Three weeks to break a bad habit

Guess what?  It's been 21 days since I last ate chocolate, 23 days since carbonation, and a month since caffeine (ie. Mt. Dew and Vault).  I've dreamed about it a handful of times only to wake up thinking, "No!  I can't believe I ate/ drank..." realizing, phew, just a nightmare.

Any of your New Year's Resolutions holding strong?

Dear Toothless Shopper at the local Wal-Mart,

Thank you for taking interest in my Gabbers today when she insisted on showing you her wiggly tooth while you were ogling how many children I have and their striking resemblances to each other.

After that wonderful lecture with visual aids about the benefits of brushing, my Gabbers came home and plucked her wiggly tooth right out.  She then proceeded to power-brush her teeth like nobody's business.
All the years of demonstration, example, and reminders couldn't scare the crap out of her as much as your two-toothed grin.

Sincerely,

Tater Tot Casserole

After Baby Girl was born, we had an outpouring of love in the form of dinners from the Relief Society (LDS church’s women’s group) and from Danny’s squadron. 

One dinner that we got twice with slight variations was Tater Tot Casserole.  I searched and searched online for the recipe that sounded the most like the one we enjoyed best.  But in the end, I had Danny call our friend and get it from her. 

He neglected to ask all the right questions like,

 “Do you grease the pan?  Do you drain the grease from the meat and onions?  Did she really use ground beef?  Does she sometimes use sausage?  I think she used sausage that night.  What kind of cheese?  Are the veggies still frozen?  Do you use the whole bag of tater tots even if it goes beyond one level?” 

But I m smrt. 

So I made my own guesstimations. 

After a failed first attempt that left me feeling like I had smeared thick greasy chapstick on my lips, I have found the right amounts.

Search no more my friends.  This is a tasty casserole for dinner or breakfast that kids will eat and has vegetables!

2 lb. bag frozen tater tots

1 lb. ground sausage (like Jimmy Dean)

1 cup chopped onions

1 lb. bag of frozen mixed veggies

1 can (10 ½ oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup

8 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375° F

1.  Place tater tots in bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  No need to grease it.  Just dump the whole bag in and try to even it out.  Some will be on others.  It’s okay. 

2.  Brown the sausage and onions. Drain the grease. Spread sausage and onions evenly over the tater tots.

3.  Mix the (still frozen) mixed veggies and the Cream of Chicken soup together. Spread over the sausage and onion layer.  If the veggies are one huge block, it’s okay to beat it up with the soup can.  It’s therapeutic too.

4.  Spread shredded mozzarella evenly over the top.  You don’t want to be the one without cheese on your serving.

5.  Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes.

Serve your hungry kiddies.  and husbands.  Husbands like to eat too you know.  Unless your husband is in Nebraska freezing his tushie off and left you with all 7 kids for four days.  Then he doesn’t get any because it will be gone before he gets home.  But that’s what frozen microwave dinners are for. 

He’ll survive.  probably.

A letter to my daughter

Dear Baby Girl,

Today you are 2 months old.

You are a refreshing glimpse of heaven. 

You laugh in your sleep.

You smile-talk so sweet.

We are all under your magical spell frittering the hours

away just staring at you.

Love,

Mommy

Something must be seriously wrong with me.

As you know, I currently have three kids under a year and a half.  One of which will be 2 months tomorrow.  And there are four older than a year and a half-- but not yet in the double-digits. 

Well, there's this wickedly enchanting site that I belong to called Multiples and More.  And honestly, I try not to read it because I get these illusions of grandeur after reading a post like this one, and think,

Wouldn't it be awesome if I hadn't lost one and actually had triplets?  or quads?  Maybe my next pregnancy will be a multiple one again...

*Ahem* 

Maybe I just need to make it a goal to not read posts at midnight.  Good-night my peeps.

Today is Pookie's birthday.

He is 9!

For lunch we had his favorite food:  Ramen.

Danny came home for lunch for this special occasion. 

Danny thought it would be a good idea to let Squdge feed himself. 

Then Danny scurried off to work.

Kiddie Kwip #65

Hammy (3 1/2 years):  Where's Bun?

Nikki:  Bun had to take a nap. 

Hammy:  Why?

Nikki:  It's naptime.  You can take a nap too.

Hammy:  Why I need to take a nap?

Nikki:  It helps you be happy and calm.

Hammy:  Why?

Nikki:  So you're not crazy and naughty.

Hammy:  How 'bout I just say "sorry?"






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