Yo Da King!

Below is a picture from tonight's Epiphany party celebrating the visit of the Magi. We had King's Cake followed by white elephant gifts galore. In honor of the Three Wise Guys, I guess.

Good times had by all.

How to Make a Month of Lunches in an Hour

A while back I was complaining to someone about how much I hated making lunch for the kids every morning. Their suggestion: have the kids make their own lunches. My response: "I've tried that!" Because I had. I had a bin of snacks, one of "sides" and one of main meals and I let the kids pick from each. The result? The processed crap was snagged first, fights broke out over who got the last fruit snacks, Pop Tart, Sugary-Teeth-Rotting-Whatever, and I about went broke, even with coupons.

Then I made nifty menus for each kid, and spent an hour each morning making noodles and BLTs and muffins that the kids would end up complaining about and/or throwing in the trash. ARGH!

Then the amazing happened. I convinced Dr. D to buy a chest freezer, moved it into the Cat Room (a basement utility room that used to house the laundry facilities), and started reading up on Once A Month Cooking. Ham sandwiches can be frozen? Who knew!

So now once a month we have a Sandwich Party. Each kid makes a dozen or so of their own sandwiches, bags them up, labels the bags and they go in the freezer. Pie prefers peanut butter (though she put pepperoni on some), Fish and St. Nick like meat and mustard. Mostly mustard for Fish. Weirdo. We also make and freeze smores, bag up crackers or pretzels or other goodies, and I've even been known to make homemade ice cream or spaghetti-o's for the ole' thermos.

Can you believe we now have no complaints about lunch? No? Ok, we do still have complaints - like pizza-quinoa bites were not a favorite. But overall one-hundred-ten percent improvement. I spend almost no time getting lunches together, the kids can only blame themselves for disgusting sandwich combinations, and another new rule: If You Don't Like It, Don't Tell Me, all make my life so much better.

To the Waiter at El Haragan ...

... Thank you for giving St. Nick the check.

Our dinner last night went something like this:

St. Nick: Ed's parents owe him ninety-five bucks. Where's that $15 Mom had for me?

Mom: What $15?

St. Nick: I want my money. You owe me fifteen bucks.

Mom: That's the money we spent at the bookstore (aforementioned book orgie).

St. Nick: (growing hysterical) You never told me that's what the money was for! I want my money! You owe me!

Mom: Ummmmm. No.

St. Nick: YES YOU DO YOU OWE ME MONEY YOU DO YOU DO YOU DO!! THAT WAS MY MONEY I NEVERWOULDHAVEBOUGHTSTUPIDBOOKSIFIKNEWIWASUSINGMYOWNMONEY! I WANT MY MONEY. YOU OWE ME!

Mom: (thinking that was the Wrong thing to say to a writer is at a loss for words)

He did eventually calm down. And then the waiter, who watched the whole thing, handed St. Nick the check. All I can say now is, Thank You.

By the way, El Haragan is a yummy new Mexican restaurant. If you're local, check it out. The fajita nachos are delicious.

So Much For Resolutions

This is my lunch, if you can call it that. I used Instagram to make this chicken-flavored McNugget look as unappetizing as possible, which wasn't hard.

See, I had these high hopes of No Fast Food! in 2013. And although I do mean it, well, it was 12:45, I was out, it was easy. Plus I need to grocery shop in a bad way.

On the plus side, I took Rowdy in for her 1-year Well Child visit. She's healthy as can be, and 21 pounds of Love! No wonder she's always hUnGrY.

How to Start the New Year Right

Dr. D and I both have colds, we had all kiddos but one up to watch the ball drop (the whole event reminiscent of The Capitol in Hunger Games), and McDonald's decided not to serve breakfast At All today. But we made it to the Bargain Books half off sale nonetheless. In a feeding frenzy, a literary orgy, we gave each kid a limit and a basket, and we flew through the shop.

Midway through I scored a cart. All the better.