Monday Musings

Dan's birthday is tomorrow. (No April Foolin', he was really born on 4/1!) Think I should bake him this?

And so begins the birthday parade. Ittyboy turns 1 on April 17, followed by Bittyman's 5th birthday on May 13. If you're looking for gift ideas, check out my sidebar. (If you click through and purchase from Amazon I get a few cents for my Dunkin' Donuts fund.)

Yesterday afternoon we attended a birthday party for a member of Bitty's preschool posse. The Heroes had a blast. But just a reminder Moms, when choosing a venue for your child's birthday party, Chuck E. Cheese serves alcohol for those of us over 21. Pump It Up does not. I'm just sayin'.

Yes, I'm still menu planning. I just haven't made it from planning to blogging in the past few weeks. So head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie if you need some inspiration.

After almost five years living here, it occurred to us that our kitchen might function better if we (and by we I mean Dan) switched the hinges and handles on the refrigerator door so it opened towards the sink and food prep counter instead of away from it. (Duh!) In theory it's a good idea. But it may take our muscle memory another five years to adapt to the change.

I've added some new tunes to my Playlist. I'm such a child of the 80's.

Quote of the weekend:
"Bitty, please don't ride your scooter in the street - stay on the sidewalk."

"DAD! Please don't patronize me!"
Sigh. Did I say Bitty was turning 5 in May? Or is that 15?

Friday Funny

Ever seen a lonely shoe or a discarded pair of pants along the highway? Turns out they belong to this Mom.

She's been added to my sidebar so surf over whenever you need a good laugh. Start with her blog title - it's the most creative in the blogosphere!

Interview Me Meme

Sharon posted this meme on her blog and I decided to play along! Her questions and my answers:

1. What do you miss, if anything, from your life before having children? Discretionary income.

2. When did you start dancing, and what is your favorite type of dance? Is there a style dance you'd LOVE to learn? I took my first tap & jazz classes when I was about 7. I remember my little cowgirl recital outfit complete with plastic guns. Jazz is my favorite type of dance - I never had enough ballet training or talent to make it as a prima ballerina. I'd LOVE to take ballroom dancing classes now that I'm addicted to Dancing with the Stars!

3. Of all the places you've traveled (including working on those cruise ships), what has been a favorite? My most amazing travel experience was on the m/s Golden Odyssey which cruised down the Amazon river to Manaus, Brazil. While there I took a canoe trip into the heart of the rainforest - It was like a Discovery Channel documentary complete with piranha-filled waters, snake-infested provision huts and villages where Indigenous people live.

4. If you could live ANY WHERE (money being no factor), where would you live? Dan and I recently took this quiz and were amazed that Nashville, TN made both of our top 3 places to live. Besides the thriving music industry it's a Red State with a lower cost of living, better schools and more seasonal weather than here in the Southwest. Plus it's about half-way between both of our extended families.

5. What is harder to give up: chocolate, coffee, or alcohol? Before this Lent I would have said chocolate. (I've had to give up alcohol through two pregnancies and months of breastfeeding - no biggie there.) But during these coffee-free 40 days I realized it's not just the coffee I missed but the stress relief of loading the boys in the car and getting out of the house and driving thru for a java fix when chaos is ensuing. Yep, coffee is definitely the hardest to give up!

Now the official rules of this meme:

Now it's your turn. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment including the words, "Interview me!" I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don't have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Easter Photo Parade

How cute are we in our matching outfits?

Since Mommy gave up coffee for Lent, she went directly from Mass to Dunkin' Donuts for a Latte Lite and some Munchkins! Mmmm, my first donut!

Thanks, Grandpa and Grandmai!

The Boyz

No, Diva Mom did not wear shorts to Mass - I had to change out of my non-nursing Easter dress as soon as I got home so Ittyboy could have some milk with his donut!

Look what the Easter Bunny hid in the bushes!

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Alleluia! Alleluia!

(Image from fish eaters)

Foto Friday

Holy Week Happiness Is...

finding these shoes at Marshall's for $39!

Ever since I broke my left 1st metatarsal sesamoid (ball of the foot) clean in half while dancing in a show on a not-so-Fun-Ship, I'm very particular about the shoes I wear. (The bone did not fuse back together and I was left with a joint - which doesn't take kindly to high heels or flats without extra thick cushioning.)

Clarks are one of the brands that I can count on for an ibuprofen-free day. The Easter Bunny came early for Diva Mom.

(But Bunny, please don't forget to bring a few Cadbury Creme Eggs on Sunday!)

So Let It Be Written... So Let It Be Done

It's tradition that we watch The Ten Commandments over Palm Sunday weekend. Bittyman remembered the burning bush from last year's viewing but not much else. Tonight he sat in rapt attention through the plagues and exodus from Egypt. But his favorite part? Watching Pharaoh's army drown in the Red Sea.

"YAY! WAY TO GO, GOD!"

(But is it just us, or when Charlton comes down from Mount Sinai does anyone else immediately flash back to Mel Brook's version, "The Lord Jehovah has given unto you these fifteen... Oy!... Ten! Ten Commandments! For all to obey!"?)

Tomorrow night, Jesus of Nazareth. Don't know about you, but I'm going to be confused if I get to heaven and Jesus doesn't look like Robert Powell.

Irish Lent

An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times. Soon the entire town is whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject on behalf of the town. 'I don't mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?'

'Tis odd, isn't it?' the man replies. 'You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America , and the other to Australia . We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond.'

The bartender and the whole town were pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him drink.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening. He orders only two beers. The word flies around town. Prayers are offered for the soul of one of the brothers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, 'Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know-the two beers and all….'

The man ponders this for a moment, then replies, 'You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent.'

Foto Friday

Guess who, at 10 months, 3 weeks and 2 days old, FINALLY cut his first tooth?



And last weekend, Bittyman coveting our friend Fr. Phil's "super-cool motorcycle":



Bittyman momentarily considered a vocation to the priesthood, excited by the thought he could have a ride as sweet as Fr. Phil's. But that thought quickly passed when I informed him that ah, no, priests can't carry weapons.

Sorry, Lord. Motorcycle cop trumps priest-who-owns-racing-bike in the career aspirations of my 4-year-old.

Recipe for a Perfect Day

Sunny, high of 78F.
Meeting a Mom friend and her kiddos at the park for 2 hours of fun in the sun.
Heading to the mall and finding perfect matching Easter outfits for the Heroes at 40% off.
Arriving home to discover that Daddy has done something he's never done in 10 years - called in a sub to his daytime gig so he could come home early and enjoy the gorgeous day with us (and bearing a beautiful bouquet of flowers).
Learning our community pool and hot tub officially opened last weekend.
Putting on last summer's swimsuit and discovering it's beyond big - all the baby weight is lost, and then some.
Finding several Coors Lights in the fridge.
Relaxing in the hot tub (wearing a suit from my pre-Heroes days) with Daddy, while Ittyboy happily plays in his stroller and Bittyman is entertained by two great 13-year-old boys who are crazy enough to be swimming in the unheated pool.
Having a fridge stocked with tasty leftovers for dinner.
Bittyman falling asleep on my lap while we watched American Idol.
The Heroes down for the count before 9pm.

It doesn't get much better than that. I'm truly blessed.

She Who Sings Well Prays Twice

I know blogging has been light but I'm buried in music. Between cantoring weekly and the upcoming Tridumm and Easter Sunday services, any hero-free time has been spent at the keyboard. (The Kurzweil's, not the Dell's.)

Yesterday morning I cantored for the first time at our diocese's shrine (and biggest Catholic church in the state). It's a gorgeous and awe-inspiring place of worship and I was honored to be a part of the Mass there.

But whose big idea was it to spring forward the clocks already? Singing solo at 8am was tough enough for this night-owl. 7am pretending to be 8am? Talk about a Lenten sacrifice!

How to Make a Grown Daddy Cry

Favre Decides To Call It A Career

Menu Plan Monday

This week's recipes:
Hawaiian Chicken Bake
Nacho Mac 'n' Cheese
Black Bean Quesadillas
Pizza Sandwiches
Meatless Friday: Fish Taco Salad
Grilling Sunday: Beer Brats, Red, White & Bleu Slaw

More menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Thanks for stopping by and have a delicious week!