Murphy is coming for dinner

So, guess who had a $500.00 car repair bill this week. Oh yeah can I tell you how much it hurts to pay $500 for anything that doesn't involve sandy beaches?

We had the money in the bank, the benefit of being a Dave Ramsey nut, but we are also trying to pay off the last $4000.00 in debt. This last $4000.00 has been so hard because just when we scrap up some extra money well Murphy says, let's visit the repair shop.

The Caveman/Alien household needs to do something dramatic to stretch our budget. Right now we are spending about $100.00 in food/household items which isn't much but last night I was looking at my over stuffed pantry, the deep freezer half full and came up with the greatest idea ever.

I will not grocery shop for an entire month. I will not order take out for an entire month. We will only buy milk and the rest will come from our pantry, freezer, and vegetable garden.

When I told Big Papi this he looked at me like I had grown horns. I believe he thinks he will starve, but really like a good majority of Americans we have a ton of food in the house that is just sitting there. I am a Costco buyer after all. What would happen to my family if we just said lets use what we have on hand?

Imagine what would happen to America if we actually used only what we had on hand?

So keep looking at the blog because I am going to tell you what the Caveman and Alien are eating. And I'll start with tonight's pantry dinner. For the kids we still had two hamburgers and buns left over from Crazy Grandma's birthday party; dinner for little people done. As for Big Papi and myself we enjoyed a make shift stir fry with sauce using sweet red peppers I had picked up from the farmer's market, a bell pepper from our garden, an onion, some boneless chicken thighs from the party I hadn't cooked and some leftover chicken broth to make into sauce. I served that over brown rice and we also made a simple salad with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and dressing. I also took hotdog rolls and toasted them in the oven to stretch out the meal. Yum-I am extremely proud of the results and dinner only took about 20 minutes. Plus I have enough leftovers for Big Papi's lunch tomorrow- well not of the rice but there is an extra roll to make the mixture into a sandwich.

I know this is crazy- and I can just see Crazy Grandma looking at this and thinking we are going to starve her grandchildren. The grandchildren will be fine, I promise.

“Mini Mona”

So, we had the ant cupcakes at Crazy Grandma's birthday party. The Caveman was excited to host a party with balloons and pink pointy party hats.

The only person who didn't want to participate is the Alien who Crazy Grandma is now calling "MM" (stands for Mini-Mona, I guess the Alien in her two year old self has striking similarities to my two year old self). First the Alien woke up from her nap screaming, on the floor, and looked confused. I picked her up, changed her diaper, and brought her out to the pink princess party where all her favorite people were. Nope, wanted no part, her chubby fingers clung to my shirt like it was a life preserver. We tried everything to get her to calm down. Big Papi took her; we put her back in the room, offered her a drink, and then by magic when we said would you like a snack she was suddenly okay.

That's when the comparisons between my daughter and I got very interesting.

I have written about my struggle with my body image before, especially what I believe is my habit of emotional eating. Well Crazy Grandma points out "Look an emotional eater like her mother." And I look at my perfect little girl with the bluest eyes I have ever seen and wonder as I give her five organic animal cookies in a bowl if I am setting her up for a battle like mine.

And it continues, of course in front of everyone which is embarrassing about how I should talk to my therapist about this. Guess what Crazy Grandma my in-laws (who were also in the room) I don't believe I told about my therapy. Big Papi and I recently came clean about the six months of marriage counseling we completed last year. And I may have mentioned it, but it felt like a violation, an innocent mistake, but not something I want mention to the other half of the Alien and Cavemen family unit; at least not by anyone else but me.

My mother-in-law doesn't look when I get a second helping of food. Doesn't say anything when I give the kids a cookie, and Crazy Grandma doesn't either but when she makes comments about my daughter's emotional eating it make me pause because what internal dialogue is she saying in her mind?

I am proud of myself that the therapy is working, and I didn't have my usually dramatic reaction or pity party session about my mother's comments. Instead I didn't give a look or comment I simply went on with the party and proudly had an ant cupcake with the rest of them. And they all smiled when the Alien had green grass icing all over her face.

I am not making my mother out to be a bad person, she means well. My mother always means well, she always means well. I could hear her in the background as I was trying to soothe the Alien "Mona is so much better with her than I was with Mona when she was the Alien's age." For my mother that is an olive branch I gladly take. Her opinion of me matters more than anyone else, I have no idea why. But I know by writing this and publishing it I am up for a discussion. The topic may be that I am of course over reacting that they were innocent comments and I shouldn't make the situation all about me. If the Alien is now "MM" then how can I not make it about Big Mona? Or it could simply be something we don't talk about.

I guess I need to warn those fans who live in the Alien and Cavemen universe as I am trying to write daily they may pop into the story. This is not the Alien and Caveman story but mine and I am going to own it.

Blueberries and BlackBerries

So yesterday I made homemade blueberry muffins.

Okay first let me explain how much I love blueberry muffins because really good ones are hard to find. They can't be too sweet but just sweet enough. And one warm with creamy butter is really like nirvana. When I get to heaven I want St. Pete there with a welcome basket of homemade blueberry muffins, champagne chicken, the mushroom soup I had at Sonoma Wine Bar in Virginia Beach, and my entire meal from Hominy Grill in Charleston, South Carolina. Calm down folks it s heaven calories will no longer count, I hope.

And these were perfect because I used the Ina Garten recipe for them! Any recipe from her that I have made has been perfection!

And best of all the Alien and Caveman loved the muffins too! They actually love watching me mix things in my KitchenAid Ultra Power Stand Mixer. The Alien will look into the bowl and just say, "ooooooooo!" The Caveman is a little more direct "That is going to be yummy in my tummy!" Oh course baking with toddlers is an experience because you have to make sure tiny fingers don't go after raw dough or worse crowd you so that you actually can't work. But I love that the kids want to bake with mommy.

I also made muffins because I was feeling guilty about the fact that I had to attend a Saturday class for my essay class for school. I left the kids and Big Papi getting ready for the Caveman's swimming lesson while I made the long trek to class.

I got half way to class and realized that I didn't charge my Blackberry and didn't have the car charger. So I had no contact with the outside world, which is a blessing and a curse because it is nice for people not being able to find you but the anxious feeling of not being able to find out at a moment's notice what the children are up to isn't really worth not having a fully charged BlackBerry.

And boy, were the children up to something. According to Big Papi after he brought the kids back from swimming he fell asleep on the couch and when he woke up he found the Alien happily eating one of the blueberry muffins (including paper) on the floor in front of him. He got up and saw that I had left the muffins high on a counter where we thought tiny hands couldn't reach. He also saw that four muffins were missing and a paper wrapper was on the floor. Big Papi asked the Caveman if he helped his sister get the muffins and the Caveman denied the action, but again he had a blueberry smear on his face. Both kids were sent to their rooms until I got home.

I laugh at the story because I wasn't there to get angry. Plus who naps with toddlers on the loose! We're lucky to have a house left because when Big Papi sleeps he is dead to the world. If I were a toddler I would have gotten the permanent markers and drawn on daddy! Again this is easiest for me to think because I am right now in school mode and don't have to clean up the messes as much as he does.

Wild Kingdom

So my house is quickly turning in to Wild Kingdom!

As you all know we had Bunny Watch 2010 the other day and you would think that would be the end of it. No not at all.

Last night as I was putting in a movie for the children so that I could start dinner I felt something crawling across my exposed toes in my favorite Old Navy pink flip flops. Sure enough the biggest bug ever is crawling across my foot. Jumping I throw the bug of my foot and it crawls away under the entertainment stand. Well I haven't been in the room since! Well not really but I am not willing to go look for the bug.

We have a rule in our house; I pushed out children so Big Papi has to deal with creepy crawlies. And this spring and summer the city has been doing work on our drainage system in our neighborhood so all sorts of gross things have made their way into my home. So he has to deal with the traps and removal of gross things. And when he pushes out a five pound human being from an opening of only 10cm then I'll take my turn at removing the creepy crawlies.

I called Big Papi only mere moments after rescuing my foot from the giant bug and he tells me that yes he will look for the bug when he gets home. I think he lied to me because I have seen the bug now two more times.

On the second occasion I was picking up toys in the same room where there it was, coming after me like it had its guns pointed on stun. I scream for Big Papi, who I think has developed the thing where husbands ignore wives until the screaming gets to high pitch frequencies. So Big Papi comes in, very slowly I might add what if I were on fire, and I point in the general direction of where the bug is, near a pillow and a toy. He picks up the toy and sees the bug and jumps three times like a monkey while screaming like a little girl and the bug escapes under the couch! I of course am laughing and wishing I had at least the BlackBerry out to record this man screaming like a tiny little girl.

Okay, this is a 6'7 mountain of a man against a fairly big bug. In the middle of this the tiny Alien comes over with her sandal clad shoe and steps on the bug which is why the bug went under the couch. So the Alien is braver than her parents apparently. I am now completely upset and I want him to turn the couch over and get the bug!

Of course in the middle of my panicking that while I am watching a Netflix movie the bug will appear and eat me, Big Papi reminds me that he is leaving for basketball. Basketball at a time of crisis for our household as it is under siege. He is going to abandon his wife and small children to a evil bug to play basketball?

Big Papi went to basketball and I haven't been in the TV room since.

Cupcake Summit 2010

So it is Crazy Grandma's 50^th birthday next Monday and the most excited person is the Caveman. I guess at three years old the prospect of a birthday, any one's birthday, is an exciting event.

Together he and I have poured over the books Hello Cupcake and What's New Cupcake, and have decided to make Crazy Grandma the Ant Cupcakes (which look super easy). Then I made the mistake of letting the Caveman look further into the cupcake book and he saw it, the race car cupcake.

You know as a sidebar I need to say that the past few weeks I have been immersed in Russian politics because of a class I was taking for school. We spoke a lot about the relations between western countries and the former Soviet Union especially negotiations on arms agreements in the 1970s. Well sorry Mr. Kissinger you have nothing on a mommy trying to convince a very excited three year old that the race car cupcake, while cute and fun, may not be the best choice for a grown up's birthday. I kept trying to get him back to the ants but he kept going on and on about the race car cupcakes. Plus he wanting balloons, presents, and party hats for the birthday girl- my what a party planner I have on hand.

Then it hit me- if I did the cake in purple glitter it would kind of rock and fit my mom's personality. So now I am going to wait and see what I can come up with. Luckily Crazy Grandma is flexible with the grandchildren's choices. And this is a very good lesson for the Caveman to have that celebrating another person's birthday is actually way more fun than your own.

So stay tuned my faithful readers, all five of you, we will find out which cupcakes prevailed.

Schedules

So the Bunny didn't make it.

Dr. Richie said the Bunny was malnourished, dehydrated and of course had major lacerations from the encounter with our cat Zeus.

I was worried that when I got home the kids would be asking about the Bunny, but thankfully I had Zumba class so if there were questions Big Papi was there to answer them.

We have a new schedule in the Caveman/Alien household this summer because of course mommy is in school.

Monday I have class- if it is in person the kids will go to Normal Grandma's house which they love

Tuesday I have Zumba class and Big Papi has basketball- we are planning on trading the kids at the YMCA like divorced parents.

Wednesday I have class and see Monday

Thursday same as Tuesday

Friday- as soon as I am up to it I plan on adding a third Zumba class which I hope is also going to be shared with Big Papi

Saturday- we have swimming lessons for the Caveman, and then that is the day for homework, household chores, and outdoor fun

Sunday- ah the day of rest again we will probably use that for true family time.

Just looking at this I am wondering, "What was I thinking?" If you know a working adult with kids going back to school give them a round of applause and offer to make dinner. I often feel guilt when I am in class because first Big Papi has to take on a lot while I am in school. Next comes the guilt about the kids and that I am not spending enough time with them. This especially comes when people ask me what I plan to use my degree and I have no answer.

A part of me knows that getting the degree is actually selfish. If I don't need the degree why am I spending so much time away from my family to get one? It isn't like the degree is a bad thing but it is definitely something I want to finish. I want the kids with me in May 2012 to see mommy finishing what she started. And the Alien has never known life without mommy being in class. I want them to see the struggle so that when they are in their early 20s they make different and better choices.

The new semester begins tonight and so begins the guilt.

Bunny Rabbits Are Not For Eating Kitty Cat!

So, this morning after putting the Caveman to sleep early because he lied I was still feeling bad about it. But of course as little kids do the Caveman burst into my bedroom and jumped on the bed giving me a big smack on the lips and told me he loved me. There really is no better way to wake up in the morning.

And then he told me about the baby rabbit.

I am not sure if I have told you about our cat Zeus. We have had Zeus since the Caveman was only about 9 months old. And Zeus, like many cats, like to chase things in the yard and bring them into the house still alive. Big Papi is getting pretty good with bird removal and I have no sympathy for mice. But when I saw the tea cup sized bunny rabbit in the plastic shoe box my heart melted. The Caveman and Alien household does not let baby bunnies die on their watch. So Big Papi texted Dr. Richie (who is a really awesome vet btw) and he said he would have a look.

Of course the Caveman was so excited about the baby bunny. He even brought toys for the baby bunny to play with and wanted to feed him carrots. And I know I have a veggie garden and should want the cat to get rid of any animals who threaten it but come on a baby bunny the size of a tea cup? I don't think so.

I also told Big Papi that under no circumstance were we keeping the bunny! The house is finally getting cleaned and adding another life form to it just isn't going to work.

I will keep everyone posted on Bunny Watch 2010.