New Year

Okay, so 2008 is almost over, thank goodness. It has been a wild and crazy year. Some good and some bad.

First off the good, my sister-in-law got married to a great guy and had a beautiful wedding where Madeline got to live out one of her dreams of being a flower girl, and Connor bless his heart got up and gave a speech about how their wedding day is one of the best days of his life because his family just got bigger. In August of 2007 I started losing weight, Matt got me Nutri-system for our anniversary and it works. I got down to my goal weight before the wedding, and I was super happy, so happy I started eating not so good things for me and I went up one size. So, for this Christmas Matt got me an elliptical machine. I love the fact that Matt gets me things that I want, he doesn't judge me and tell me that I need to lose weight, I honestly don't think he cares in the least, he just wants me to be happy, so I am going to start off 2009 by being consistent with my health. Watch what I eat and exercise so that 2009 can be my most healthy year.

Okay, now for the bad parts of 2008. A good friend here at work quit, she had enough of the hypocrisy and quit. On the good side of that she started law school so the world will get a good lawyer out of the deal, but work hasn't been the same and a month after she quit the company "re-structured" my department and fired 5 people all in the same day. October 15th will live in infamy in my brain for quite some time, it wasn't a pretty day, lots of tears and drama. On the good side of that I still have a job. My department went from 17 people when I first started back in January of 2007 to 7 people total. The economy sucks and in November what happened in my department happened in the rest of the company, they let go a total of 13 people in one day. Yikes! The company is still here and going, but everything is very slow and it's not a happy fun place to come to work. I continually think that I am next to be "re-structured".

So, here's to 2009, may it be a better year for the economy, and may I get back into my size 8's and keep my job!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my best Jen's birthday. We have been friends for a little over 15 years. In the past 15 years we have both gone through some major life changes for the better and for the worse, and through it all she's stayed my best Jen. I couldn't ever wish for a better friend. On today her birthday I wish to remember one of the most memorable birthdays in my history.

It begins 15 years ago. We are both young (not that we are old now) and we are looking forward to drinking a little beer and then going to see a movie. I am following her back to her apartment so we could ride together to my house and then to the movies. It's about 5 o'clock in the afternoon and there is traffic, or what counts as traffic in a small farming community. I am behind her, and her car starts to smoke badly. She pulls off to the side of the road, and she hops out of her car. The car is continuing to smoke so I tell her to "turn off your car Jen!" she's hopping around out side her car, she yells back at me "it is OFF!" The car continues to smoke, and smoke, and smoke. It smoke is so thick that it blocks out the sun. Okay, maybe not that bad, but bad enough that cars are slowing down because they couldn't see through the smoke. We were stopping traffic on a busy street all because of her little gray slug of a car.

Needless to say that was the end of the gray slug. Sigh, it was a cool car, and it had the best bumper stickers on it, but it was the end of an era. We never did make it to the movie that night, but we did have some good beer and laughs over the whole smoking car incident. I think it was that night we coined the phrase "Jen Factor". Good Times! Happy Birthday to Jen Factor #1!!!

Smart little Monkeys

We had our Parent Teacher conferences for our kids yesterday. I wasn't terribly worried. I know that the kids do their homework, and I hadn't gotten a call about Connor being sent to the principals office so far this year (not like last year as a Kindergartner he was sent 3 times!). Madeline couldn't wait, she could not wait to get her report card, the little freak. HA!

We had Connor's conference first. We were told that he was a joy to have in the classroom, and "he always has very interesting things to say." Okay, makes me wonder what he's talking about to his teachers. And that "he has a wide range of interests", translation, he's interested in EVERYTHING. Then the teacher told us that when he's feeling crowded he comes up to the teacher and tells her, "Teacher I need my space." Bwahahahahahaha, that is totally ME.

We were off to Madeline's conference, pleased to have the good report on Connor, we walk into Madeline's classroom. Her teacher is very high energy, and was busting at the seams to talk to us about how Madeline is "such a doll, she's absolutely wonderful to have in class and she's just so sweeeeet." This is a direct quote, it's actually written on her report card.

This is the first year that Madeline's gotten "A's", "B's" or "C's". Apparently Coarsegold Elementary doesn't start the letter grading system until 4th grade. Well, she's on the Honor Roll, my smart little monkey. She got a B- in Physical Education which was horrifying to her, but when we asked about it the teacher told us "when we are playing dodge ball and Madeline gets hit out she's happy to stand off to the side, and watch the other kids play, she doesn't try to get back in the game." bwahahahaha again this is just like me. Poor kid, she would rather stand off to the side and watch the game or read a book than get in the game.

I am a very proud Mommy. I have wonderful kids.

Inappropriate Words

So, I am not a huge sports fan, but I do enjoy the occasional football game, more particularly Fresno State football games. Well this past Saturday was a Fresno State game and it started at 7:00pm, the kids bedtimes are 7:30pm. As I am getting Connor ready for bed he starts begging to be allowed to stay up to watch the game with us, and in his persuasive arguments he tells me that if I let him stay up he "won't pay attention to the inappropriate words". I ask him what he means and he tells me that the last time Fresno State played he was in bed but he could still hear my "inappropriate words". So, in a nutshell my 6 year old busted me for cussing at the TV while Fresno State plays. In my defense the last game was painful to watch and the bad words were only spoken when I thought my kids were asleep.

"Oh, Just Do it Connor!"

So, the other morning while waiting for the school bus in the car, Madeline was trying to get Connor to do something and he plaintively wailed "Why do I ALWAYS have to do what you want?!" Madeline's response to her baby brothers complaining......"Oh, just do it Connor!" What made this funny to me and Matt was the fact that Connor actually caved in and did what Madeline wanted. There will come a day when Connor is bigger than Madeline, but right now she rules over him like the queen sister that she is.

Chocolate Coffee Cup Cake

So, a friend here at work knows how much I love chocolate and she sent me a recipe for how to make a chocolate cake in 5 minutes in a coffee cup in the microwave. Okay, there's so many things about this whole process that makes me giddy with joy. You mean I can have chocolate cake in just a few minutes, and I have all of the ingredients in my pantry? This is a win win situation as far as I am concerned. Here's the recipe:

DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE CAKE-IN-A-MUG

1 coffee mug

4 Tbsp. cake flour (plain, not self-rising)

4 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. cocoa

1 egg

3 Tbsp. milk

3 Tbsp. oil

Small splash of vanilla

3 Tbsp. chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to mug, mix well with a fork.

Add egg, mix thoroughly.

Pour in milk and oil and vanilla, mix well.

Add chips, if using.

Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts.

Cake will rise over top of mug--do not be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired.

Eat!

(This can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.)

***And WHY is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

Because now we are all only five minutes away from chocolate cake any time of the day or night!!!***

___________________________________________________________________________

"Get thee hence" to the microwave!!! This is GREAT!!! Got the recipe from a friend, and tried it out immediately. It works! I see multiple applications for this gem: With kids; grand kids; 4-H cooking classes; college dorm room when there's only a microwave; late-night cravings; just enough for one or two servings instead of an entire cake...........ha, ha! My kids added some drizzles of chocolate syrup and some Cool Whip (we didn't put in the chocolate chips). You could add canned frosting, too.

The batter does rise up 'way over the top of the mug, but doesn't run down the side. Fun to watch!

Be careful not to overcook--our microwave is higher than 1000 watts, and three minutes was a dab too long--dried the cakes out a little bit. Anyway, give it a try! And be sure to watch it the whole time it's baking in the microwave!!!


Okay the line "Cake will rise over top of mug--do not be alarmed!" got my kids going. Madeline was watching the cake, and Connor was watching it too, as the cake started to rise over the edge of the coffee cup Madeline started getting alarmed, and was telling me "oh no it's going over the edge!" I told her not to be alarmed just like the recipe said, and what does Connor start doing? He gets down and starts running around the kitchen going "I'M ALARMED! I'M ALARMED!" Goofy little kids, so on that note, be aware that my normal coffee cup wasn't quite big enough to keep it from going over the edge and pooling like a chocolate lake in the bottom of my microwave.

Teppen Yaki

I had a great evening put on by my company. We were taken to dinner at a new Japanese Teppen Yaki restaurant. There were 93 of us total, and we took over the entire restaurant. I had scallops and steak, and of course the ubiquitous fried rice. I think the evening was so enjoyable for me because it was dinner out with my friends from work. We work together all day, but to get together at a social level was fun. I am not a social person, I am a hermit by nature. If given a choice between dinner out, or home and a book, I would choose home and a book every time, but being forced to go out and be social was fun. I don't think I will ever choose being social over home and a book, but it was good for me to break out of my shell. Plus I have awesome left-overs for lunch today, woohoo!

Irritations

So, my morning started off well, I got the kids up with little to no whinning, (okay that's a lie, but it wasn't as bad as it could be). I got to drive today so I have my book on tape that I am listening to, and it is good, and the drive wasn't too bad, I got to work early, had my breakfast. And then 8:30am hits, we have a departmental staff meeting, wham. There goes my good morning. We were reprimanded as a group for celebrating a co-workers birthday. We had decorated her cubicle with mini Twix bars (her favorite) and birthday streamers. It wasn't too obsene, it was fun and festive. Now I work for a religious nonprofit organization and I would have never in a million years guessed that celebrating a co-workers birthday was going to be frowned on, ever. So, morale in the department took a nose dive this morning. Anyone who knows me knows that I am like the biggest Pollyanna in the world, and I want everyone to get along, and have fun while we are doing it. I want to come up with a solution to the morale problem here at work, and am going to be brainstorming ideas for the next week so I can have something to give to my mananger on my next monthly meeting with her. Wish me luck.

These are the days.....

This is how I feel today, nice and relaxed and sleeping with my stuffed bunny. I love how Cinko looks like she's smiling.

Nice long weekend

I love having three day's off to just lay around and do absolutly nothing. I haven't even gotten out of my pj's today. I get to lay around watch football (Fresno State's winning so far) and relax. My kids are playing outside in their ghetto swimming pool, (aka a blow-up pool on the patio). Life is good.

Yipee!!!

Friday before a long weekend

Am I the only person who loves the three day weekend? I think not, there's nothing better in my mind than having an extra day off of work with PAY! After working way too many years in the retail industry, I have come to absolutely LOVE paid days off, and actually get them off. That means that I get all of the silly days off to, like Martin Luther King's birthday, wow. I get the day after Thanksgiving off as well as Thanksgiving, and it's all paid! I cannot even begin to explain to non-retail workers what an absolute wonder it is to have days off with pay during the holiday season. I use to dread Thanksgiving, because that meant the beginning of 6-7 day work weeks and a mandatory 10-12 hour days. Now it means I have an extra long weekend and the ability to celebrate at work! I can actually wish my co-workers Merry Christmas and not be frowned on for being Politically Incorrect. YIPEE!

Back to School.

School Lunches

Oh don't get me started on lunches. Last year Madeline was having "issues" with her stomach and we determined that eating greasy food made her nauseous, so no more school lunches. Connor on the other hand has to eat constantly. Constantly you say, really? And I say YES constantly. If he doesn't have something in his backpack that can be eaten at each recess he is dying of hunger by the time school's out. He's an eating machine. So, Madeline in her brilliance wanted to get up at 5:30am to make her own lunch. Yeah right like that's going to happen, so we compromised and she made her own lunch the night before, which most of it came home uneaten. She had a total of a cup of mandarin oranges and some grapes for lunch! That's exactly what she wanted today too. It's not like she's not eating normally, it's just. I think, at lunch time she is much more interested in socializing with her little friends than eating.

Back to School

Connor's been losing teeth for the past year. The top front teeth are numbers 4 and 5. The 5th one is soooo wiggly but it still won't come out. I think he wanted to have it on the first day of school. He's so funny. He didn't want to wear that shirt because according to him it makes him look like a nerd! The dress Madeline's wearing is the one I made for her this summer with my brand new sewing machine. It was the first thing that I made, and she helped make the straps, so she had to wear it on the first day. I love that she still likes to wear dresses and she looks so sweet. I love her with her short hair. She was beautiful with her ultra long hair, but the short pixie cut suits her face better I think, plus she still looks like a little girl with the short hair.

Summertime Kids

So this summer while the kids are with Bonnie and Joe, Joe has signed them up for Karate lessons. Connor has really taken to them, and loves to act like he's fighting someone, the other day he goes into his fighting stance and goes "You want a piece of me old lady?!" to me! OLD LADY! aaaahhhhh, my kid thinks I'm an old lady. Actually cracked me up, he's so cute and still so little, with his little spaghetti arms, but he was getting ready to take me down. Then my Madeline was talking about how much she loves to read, and how she wants to start a book club at school, and she wants to have the first book to be Trumpet of the Swan, when I pointed out that she'd read that book back in 2nd grade her response was, "Yes, but I am an exceptional reader." No ego problems at the Finnegan household.

Calvin and Hobbs test

Your result for The Calvin Or Hobbes Test...

A Bit Of Both

You are 50% Calvin and 50% Hobbes

Calvin & Hobbes, like a scruffy yin and yang, are in perfect balance within you. Like Calvin, you're weird, a bit insecure, and can be a trouble-maker. But like Hobbes, you're down to earth and sensitive. It's a risk to say it here, after just a ten question test, but I'll bet you're smarter than most. Both Calvin and Hobbes are crafty, clever characters, and any one made from equal parts of each is a force to be reckoned with.

Take The Calvin Or Hobbes Test at HelloQuizzy

Monkey Fur

So I was helping my son take a shower and wash his hair last night, and when I finished he grabbed his sisters hair conditioner. I told him that he didn't need conditioner for his hair, being that he's a boy and his hair is less than a half inch long, and he tells me that it's for his "monkey fur", and that he wants to make sure that his monkey fur is nice and soft. As he proceeds to put the conditioner all over his arms and legs. Go Connor, that's my 6 year old for ya.