tuesday: Italian Sausage Egg Bake. (Test run for Christmas morning)
Wednesday: Alton Brown's Grilled Cheese, Soup
Thursday: Pizza for the Packers Game
Friday: Veggie Quesadillas, 7-Layer Dip

A common theme to this week's menu? BelGioioso cheese. Two of Dan's brothers are cheese makers so we were blessed to return from the Frozen Tundra with 10 pounds of award-winning cheese!

Mama was not so blessed to return with one heck of a cold. So forgive me for light blogging for a few days.

Giving Thanks

We're heading to the frozen tundra to spend Thanksgiving with Dan's family. There will be a 30F drop in temperature from our desert home to Green Bay. The boys will keep warm playing with the 11 first-cousins who are in the area (the boys already have 19 first-cousins total) and Dan and I will keep warm partaking in some of the fine beverages brewed in Wisconsin. I'll also get to have lunch with K, my Maid on Honor, who I haven't seen since either of us had children.

We hope to return with a Packers win over the Lions and without any traveling horror stories or cold virus'!

Wishing all of Bitty's & Itty's fans a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Want A Blog Like Mine?

Lindsay, the gal who created my fantastic blog template after I won first place in her last Custom Template Giveaway, is in the holiday giving mood! So head on over and enter for a chance to have your blog look as cool as mine! No blog? She also creates custom holiday photo cards at very reasonable rates so check out her portfolio.

Foto Friday

Bedtime tonight. (Better late on Friday than never!)

Charity Begins at Home... Computer

FreeRice.com

Menu Plan Monday

We're heading over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house next weekend to spend Thanksgiving in the frozen tundra. So the goal of this week is a zero grocery bill and to clean out the fridge/freezer. (Helps that Daddy has gigs three nights - Guess which meals are geared towards Bittyman?)

Monday: Brats & Baked Beans
Tuesday: Veggie Burgers
Wednesday: Pancakes & Eggs
Thursday: Chicken Nuggets
Friday: Pizza

Foto Friday

Enjoying our record-high heat this week.

(Well, not enjoying having to turn our AC back on because it was 85F inside the house... and not really enjoying arguing with Bittyman that he should put on a short-sleeved shirt and shorts before walking to the park - and you can see from the picture who 'won' the argument... then not so much enjoying the part where Bittyman complained of being TOO HOT the entire time we were at the park... oh, and finally also not really enjoying much the part about trying to stretch a short-sleeved onesie to fit Ittyboy since he's outgrown all this summer clothes.)

Sure, we're enjoying our record-high heat.

Made in the USA

Lead-tainted paint, date rape drug coated beads - what else do the Chinese have in store for our kids?

It's going to be an only American made toy Christmas at our house. More books, games, clothing and less crappy plastic that might harm my little heroes.

Fox News - Buy American: Toys Made in the USA
Fat Brain Toys
our green house - American made
Gile Toys
Toys Made In America
US Made Toys

And with Al Qaeda eyeing mall attacks over the holidays, all the more reason to shop for American made toys from the comfort of my home office.

Dear Dr. Sears,

Is it bad parenting to take a preschooler to the Grand Opening of our city's first Dunkin' Donuts and call it lunch?

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I'm In!

Comment registration is open at Michelle Malkin! (Michelle only opens registration once in a blue moon to keep the trolls away.)

Thanks, Grandmai for the heads-up. Now to think of something clever and pithy to write. Might need coffee first... and a return of the IQ points I lost during pregnancy.

What Level of Education is Required to Understand this Blog?

Now don't ya feel smart? I must write pretty good well!

Pssst... Want to Know a Secret?

'Tis already the season for Starbucks Holiday drinks! As of yesterday you can order holiday drinks even though they won't 'officially' be advertised until November 8! A very kind Barista shared this tidbit with me today. (Too bad I had already ordered my Tall (nonfat) Cafe Mocha when she divulged this secret!)

Daddy is out of town this weekend so methinks I'll treat myself to a Gingerbread Latte tomorrow... and a Peppermint Mocha after Mass on Sunday!

Blood Sugar Crash on All Saints' Day

After putting on a few miles trick-or-treating then stuffing ourselves silly with miniature candy (and chocolate-flavored Mama's milk in Ittyboys's case), Bittyman, Itty and I all slept in, missing 8:00am All Saints' Day Mass with Daddy.

So Mommy will be attempting 7:00pm Mass with the boys. Not a problem for Bitty who really is an angel in church. (Have I blogbragged that he can now recite the Apostle's Creed? And Father was so impressed by this feat that it became a part of his homily that week?) But 7 is a challenging time for Itty who is usually fighting sleep.

Seminarian Matthew has a great page all about Saints and why Catholics honor them: A Catholic Life: Saints

Mama is needing a hair of the dog that bit her... now where did I hide Bitty's treat bag... there's a Snickers in there with my name on it! (Bitty, when you can read this post, I owe you a candy bar!)