Why doesn't Blogger recognize "quesadilla"? I'm not spelling it wrong, am I?

After a day of fun at the planetarium and the beach, we headed to dinner.  We went to a decent restaurant but one we won't be going back to.  This restaurant DID NOT HAVE A KIDS MENU!!!

What restaurant doesn't have a kids menu - especially at the beach?!

I quickly reviewed the menu and told the kids that they had a cheese quesadilla and wouldn't that be a great thing to split?  Sarah, who loves quesadillas, quickly said, "NO!  I don't want to SHARE anything!"

Peter, who typically could take or leave a quesadilla, said, "That sounds good to me."

Sarah, in a very whiny voice, said, "I don't want to shaaaaaaaaaaaaare!  I want my own dinner!"

To which I responded, "Well, there's no way you both are getting $10 menu items!  You are going to share  a quesadilla and that's that!"

To which Sarah responded by sulking until she started actually eating the quesadillas which she deemed, "delicious".

Here she is sulking...and the fact that I was taking pictures of her didn't help matters:

Here are a few other pictures from our evening...

Life's a Beach - OIB Day One

Here are a few shots from Day One at the beach. It was a little chilly on Friday  but not cold enough to keep my crazy family out of the water!

Well, you can't!

We are back from a wonderful long weekend at the beach.

The weather was fabulous (low 70's and sunny) and we played on the beach every day.  We even squeezed in a trip to the planetarium.  We had a great time but we always do.  There's just something about being at the beach that rejuvenates and refreshes you.

I'm trying to get things back in order around here so I can't be puttering on the computer all day but I did want to leave you with this little nugget.

You know how there are lots of things you end up saying as a mother that you never dreamed in a million years you would ever say?  Well this beauty tumbled out of my mouth this weekend:

"Well, you can't pee on someone and expect them to want to play with you!"

Leave it to Jillian!

Yesterday morning it was overcast and windy and had been raining all night but the rain had seemingly stopped and I was planning to do my run.  However, as soon as I stepped out of the door, it started to drizzle and basically rained on an off all day.  I don't mind it raining on me at the end of a run, but I am just not man enough to start my run in the rain. 

So I headed back inside and turned on the Exercise On Demand channel and I started Jillian Michaels'  6 Week Six Pack.  Only Jillian Michaels could do an ab workout that would cause my rear end to hurt the next day.  I am having trouble moving this morning but I think I've found my workout for cold, wet winter days. 

And yes, just like in the 30 Day Shred DVD she says "pain is just fear leaving the body". 

I prefer to think of pain as fat leaving the body.  And if that's the case, my tush should be looking lean in no time!  Not sure what's going to happen with the abs though.

A call unanswered? A deed undone?

After a morning run and a MOMS meeting (my former MOPS group turned Moms on a Mission), I headed to the kid's school to volunteer in the cafeteria so the teachers could eat lunch with each other or by themselves or wherever and with whomever as long as it wasn't with the class.

I loved seeing the kids in their element. I was sort of like a fly on the wall only I could be seen so I guess it wasn't really anything like that at all...except that's how I felt because after initial hugs, the kids didn't really care that I was there.

First lunch consists of Kindergarteners - 4th grade.  The 4th graders act as proctors for the younger grades.  They sit at the tables with the younger kids, help them open milk or anything else that needs to be opened and help them microwave anything that needs to be heated up.  Really, we moms didn't have to be there at all.  All was did was quiet the kids down for grace before the meal and grace after the meal.

The 4th grade proctors even helped clean up the tables and collect them trash and then all of the kids headed outside for 30 minutes of recess.  Seriously, I think they could have totally done it without us there.  It was a little loud in the cafeteria but there was no chaos, no anarchy, no trouble - just kids doing what they were supposed to do. 

We also had to monitor recess but that was a breeze as well.  The kids spread out into their little cliques and started to play.  When we first started going to this school, my kids were disappointed that there was no playground equipment.  But honestly, no one seems to miss it at all.

I witnessed the following in the 30 minutes of recess: a football game, a soccer game, kids running laps around the track, groups of girls giggling and laughing, and kids picking up leaves and making a big pile and jumping in them.  I guess kids really don't need expensive playground equipment to have fun.

By now it was already after 1:00 and I didn't want to go all the way home just to turn around and go back to the school so I headed to Dunkin Donuts for a healthy lunch of coffee. DD has free Wi-Fi so I brought my old laptop with me.  It's been a while since it has actually been out of my house so I was excited to kill some time on the internet with my DD coffee.

I got my coffee, powered up (very slowly) my ancient laptop and connected to the free Wi-Fi.  Unfortunately after many many tries to get connected to the internet, it wasn't happening. I finished my coffee and got in my car and started doing my Bible study lessons for this week.  I did a whole week's worth so I guess this was a better use of my time than an hour and a half of surfing the web.

Before I powered down my computer, a woman came into Dunkin' Donuts and asked two older women if they could give her a ride to her car.  She said she ran out of gas and needed a ride a couple of miles up the road.  They said no so she approached the woman beside me.  She said no so the lady turned, made a pffffffft noise and walked out.

She never got to me.  But I am certain that I would have said no.  I was glad I didn't have to, but I know that's what I would have done.  I was prepared to offer her money for gas or even my cell phone to call a friend but I knew she wasn't getting into my car.

And I was o.k. with that.

Until I started doing my Bible study in the car a few minutes later.  The Bible Study is called Jonah: A Life Interrupted and is basically about doing things that God calls you to do even when you don't want to do them.  OUCH! 

So now I'm left pondering what God wanted me to do versus what I wanted to do.  I can come up with a long list of reasons why I didn't want her to get in my car but what if that's what God really wanted me to do and I didn't do it.

I would not be surprised if today I am swallowed up by a giant fish.

Even though I ran 4.9 miles this morning, I don't mention it, yet this post still manages to be incredibly boring, leaving the internet shaking it's head wondering how does she do it?

It's supposed to be 81 degrees here today (yay!) but it's forecasted to drop to 59 degrees on Thursday (boo!) which is the day we are heading to the beach for a long weekend.

But I'm not too focused on the weather because I would rather spend a cool day at the beach than a warm one at home.  Not that I don't love home, but at the beach I don't have to cook, do laundry, clean -  you get my drift.

Anyway, enough about the weather and the beach.  Let's move on to a more exciting topic.

Tomorrow is my first volunteer opportunity at the kid's new school.  We are supposed to volunteer for 15 hours of service at the school per year.   And this will be my first and only hour so far.  I discovered at the PTO meeting last week that several families have not only met, but have already exceeded their 15 hours.  I better do some volunteering quick before they kick the kids out!

I'm also helping out with one of the Halloween parties in a couple of weeks and I did sign up to volunteer at the Book Fair in November.

By the end of this week they will have a bulletin board up with random things that teachers need done.  The thought is that if you have an hour to kill you can come in, peruse the board and find something that needs to be done that you would like to do.  I'm really interested to see what kind of activities are posted.  I would much rather make copies than head up the school auction if you know what I mean. 

But the one thing I am staying away from is driving. The kids have quite a few field trips on the schedule and there is no bus.  This means parents have to volunteer to drive and chaperone the kids. I really do not want to do that. 

I am a horrible driver.  Plus I am really bad with directions.  The thought of having to take other people's children (other people that I don't even know yet!) to neighboring towns to visit museums and see plays gives me the willies!  Just not gonna do it...unless of course they are in dire straights and then I would do it and be a sweaty mess by the time we got back to the school - assuming we made it back!

Well, I've got sheets in the dryer and unfortunately, they aren't magically going to put themselves on the beds so I better get cracking!

7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

I am attending Mass with the kids this morning.  The second grade will be doing the readings this week so I will be going to hear Sarah.  She will be reading from Romans 4.  She has been working hard practicing this particular reading.  It has quite a few words in it that she is struggling with: justifies, congratulates, requiring, iniquities,imputes and guilt just to name a few.  Hopefully we have practiced enough so that she doesn't stumble over any of the words! 

--- 2 ---

I went to Mass last Friday as well because Peter had a speaking part.  He did a great job reading everything but he was too far from the microphone so I struggled to hear everything he was saying.

--- 3 ---

Sarah has a map project that is due today.  She had to make a relief map out of food items and then draw a regular map from it with a legend, title, scale, compass rose, etc.  She had a little more fun with this project than Peter had with is...probably because she got to eat a lot of the leftovers!  She did however get very upset with me towards the end of the project.  They could include a scale on the map for extra credit but I'm not sure if they discussed map scales in class because she didn't seem to know what I was talking about.  And because she didn't understand me, she proceeded to yell and scream at ME for about 10 minutes.  She does this frequently when she doesn't understand something I am trying to tell her.  And it usually takes a 10 minute tantrum to get it worked out of her system.  But other than those 10 minutes of extremely childish behavior, she did a great job on this project.

--- 4 ---

Here are her two maps.  Please note that the mountains are Rice Krispie treats, the red river is a fruit roll up, the grass lands are green coconut, the beach is brown sugar and the ocean is blue frosting.  I'm sure there will be much more creative maps from the other kids, but that's about all this non-crafty mother has in her. 

--- 5 ---

Our younger female cat always wants to play with our older grumpy male cat.  However, he doesn't want to play or have anything to do with her.  So in an attempt to engage the male cat, the female usually ends up trying to paw at, lick, pounce him.  This always ends up in a very large cat fight.

Hmmmm....I can see a parallel between my cats and my children....

--- 6 ---

We have absolutely nothing planned this weekend and absolutely nothing that has to be done. Those are my favorite kinds of weekends!

--- 7 ---

Here is Sarah trying to do a flip in the air.  She said she can do one on a trampoline and is going to put that on her list for Santa.  I told her Santa and Daddy would have to have a talk and it doesn't look promising.  Not after the fiasco with the first trampoline!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Soup. I just can't get enough of it!

I created another fabulous soup recipe on Tuesday night.  Because apparently, soup isn't just for Monday night anymore, it's also for Tuesday night.

Dan and I had to go to a PTO meeting on Tuesday night and since I never know what time he's going to be home from work, I decided it would be another good soup night.

We love this recipe so much that I decided to turn it into a soup.  And it turned out to be really delicious, if I do say so myself.

Beth's Italian Chicken and Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cans (12.5 oz) cooked chicken
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 2  teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like spicy food)
•  1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions 

1. Combine everything except garbonzo beans into crock pot.  Cook on low for 4 hours. 
2. 30 minutes prior to serving, pour garbanzo beans into crock pot.  
3. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

For more slow cooker recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

How many times is she going to write that word?

While we were at the zoo on Saturday, a boy crossed in front of my path.  He was probably 10 or 11.  It's hard for me to say because once a child passes the infant stage, I loose all ability to judge their age. 

My mouth dropped open when I read the back of his shirt and I had to snap a picture of it:

This looks like something a college kid would pick up on Spring Break at Myrtle Beach not something a 10-year-old kid would be sporting around the zoo so my curiosity was sparked.

As soon as we got home, I did what I do every time I have a burning question and the need to find some information quickly, I went to the library.  No, that's what I would have done in 1979. 

Instead, I Googled "I ate a Turd at Cooter's".  People, please do not Google that phrase.  You will not be happy with the results.  Trust me.

I checked the picture one more time before giving up on my search for more information about this shirt, when I realized that the T in "Turd" was capitalized and it had a dash in it. 

So I changed my search to "T-urd" and "Cooter" and found out that Cooter's is a restaurant in - yep - Myrtle Beach and according to their menu, this is what a Turd is:

Atomic Buffalo Turds - Delicious jalapenos or banana peppers stuffed with cocktail weenies and cream cheese and wrapped in bacon.

I don't know about you, but I actually wouldn't mind trying one of these!

Have any of you been to Cooter's at Myrtle Beach?  If so, did you eat the Turds?  Did you buy the shirt?  Inquiring minds want to know.

...off to Google "Atomic Buffalo Turd" recipes...