At 10 Months, Itty:
Scarfed down a Big Mac last Friday? Slept through daily Mass? Jumped into message board drama when you were giving up the internet? Missed your Holy Hour? Heck, Lent snuck up on you and you haven't even figured out what you're doing to increase your prayer, sacrifice and almsgiving?*
As the songs go, be not afraid... we've only just begun.
Take a moment to enjoy these light-hearted looks at Lent from around the Catholic blogosphere:
The Curt Jester: L-Mart 2008
Alive and Young: Angelic Conversation
Kansas City Catholic - Lenten Fare 2008
Now that you do not look gloomy, go and blow Lent no more!
* Real 'I already blew Lent' confessions from a few of my Catholic friends... and me! And for the person still blindsided by the change of liturgical seasons, here's 25 Great Things You Can Do For Lent from Busted Halo.
You know the rules. I plan four meals and insert them as the spirit moves me. Wednesday nights I have choir and Thursday nights Dan teaches piano - those are leftover (or pizza) nights.
This week's meals:
Spinach Pasta Casserole, Salad
Chicken Parmesan, Green Beans, Garlic Bread
Soup & Basil-Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Meatless Friday: Black Bean Quesadillas, Cheese Nachos
And next weekend, since the forecast is for sunshine and highs in the 70's, we'll be firing up the grill! Bring on the burgers and brats!
Thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting.
With apologies to our family and friends who are in a deep freeze, pictures from today's trip to the park where we enjoyed sunshine and a high of 67F.
*Diva Mom ducking to avoid the snow and ice balls being thrown her way from Virginia, New York, Wisconsin, Colorado, Alaska...*
Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.
Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job."
So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.
They e-mailed.
They e-mailed with attachments.
They faxed.
They downloaded.
They created spreadsheets.
They typed reports.
They merged contacts into labels.
They created charts, graphs and webpages.
They did every computer task known to man.
Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than hell.
Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured and, of course, the power went off.
Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.
Jesus just sighed.
Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers.
Satan started searching frantically, screaming, "It's gone! It's all GONE! I lost everything when the power went out!"
Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.
Satan observed this and became irate.
"Wait!" he screamed. "That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?"
God just shrugged and said,
JESUS SAVES
Here are the rules:
1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name).
3. After you are tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and your answers.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and that they need to read your blog for details.)
This is pretty easy for me since my middle name has a mere three letters:
A - Aunt to 19 nieces and nephews.
N - Native of the Washington DC area.
N - Nocturnal.
(Good thing I have a middle name. My maiden name is 12 letters long!)
The three people I tag are Sharon, Tracy and Kristen.
My favorite commercials:
Budweiser Clydesdales Superbowl Ad: Hank the Clydesdale
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Diet Pepsi Max Super Bowl Ad: Ginseng & Caffeine; Wake Up People
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Way to go, Giants! I fully expected this Superbowl to be a blowout snooze fest. But Eli and company pulled off one of the greatest big game upsets of all time. Against the cheating, and as of tonight, choking Patriots.
New England's coach Bill Belichick stormed off the field before the game was over and gave a less than gracious loser press conference afterwards. Classy guy, that one. But as further spygate accusations unfold Belichick should be worried that he might not see another playing field to storm off of again.
Tracy has bestowed upon me the Excellent Blog Award! Thanks, Tracy!
* FYI, this is a misquote of Sally Field's 1985 acceptance speech. What she actually said was, "I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" (What did we do before Wikipedia?)
Ittyboy pulled himself to standing for the first time, just before this photo was taken. Of course I still haven't captured this milestone on camera. Care to take bets on when he'll start walking? (Or for that matter, when he'll get his first tooth?) 
Bittyman started Tae Kwon Do classes this week. He won an award for having memorized the first six stances - the first student in his class to do so! (And yes, the 'face' is necessary, according to Bitty. Be very afraid.)
my four-year-old did not just beat me in a game of chess!
(And yes, I was trying to win. Humble pie anyone? Plenty here to go around.)
My blog averages 40 unique visitors per day. (Double that in page loads, thanks to Grandmai refreshing hourly.) So imagine my surprise when I logged into my Statcounter summary last Wednesday and learned that several hundred people had checked out my last Menu Plan Monday!
Turns out my post was linked by several bigger parenting blogs:
Strollerderby
Quick Serve Kids
Now the pressure's on for a pithy post! Sorry to disappoint, but this week will be an easy menu planning week. Daddy, in addition to his regular daytime gig, will be performing nightly this week. Then Friday at o'dark hundred he heads out of town for a weekend jazz festival so it's just me and the Little Heroes chowing down at dinner time.
My menu is all about Bittyman's favorite meals (that don't come with a toy):
Tater Beef Bake
Veggie Quesadillas
English Muffin Pizzas
French Toast & Sausages
(Ittyboy will eat anything that's put in front of him. Seriously. Just call the kid 'Hoover'. He did not inherit his big brother's picky eating habits. His taste du jour? Homemade guacamole!)
And of course what Daddy's-out-of-town weekend would not be complete without a trip to our favorite take-out restaurant, Pei Wei. (Daddy loathes Asian food. When he's gone we feast on crab wontons and honey seared crispy chicken.)
Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for a multitude of Menu Planning Moms.
Thanks to Sharon for this meme!
Here’s how it works:
~Link to the person that tagged you and leave a comment on their blog, so that their readers can visit yours.
~Post the rules on your blog.
~Share 7 random facts about yourself on your blog.
~Tag 7 random people at the bottom of your post, linking to their blog.
~Let each person know by leaving a comment on their blog.
My Seven Random Facts:
1) I was named after my Great-Grandmother, Vittoria. She and my Great-Grandfather were married for 75 years!
2) I broke the ball of my left foot while performing on a cruise ship. The bone did not heal correctly and there is now a joint in the bone - an arthritic joint.
3) I'm allergic to Ampicillin and rabbit fur.
4) I made my TV debut at the age of 8 on the The Channel 20 Club, a children's show which aired in the Washington DC area.
5) On my wedding day my parents presented me with my Great-Grandmother's cross. I wear it almost every day.
6) I played trombone in the 6th grade.
7) I was a singing Doorwoman at a major resort. My Doorwoman career ended when my foot was run over by a taxi cab - yep, my left foot.
I tag Tracy, Marie, Jen, Kristen, Esther and anyone else who wants to play!
"Mom! Come quick! I think Itty just ate a SPIDER!"
The Packers' dream season comes to a bitter end in the bitter cold with their 23-20 loss in overtime to the Giants in tonight's NFC Championship game.
So Daddy, this one's for you:
Alive and Young: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
These brought a smile to my exhausted face. (Both little Heroes have colds so nighttime has been anything but restful this week.) Make sure to follow the links (and read the comments) for more entertaining answers!
Tracy's Simple Life has bestowed upon me my first blog award! I recently discovered her blog and really enjoy the daily meditations mixed with her Catholic Mom musings.
Now it's my turn to bestow this award to some of my friends in the blogosphere:
Colleen at The Culture Club
Sharon at The Bird's Nest
K at K&the3ds (My Maid of Honor and smartest liberal on the planet.)
Lindsay at My Splatter Painted Life (She's the gal who created my blog's design when I won her contest!)
Guess who called me last night?!? Bubba! He invited me to a rally tonight to meet him personally and discuss his wife's plan for my future!
Note to self: Update voter registration from 'Independent' to 'Republican' pronto.
One of my resolutions for 2008 is to simplify my life. And while meal planning does simplify my life, the attach-a-meal-to-a-specific-day part doesn't.
"Let's see. I'm sure that at 6:45pm on Tuesday Itty will happily sit in his high chair so I can chop green peppers and mince garlic for that evening's pasta recipe."
NOT.
And although most of the meal-planning Moms at I'm an Organizing Junkie don't cook on the weekends, I like to take advantage of Daddy's ability to entertain our heros and make more complex recipes then. (Especially now that Itty's favorite pastime is opening the broiler drawer.)
So my solution is to plan four specific meals a week so I won't run into the dreaded staring into the pantry hoping to be inspired with a dinner idea at 6:30pm panic attack. But which meal gets made will depend on our schedule, the boy's temperaments and the Mommy fatigue factor. The other three nights will consist of one leftover night, one pizza/take-out night and Thursdays are something simple for the boys because Daddy works late night.
Dan and I also resolved in 2008 to return to meatless Fridays. As Sister Mary Martha so entertainingly explains, Ask Sister Mary Martha: Meat or No Meat, the 'no meat on Fridays' rule was lifted with the understanding that we do another penance in it's place. And since I'm not ready to give up the computer or coffee on Fridays I'm doing the no meat thing. (And Lent is a mere 3 weeks away so might as well get back into the habit now!)
This Week's Meals:
Hawaiian Chicken Bake
Spaghetti Pie
Italian Sausage Subs
Alton Brown's Grilled Cheese & Soup
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Diva Mom's Results:
87% Mitt Romney
85% Fred Thompson
82% John McCain
80% Mike Huckabee
76% Tom Tancredo
71% Ron Paul
60% Rudy Giuliani
39% Bill Richardson
31% Hillary Clinton
30% Barack Obama
29% John Edwards
24% Chris Dodd
20% Mike Gravel
16% Joe Biden
15% Dennis Kucinich
Dan's Results:
87% Fred Thompson
83% Mitt Romney
83% Mike Huckabee
81% Tom Tancredo
77% John McCain
63% Ron Paul
59% Rudy Giuliani
34% Bill Richardson
26% Barack Obama
25% Hillary Clinton
24% John Edwards
21% Chris Dodd
18% Joe Biden
17% Mike Gravel
12% Dennis Kucinich
Dan is a staunch FredHead. Me, I'll take Thompson's platform, Huckabee's age and enthusiasm and McCain's elect-ability for the Republican presidential candidate, Alex. It'll come down to who is left in the race after Super Tuesday.
Mitt, you're not foolin' us you old flip-flopper. No votes for you!
You Are 55% Left Brained, 45% Right Brained |
 The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports. |
It's amazing what a multi-tasking Diva Mom can accomplish while nursing at the keyboard. For your enjoyment I've added a playlist - a fitting theme song and some family favorites.
Care to guess which song sends Itty into head-banging mode? (Must upload video of Itty rockin' out to tunes! It's HILARIOUS!) Or Bitty's two favorites? Turtle Wax and Rice-A-Roni for the winner! (The playlist is located in the sidebar under 'Cool Stuff'.)
Itty, at 8 1/2 months, is officially crawling as of this past weekend. This means two things:
Orthometer tagged "everyone who loves Jesus" for the No Name Meme so I tagged Bittyman for these answers. (Not that I don't love Jesus too - but Bitty is more entertaining.)
1. Do you wear a name tag at work? No.
2. What kind of car do you drive? I don't drive any cars.
3. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell? Maybe a cheeseburger?
4. Have you ever had a garage sale? No.
5. What color is your iPod? I don't have an iPod.
6. What kind of dog do you have? I don't have a dog.
7. What's for dinner tonight? Pizza.
8. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had? I don't know what that is.
9. Stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone? You shouldn't say that word... but I didn't do anything stupid... I don't have a cell phone.
10. Last time you were sick? Long, long, time ago when I had a sick night.
11. How long is your hair? Medium.
12. Are you happy right now? Yes. And I'm happy later.
13. What did you say last? What other questions are there?
14. Who came over last? Grandpa and Grandma.
15. Do you drink beer? NO! That's a silly question.
16. Have your brothers or sisters ever told you that you were adopted? What's adopted mean?
17. What is your favorite key chain on your keys? My Transformer puzzle key ring!
18. What did you get for graduation? Nothing?
19. Whats in your pocket? NOTHING!
20. Who introduced you to Dane Cook? No one.
21. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear? Yes but it was an Elmo!
22. What DVD is in your DVD player? Spiderman, starring me!
23. What's something fun you did today? Open presents from Grandma and Grandma!
24. Who is/was the principal of your high school? Nobody - that's goofy.
25. Has your house ever been TP'd? Uh-uh.
26.What do you think of when you hear the word "meow"? It's a cat!
27. What are you listening to right now? Listening to Mom doing these questions.
28. Drinking? Mom's water.
29. What is your favorite aisle at Wal-Mart? The toy aisle!
30. When is your mom's birthday? A couple days. (June 17 actually.)
31. When is your birthday? May 13!
32. What's the area code for your cell phone? What cell phone? I already told you I didn't have a cell phone!
33. Where did you buy the shirt you're wearing now? Got it from Aunt Cristie for Christmas.
34. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror? No... I don't have a view mirror... what'a a view mirror?
35. How many states in the US have you been to? Idaho... Green Bay...
36. What kind of milk do you drink? Regular milk and chocolate.
37. What are you going to do after this? Go to bed.
38. Who was the last person you went shopping with? Mom.
39. What is your favorite fruit? Oranges.
40. What about your favorite dessert? Cake! I love cake and brownies!
41. What is something you need to go shopping for? Nothing - I have a bunch of junk already.
42. Do you have the same name as one of your relatives? No. But there's one in school!
43. What kind of car does one of your siblings drive? What's a sibling?
44. Do you like pickles? Yes! Love pickles.
45. How about olives? Yes. I love olives. These are great questions.
46. What is your favorite kind of gum? I can't have gum.
47. What is your favorite kind of juice? Orange juice and apple juice.
48. Do you have any tan lines? What's a tan line?.
49. What hospital were you born in? Um, I don't know.
I tag Sharon and anyone who loves Bitty & Itty!
Redskins Tumble Out of Playoffs - Washington Post
Even though the 'Skins season came to a close with today's 35-14 playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, I'm still so proud to sport the Burgundy and Gold. The Redskins won their last 4 games after the death of teammate Sean Taylor to reach the wild-card round.
Next week I'll be sporting a Cheesehead, as I'm a Packer fan by marriage. I'm looking forward to watching Brett Favre skin the seachickens in sweet revenge for ending my team's season.
Products that were new (or at least new to me) in 2007 that I can not live without in 2008!
1) Boppy. How the heck did I get through Bitty's first year without one of these? Oh, yeah, I remember - with an aching back.
2) McDonald's Vanilla Iced Coffee. Cut my drive-thru-coffee-habit cost in half.
3) Clairol Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up. Not that I need to color my hair to cover the gray, but if I did this product would make the pricey salon color last an extra month... or three.
4) Vera Bradley Clip Zip ID in Java Blue. My Buddy, Sally, went to the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale in Atlanta and scored me a Villager handbag at 75% off the retail price. I bought the Clip Zip ID to match and it comes in really handy since I have to show a photo ID when picking Bittyman up from preschool.
5) C.O. Bigelo Mentha Cinnamint Lip Shine. I have these stashed everywhere - my purse, nightstand and minivan.
6) Simple & Delicious Magazine. Imagine me, the chick who took Shop instead of Home Ec, looking forward to trying out new recipes each month.
7) iPod. The best baby present EVER! Thanks again, Little Bro and SIL Cristie!
For your entertainment pleasure: Dave Barry's Year in Review. Don't have time to read the entire piece because you have big New Year's plans? (Well, aren't you special...) The highlights:
February. . . when South Florida hosts Super Bowl Roman Numeral. Because of concern over terrorism, security is extremely tight, particularly outside South Beach nightclubs, where large bouncers refuse to let any terrorists inside unless they are really hot. After what feels like three months of pregame festivities, an actual game is played, pitting the Chicago Bears against the Indianapolis Peyton Mannings. What begins as a close contest is broken wide open in the third quarter when the Bears defense is unable to stop a 1993 Buick LeSabre driven by 87-year-old North Miami Beach resident Winifred Bingleman, who took a wrong turn on her way to mah-jongg. She is immediately signed by the Miami Dolphins.
But the biggest story in June, as well as the history of the universe, is the release of the Apple iPhone, which, in addition to enabling you to make phone calls, has all kinds of brilliant and innovative features, including AutoFondle, an application that enables the iPhone to fondle itself during those times when you are unable to fondle it manually because you're sleeping or undergoing surgery from wounds you sustained when friends or co-workers finally lost it and beat you senseless to make you shut up about your freaking iPhone already.
September... In Las Vegas, O.J. Simpson, an ordinary citizen minding his own business and exercising his basic constitutional right to retrieve sports memorabilia from somebody else's hotel room with the aid of armed thugs, somehow runs afoul of the law. He insists he is innocent, but winds up facing trial on robbery and kidnapping charges that could send him to jail for a life term, after which he will undoubtedly be signed by the Miami Dolphins.
Why the TBS 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story could be construed as a near occasion of sin:
Bittyman's favorite phrase is now, "I double dog dare ya!"
Bittyman can not eat mashed potatoes without making piggy noises.
And of course, Bittyman now wants an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle.
All of which are driving Diva Mom over the edge and farther into the container of Christmas Crack.
(Thanks, Grandmai, for the better post title!)
To the anonymous Angel(s) who sent us the very generous Costco gift card, thank you. We will be lighting a candle for you at Mass tonight. Merry Christmas!
Sorry blogging has been light during Advent. But between working as a professional Christmas Caroler:
Shuttling to rehearsals and performance of our parish's Christmas Pageant:
And all the Christmas festivities:
We're all ready to settle down for a long winter's nap:
Bittyman: "Mom, you're a great Mommy!"
Diva Mom: "Awww, thanks, Bitty. I try."
Bittyman: "You don't try, Mom, you do!"
Dear Grandparents, Great Aunt, Aunts & Uncles and Godparents,
Please accept this I.O.U. for one professional picture of the boys as their Christmas gift to you. The photo will not arrive by the 25th of December.
In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Bittyman and the shiner he received when his head collided with the bed frame two days before our scheduled appointment at Kiddie Kandids. (The picture does not do justice to the injury in spite of Bitty's 'tough guy' face.)
Blessings this Christmas Season,
Vicki
Monday: Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas
Tuesday: Italian Sausage Subs, Caprese Salad
Wednesday: Pizza
Thursday: Bruschetta Chicken Bake
Friday: Pasta and Bean Skillet
It was a crazy busy weekend for me and I only had menus planned through Wednesday. A big thanks to Sharon at The Bird's Nest - I'm borrowing two of your recipes to round out my week!
If you're looking for menu ideas there are at last count 157 other Menu Plan Monday participants at I'm an Organizing Junkie!
Monday: Crock Pot Saucy Cheeseburger Sandwiches, Green Beans
Tuesday: Broccoli Fettuccine Chicken
Wednesday: Leftover Buffet
Thursday (St. Nicholas Day): Pancakes, Sausages, Home Fries
Friday: Pizza, Veggies & Dip
Last week's Italian Sausage Egg Bake was a huge hit... with the adults. Not so much with Bittyman. I'll just stick with pancakes for Christmas morning! Speaking of pancakes, this Thursday is the Feast of St. Nicholas and by coincidence Daddy is off. So after opening our stockings, we'll enjoy a hearty leisurely breakfast. That evening we'll be touring an outdoor festival of lights so dinner will probably be of the drive-thru variety afterwards!
If you need a break from perusing those sales fliers in the Sunday paper:
Watching and Waiting by Danielle Bean.
The True Meaning of Advent by The Curt Jester. (He also created the Advent wreath graphic above - thanks, Jeff!)
St. Rita Parish Weekly Builletin. Scroll down to the bottom for the article written by the Parochial Vicar of St. Rita, Fr. Paul Scalia. (Scalia - sound familiar? As in the son of Supreme Court Justice Scalia.) Fr. Scalia is the consultant priest to a Catholic Mom's message board I belong to and he serves in the Diocese of Arlington where I grew up.
A Catholic Life: Advent and Christmas Compilation. Matthew has stopped blogging since entering the Seminary, but A Catholic Life continues to be one of my favorite reference blogs.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Now don't ya feel smart? I must write pretty good well!
'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!
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!)
Taken at Sunday's Halloween Festival. Tonight Spiderman and a Pea Pod will be trick-or-treating in our friend's more kid-friendly neighborhood. (Our community is a bust when it comes to handing out candy for some reason.)
Have a safe Halloween!
Ignore those kiddos knocking at your door and play some online Halloween games instead.
(You know you want all those miniature Reese's for yourself anyway!)
Pumpkin Carving
Halloween Games
Ghoulish Games
Bashing Pumpkins
Highlights from last night's Packers win in OT against the Broncos. (Game-winning touchdown is at -0:48.)
Brett Favre does it again. Daddy is one happy Cheesehead today.
Monday: Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Miniature Milky Ways, M&M's, Twix, etc.
Thursday (All Saints' Day): Pizza
Friday: Chinese at Pei Wei
Easy week for Mom. Between Halloween trick-or-treating, All Saints' Day Mass Thursday evening and Daddy going out of town Friday morning for the weekend, it's all about quick, easy, and next weekend more dining out than usual as I'll be doing the solo parenting thing for 3 days.
Thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting. (Go check out Laura's new and improved site!)
Lots of posting among the Catholic bloggers about Halloween. Ma Beck says everything I'd have written if I wasn't down a few IQ points from pregnancy, childbirth and baby rearing: WardWideWeb: Obligatory Hallowe'en Post
(But we do have one major philosophical disagreement - who the heck eats Butterfingers? My candy d'Halloween was Milky Ways before Bitty received a 'super silver tooth'. Now our house is a sticky-free candy zone. Dark M&M's in our treat bowl. Butterfingers? Oh, the horror!)
WOW is right! (You said WOW! when you loaded the page, didn't ya?) Is this not the coolest blog template EVER?!?
When I won first place in Splat Creative Designs' contest for a custom blogger template I was just hoping for a cute header in a comic-book font. Actually that's about all the direction I gave Lindsay - I'd like a comic-book theme to go with my blog's title and my two 'superheros' are blond.
Holy cow, Bittyman, did she deliver!
I can not thank Lindsay enough. She is such a super-talented gal! Besides blogger templates she does custom headers, logos, buttons, business cards and much more. So go check out her portfolios and treat your blog to a new and improved look!
Organized Christmas
Cynthia at Organized Home has begun her free six-week Countdown to Christmas. (WHAT? CHRISTMAS IS IN SIX WEEKS?!? Simma down, now! Take a deep breath. Christmas is NINE weeks from Tuesday.)
The six-week plan will let you enjoy a stress-free Advent season with the goal of completing all your Christmas planning and preparations by the first weekend in December. (Or give you three more weeks to accomplish what you should have done already!)
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