Life in the Slow Lane

I haven't posted any recipes in a while. A year or two ago I think I had a new one up each week, as I was busy experimenting in my kitchen all the time. But these days I've been sticking to a lot of standard recipes for dinner that are already in my pocket. I do however, continue to try new appetizer recipes, because that's the 'meal' we enjoy the most on weekends. I want to share a super yummy one with you today, and it will definitely be served during Super Bowl this year! If you don't like jalapenos, perhaps you can try it with sweet peppers. Not really sure, we love to eat hot, so I haven't tried them any other way! Jalapeno 'Poppers' Ingredients: 4oz cream cheese 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar 3-4 pieces cooked bacon 12 jalapenos Directions: 1. Clean and cut jalapenos lengthwise(I wear gloves) 2. Combine cheeses and crumbled bacon 3. Boil jalepenos 5-10 minutes (the longer you cook them, the less hot they will be) 4. Fill jalapenos, ...

.... A big Pinterest problem. Like wake up and grab the iPad before coffee kinda problem. Like lay in bed at night and torture my guy by showing him things I'm pinning kinda problem. It was dormant when the site first started, I signed up the day it launched, but only in the last few months has it truly interfered with life. I know deep down some of you have this problem too. I want to share with you the red flag, early warning signs that you too may be at risk. I know I have a Pinterest problem because: The only reason I have crayons is to melt them. Weekly trips to Hobby Lobby cost me considerably more than they should. The food shopping list revolves around new pinned recipes. Friends that don't pin look at me like I'm crazy . Hours blend into each other, and there's 10 lists open on the iPad app that I've been browsing non-stop. My next baby would be announce by cutting into a cake for the color. I start a lot of sentences with 'I saw this thi...

With a little more spring in my step lately, a little more organization in my life, and a whole lot of love, I feel I finally have time to come back to my blog. I love my blog. I miss my blog. It not only helps me to think things through, but I feel it's a great way to capture thoughts and memories for my boys(now to only figure out how to save the whole blog!). I saw many people on Facebook doing a daily 'what I'm thankful' for leading up to Thanksgiving. Kinda sad that people have to wait until November to think about it, talk about it, and most importantly tell others how thankful they are to have them around. I try to do it often nowadays. Knowing where my life was 4 or 5 years ago, and where and who I am today, well it's just plain super. I knew I'd be able to dust myself off, I knew I'd be able to move forward for the sake of my boys if nothing else, but I never thought I'd be this far ahead. *I'm obviously oh-so-thankful for my boys. They ...

We all know I dislike snow. Strongly. I didn't grow up in an area where we got tons of snow each winter, and I was just fine with that. Now as a grownup, from Halloween til Easter I get to watch the snow fall. Constantly. Don't worry, I didn't change my mind about going outside to play in it, I'll leave that to the boys. But I've grown to enjoy the beauty of it. From inside. Working from home has a million perks as I'm sure you can imagine. But one thing it does not always allow, is that outdoor time, even if it's just to and from the work parking lot. I used to work up in my little office, with my tiny window, and just focus in the corner all day. This year though, I've decided to spend most of my days at the dining room table. In front of the huge window. Sure, it's cold on days like today, but for me, it's a great way to feel a bit more productive.  And not only does it give me a fun little chatting point with students to see where else i...

Totally random post considering how long I've been gone, but I LOVE this song. So cute, so fun, so true! xoxo

It's been so long since I've posted that I didn't realize Blogger has a new layout! Sorry :/ Life has been a bit hectic the last 6 weeks. School started for the boys. School started for me. I switched positions. I hardly come up for air during the day. I forget to make dinner sometimes. I think you get the point! One (important) thing I am keeping up on however, is the Million Puppet March! It was to be called the Million Muppet March, but to be sensitive to all puppets from all walks of life, they have changed the name. On November 3rd, Washington DC will be overwhelmed by puppets in support of public broadcasting. Sock puppets, marionettes, finger puppets, and more will be lining the streets. I sadly will not be able to attend, but am trying to be a voice and do my part in this important cause. Ok, we all know I love(LOVE) puppets, but this is a tad far fetched. I have lots to say on politics, so I say nothing at all. This is funny as hell though, so I'm ...

Caldor? Do younger, not from the tri-state area kiddos even know what Caldor is? It was a department store of sorts that closed down in the early 90s. Not that you needed to know that, but it might help you understand my post a bit! Why is it that many people, when giving directions or talking about where something is located, they use landmarks that don't exist anymore? I thought about that the other day when someone asked me where a store was, and I replied, 'next to Ames'. Ames hasn't been in our town in 10 years, yet I assumed they knew where it was, and it was my reference point. I know many other people use it as well, so even if you didn't live here in the time of Ames, you'd know where I meant. It happens a lot when I talk to people from my hometown too. That makes me wonder ...is it just a way to be nostalgic to how things were growing up? Or if it's someone I used to hang out with, is it a way to bring back memories? "Next to Alexander's...

I have a vivid memory in my head from when my niece was about 6 years old(she's 21 now!). We were up at the Cape Cod house, having a lazy day as usual, and she sang: "I'm bored, I'm so bored. I'm B-O-A-R-D bored!" So cute. But now, on a daily basis, I hear a similar tune. Every. Day.  I'm bored. I have nothing to do. What should I do? I'm SO bored. Today is boring. There's nothing to do. ACK! Why, oh why, don't kids realize how wonderful the gift of time is? Of course for myself, to have shh time, to do crafts all day, to watch the news, to even have the extra minutes to deep condition my hair in the shower, would all be a blessing. But instead, I hear the complaints, all day every day, and then the fighting which comes hand in hand with it.  I guess I assumed that having 2 children would give them the opportunity to always have someone to play with. Wrong-o! It just makes it easier to always have someone to fight with! Fail. I know some peo...

Don't you just love those Staples commercials where the parents are dancing and singing as they buy school supplies? That's how I feel around this time of year. Sure I get a little sad for myself not working in a physical school building, but yay for my boys getting back to school soon! I know there are those of you that are saying it's only July, and how lovely it is to be summer. But if you are like me, with the kids home all day, every day, and spend every moment with them without a break......well then, you too are counting the minutes until school starts! I'm done buying their school clothes and backpacks, and today we will tackle sneakers. The only good thing best thing about our school, is that they supply everything the boys need in class. Even last year when I sent one of them in with a cool folder, it was sent home because it wasn't the one they use. Strange indeed, but hey, it saves me money! I still buy my fair share of school supplies though, at 25 ce...

A few weeks ago at a meeting, we were overwhelmed with TONS of food. But instead of the fancy salads and dips, I gravitated towards these tiny, but oh-so-yummy bites of heaven. They are simple to make, cheap, and easy. Just a word of caution though....they are almost impossible to stop eating!!! I'll call them Pretzel Kisses since I have no clue what they are called Ingredients for one batch: 1 bag of Hershey Kisses, original 1 bag of Snyder's Snaps(plain, not butter!) 1 bag of peanut butter M&Ms Preheat oven to 350 degrees 1 . Line cookie sheet with waxed paper 2 . Fill liner with rows of pretzels. You will need one pretzel for each Hershey Kiss 3 . Place Hershey Kiss on each pretzel.  4 . Put in oven for 4-5 minutes, until Kiss is softened fully, but not melty 5 . Place a peanut butter M&M on top of each Kiss and push down lightly. 6. Refrigerate to cool, then slide off the waxed paper into a bowl. Enjoy! The kids love them, and sneak them out of the refriger...

I do. I will admit it without thinking twice. I, Mama, have a dirty filthy mouth. My dad has a filthy mouth too, so I'm going to give him the blame for my condition. Never have I ever said a foul word in front of him though, even to this day. My mom is very different(aka cooler) so she was able to handle it. Gosh, some things my sister says in front of mom nowadays makes me cringe! But I try to be more reserved about it. Apparently, I'm not reserved enough though, because now it's seeping into my boys' vocabularies! My older boy hangs out with my dad often, so he gets the blame for the way he uses his colorful words. But my little one, who just turned 7 over the weekend, well he's surprising me with new words every day! Funny how long ago I thought he'd never speak, but now, watch out! Last week he said: "We were watching YouTube, and the guy said FUCK, but don't worry, I didn't say it!" Ahh, he's so cute! I, being the terrible mama that...

Did I take a wrong turn somewhere? There's a fork in my road. What now? Is it worth it? Decisions change everything. Follow my gut. Time will tell. Don't worry about what others say. Easier said than done, folks. I've done my best with this one, I've tried as hard as I could for what feels like a long time. I've had sleepless nights, cried, stressed, yelled. But nothing changes. People and places sometimes just.don't.change. So do I change? Do I change everything I believe in? Dare I conform? No, no, no. Even as I'm typing this I'm shaking my head saying no way. That's not who I am. I was not raised to back down. I stand firm in what I believe. So did I just answer my own blog thought/question? Am I staying on the fork path I'm already on and fighting for it to go my way? I'm so torn. So confused. So unsure. So....tired. I guess time will tell on this one, but not a long time, only a week or so. I guess I'll have to just stick it out b...

A few weeks ago, there was a ton of Teacher Appreciation Day/Week stuff going on. They asked kids to vote, write about, talk about teachers they enjoy having. It made me think about the teachers I've had over the years. I remember an assignment in college to thank a teacher we had. I sadly only thought of one teacher I'd thank.  I wrote a  REALLY long letter to a teacher that fostered my love of math. I NEVER HEARD BACK. I know that might sound selfish to ask for a thank you, or even a glad you are doing well, but it pissed me off. So no, I wouldn't thank her again. But if I had to do the assignment now, long after college, I'd thank someone that I really should have thanked long ago. He was the first principal that took a chance on me before I was even out of grad school. I'm guessing he was just pretty desperate for a teacher so late in the summer, but I went for the interview, and left with the teacher editions for all the math classes I'd be teaching in a ...

I loves me some great TV. Sadly, it's been said before that I have the black thumb of TiVo. Kinda like the green thumb of gardening, only black because of my ability to choose crap shows to TiVo. Correction. They are not crap to me, some I really enjoy. But, any time I set a season pass for a show(records all of the episodes for those of you non TiVo'ers), before I know it the show goes off the air ! I went to check out my season passes the other day, and noticed that area of my account is overflowing with cancellations. I refuse to delete them.....just in case. Today I wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some of my fallen shows. Some were fantastic and are missed terribly. Others, well, I should have known better than to get to attached. 1. Passions - Oh crappy, corny soap opera. You left too soon as Tribes did, and were the first of many fallen soaps. You gave me that little amount of time each day to completely check out of reality, and for that I thank you. 2...

Fooling a child is much more difficult than it sounds. I know there are some moms that blend up veggies and sneak them in foods, but my boys always spit it out...they just know. This time though, I got the little one right where I want him. Over something so ridiculous. Water. I know kids prefer sugary juices and fun drinks, but my kids never really had those to begin with. Juice was always cut in half with water when they were little, and now only drink Crystal Lite and diet sodas. So what is the big deal with water? The little one just refuses to drink it. Nope, I don't like water. It's yucky. Forget it, I'm not thirsty. SERIOUSLY? But, I had a revelation. One drop, just one, of food coloring into the clear glass of water, and you know what? That little boy drank it up, just figuring it was a weak blueberry juice. HA HA GOT YOU. Yup, I sound mean, but it's a game, a full-blown mind game, that I lose too often. Well not this time.  Yes, I know some will say food col...

Can't even tell you the last time I blogged. Sorry about that. Ideas have been swirling in my head, it's just finding the time to type them out! I can't go the whole month without recognizing April as Autism Awareness Month. The saddest thought for me, is that when looking back at a post I wrote last year at this time, statistics showed 1 in 110 children would be diagnosed with Autism. Today? 1 in 88. Double digits people.  Now more than ever, people should be looking for warning signs. Red flags.  Be aware. I'm by no means an expert, by my suggestion is AS EARLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Of course there's no great research to back my thoughts, and still no known cure for Autism, but that early period of time, when you as a parent have a gut feeling, that is a crucial time. A window that is cracked open a tiny, tiny bit. You as a strong, persistent parent, can stick your fingers through that opening, then your whole hand, then your arm to lift that window. I'm get...

Today I had to look through a few flash drives for something, and came across a whole bunch of cooking helpy tips I wrote a while back. Maybe I should start sharing them here, and this is one of my favorites. Why do the bottoms of my cookies keep burning?? The art of ovening the perfect cookie can be tricky at times. Factors such as temperature, rack placement, and cookie sheet can all affect your baking. If the temperature of your oven was too high, it would most likely cause the entire cookie to burn, so that may not be your issue. If just the bottoms of the cookies are burning, your rack may be placed too low. Try raising it up one or two levels. If this does not help, check your cookie sheet. Is it an aluminum cookie sheet? If so, aluminum attracts more heat which can cause the burning. Either place some parchment paper or a silicone mat under your cookie batter, or better yet try getting a non-stick cookie sheet. You can spray it with a little cooking spray as well,...

As an avid shopper, I am always on the hunter for a sale or great bargain. I never pay full price for anything, and use coupons as much as possible. But today I wanted to share a neat little trick I've been using for the last few months that makes shopping even more fun that usual! It's quite simple. I buy sometimes without trying on or even knowing for sure if I need/want an item. Then a week or two will go by, it's still in the bag, and I realize I should return it. Here's where my trick comes in. When I go to return it, I simply ask for a store credit. No cash back, no putting it back on my credit card, just a store credit. My thought when I started doing that was that I already paid for this item, allotted for the money in my budget, so why not keep that money in my shopping 'cart'? I then leave the store with credit in hand, and put it in my drawer with the pile of others. Next time I decide to go out shopping, even if I don't have any extra money t...

Today, I did something I haven't done in a very long time. It's something I used to do almost every day, for many years. Last year life changed, and so did my schedule. So I no longer do this thing anymore. But today, I did. And I have to say, I don't miss it at all. It doesn't matter what this thing is. What matters is that I am ok with it no longer being part of my life. Something that was so integral to who I was, or who I thought I was, has no bearing on my life now. I thought I would miss it, I thought I would want to turn back time, when in fact, it's just the opposite. I feel....grown up. I feel like I have moved forward in life, and there's no turning back. That's not to say I might not do something different over the next year or two, but I won't do that original thing again. This post probably makes no sense to any of you. But it makes sense to me. It makes me realize I am ok with change, something I've always had a hard time with. It mak...

I love to bake. Sadly, I don't bake as much as I used to. And strangely, I've never made a pie. And even more strangely, I've never had pie other than store bought apple pie or a family favorite chocolate pudding pie. Crazy, right? The other day though, I got inspired to make one. No crust from scratch just yet, but still enough steps for me to consider it a homemade pie. I'm not sharing the recipe today, as I think it still needs some tweaking, but I want to give you a glimpse of my simple, yet delicious masterpiece. I call it Triple Four Berry Pie. Was supposed to be 3 berries, but I really wanted that fourth(strawberry!).                                 Prepped the bottom crust:                         ...

After a few months of dabbling with the iPad, I can finally make the decision of my top favorite apps. I don't like to spend much on apps, so I'm sure there are plenty more out there if you don't mind paying! But in no particular order, here are my free/cheap top contenders: USA Today Newspaper: The top news stories, and easy access to different sections of the paper. I suck at the crossword puzzles, but continue to try. Wall of Sound: Not the best music app, but a very cool one. Clips of any songs you can think of. Stream in the background of your game playing, or just search for songs/albums. Sock Puppets : Makes me laugh every time I use it. My kids love it too! IKEA catalog: I love everything about IKEA, and the ability to read and reread the catalog, and dream about the changes I want to make in my home make me love them even more. Lion Brand Yarn: Thorough and easy to use to find a quick project to do over the weekend. 10 Pin Shuffle: Shuffleboard/bowling th...