MommyBlog

Thank you all who entered into The Ultimate Pepsi Super Bowl Party contest!  

I was flooded with fun (and some extremely creative!) recipes for Super Bowl party snacks.   If only I had some runner-up prizes!   From Chicken Enchilada casseroles (super-yum!) to molten chocolate cakes, and a slew of variations on spinach-artichoke dips, I am all set to host a party of my own!   Tomorrow I will post my three runner-up recipes (no prizes for these, but at least you get published?), but today I am happy to announce that Becky, mom to Lilly, Sophe, Emery and baby Maddox, has been declared the winner with her jazzy take on the popular sports bar favorite, Jalapeno Poppers:

Jalapeno Popper Dip

INGREDIENTS

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
4 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
A dash of garlic salt  

DIRECTIONS
1.Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles, jalapeno peppers and garlic salt. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
2.Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.

Congratulations, Becky and look for your Ultimate Party Pack in the mail, soon!

Somewhere in the last month or so, Kenny has hit that pre-schooler phase of rhyming everything he says.   “Come on, Mom-dom!   Make me a pancake-spancake!   I want some juice-dooce! Let’s play a game-name-dame-same!”

It is maddening.

Today for a full hour after Cooper had a record-winning spit-up, he chanted, “Vomit-Gromit” and “Darn-it-barn-it” to the point that I actually threatened to spank him if he didn’t knock it off.

“Knock it off, Doff!   Okay, Mommy-Tommy.”

Somebody, please chop off my head.

I mentioned a few posts back that we are contemplating a move to the historic district of the city near us.   Indeed – we’ve put a contract on a house, which was accepted, and we were waiting on the home inspection to move forward.   Unfortunately, the inspection turned up a few surprises.   Now Casey and I are sitting on the fence – we have until Monday to say yeah or nay, and I honestly can’t say that I know what’s going to happen.   The issues that have come up are expensive, and we are suddenly wondering how good is a good deal as the price creeps up.   We also just found out that the person who was going to rent our house for the next several months has backed out.   That would leave us with two houses instead of one.   How did we end up here??

We went to the house today with a contractor to poke around and start putting some price tags on the issues at stake.   As I walked through the house with Cooper in my arms, I daydreamed about where to put what furniture, and what color to paint the boys’ rooms.   But some of the glow was gone as I realized that we may not move in after all.

If only this as one of those decisions that could be solved by a coin toss…

On a lighter note – Don’t Forget the Pepsi Contest!!   I’ve only received about 10 entries, and the deadline is tomorrow night.   It’s a great prize pack and I’d love to have a huge pool to pick from.     Get those Super Bowl party recipes in for a chance to win!

I mentioned in the last post that we had a pipe burst while we were away on our 24 hour jaunt.   After nearly a day without water, we were anxiously awaiting the plumber (who was scheduled to arrive sometime between 8 and 5.   Why can’t I schedule my day like that??), Kenny most keenly, as he was afraid to poop and not be able to flush it down the toilet.

At 1:15, we heard Dudley dash outside and start barking like mad, so so Kenny and I jumped up, Cooper in arms, to   welcome the man who would give us the chance to wash our hands and run the overflowing dishwasher.   The man in our yard was a 6 foot 5 inch Rastafarian with dreadlocks down to his waistband, which was not sagging plumber-style, but was instead hanging down over his boxers, gasta-style.   “Yo, yo, yo, Mrs. Cook! I’m here to hook you up!   Call this dog, ’cause I ain’t going to trip with him, you know what I’m sayin’?”   Kenny stood next to  me with his mouth agape and Dudley, after an exploratory sniff, decided that this guy was chill, and slunk back into the house to resume his nap on the couch.   I led Shane (“I’m Shane, Mrs. Cook, and I’m going to take care of you and clean this mess up, do you hear what I’m saying to you?”) into the house and turned on the water.     He started listening around, to source the leak, and Kenny stage whispered, “I thought plumbers were supposed to have short hair!”   Cooper chewed thoughtfully on his finger, and I held Kenny by the collar to keep him from helping our friend with his task.  

He finally decided that the leak was behind the washing machine and proceeded to saw a hole in the wall.   Kenny was extremely excited about that move, and sat rapt as Shane dug out the wet drywall.   “Uh-oh, Mrs. Cook.   I see now where we have a very sincere problem.   Now don’t you worry, because I’m going to hook you up in just a matter of time, but you see this leak before me is going to take some sincere time and work to access.   This pipe is running right through the concrete wall here and I need to remove these cinder blocks to access the situation.   Then I can replace this here pipe and you will be all set to resume your day.”  

Can I just say that every other plumber we’ve ever had at the house speaks only two to three words at a time?

Out comes the concrete saw (Kenny was now dreaming of becoming a plumber, if only for this display of gleeful demolition), and before our eyes a foot square hole materialized in our wall.   It’s cold outside.   Three hours later, the “situation is accessed”, and the leak is fixed and the water is back on.   Shane was so eloquent with his goodbyes and fair wishes that I almost thought for a second that if I hadn’t been holding Cooper and combing smashed pees out of my hair, he would have called me “baby.”

This weekend we headed out for a very quick and slightly insane road trip.   We drove three and a half hours with three other families (and thirteen kids total, ages 6 months to 11) to a family waterpark and theme hotel for a day of swimming and a night of sitting around the lodge campfire talking.   The family who planned our trip is military, and the husband is gearing up in the next three weeks to deploy for eighteen months, leaving his wife and four daughters behind.   We planned the trip months ago and had everything organized down to who was bringing the wine and who was going to go on which waterslide first.

Everything, that is, except the actual confirmation.

When we arrived at check-in, kids already in the their suits, we were told by the clerk that indeed, our confirmation numbers were in the computer, but, alas, they were for last weekend.   We stood, baffled, looking at each other and wondering, how, indeed??   It turns out that since they were booked with a military discount through a third party, someone at reservations got the dates wrong, and the hotel was now over booked, leaving us, quite literally, with no room in the inn.   The manager, distraught over our plight, gave us “free” passes for the day (free only in theory, as we had already been charged for the rooms we didn’t use the weekend before) and directed us to a Days Inn a few miles down the road.

Crises averted, we swam (or rather, the kids swam, Kenny road the mini waterslide over 100 times, and Casey and I took turns holding Cooper) until dinner time, then loaded up and shuttled over to the Inn.   The Inn itself was practically empty, and we asked the front desk clerk if we could eat our dinner (which we had brought in coolers) in the lobby area, where there were big couches and  nice tables ready for the complimentary breakfast.   She told us to have at it, and we uncorked the wine and had a feast.   The bigger kids, exhausted from their play, passed out on the couches, and the little ones – Kenny and his two-year-old friend, Ruthie, ran laps around the lobby and ate nearly an entire bag of Doritos between them.

We headed back home after an IHOP stop this morning and the drive couldn’t have been more smooth.   Ah, but there was a surprise waiting at home: one of our pipes burst while we were gone and we arrived to find water gushing out of the side of the house and a good inch of water in the guest bathroom.   We are determined not to call an emergency plumber, so Casey turned the water off in the house (after filling a few pots to wash up later with) and we have settled into the afternoon to relax, play games and watch football.   Not a bad 48 hours, I would say!

We have had much going on here in our little family this week.   The biggest hurrah has been that Casey started his new job!   For those readers who have been with me since this fall, you know that we moved to Atlanta for a new job, but came back shortly thereafter.   It’s been a whirlwind few months as Casey looked into other options, but he has finally landed into a new company.   It’s exciting for him, and a big change for us:  while Casey was on the hunt, he was home for long stretches of each day.   Kenny and Cooper got pretty used to not only having Daddy around to play, but to having family dinners at 5:00.   Now as we adjust to our new schedule of Days Without Daddy and dinner a whole lot later than five!

As if that weren’t enough, we are in the process of buying a new house!   We have always wanted to live in the historic district of the town we live close to.   We have house-hunted for over three years, but with our parameters (parking spot, enough yard for Dudley to wee wee in, and within an affordable price range), we kept striking out.   Until now.   After four weeks of back and forth negotiations, the sellers of an adorable little yellow house just off of Main Street have accepted our offer and we are in the process of doing home inspections and the like, counting down to a closing date in early March!  

It will be a huge change for us:   Now we live in a fairly large 4 bedroom house  on the waterfront with a dock, a kayak and  a big fenced yard  with a swing set.   Soon we are facing a (pretty darn tiny) 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath city house with only enough land for, literally, Dudley to wee wee in.   Now we are 15 minutes from the grocery store and 30 minutes from church, the mall and most of our social life.   Soon we will be able to walk to pretty much anywhere we want to go, including to get together with friends, and church and the mall    will be no more than  a quick 10 minute hop down the road.   And the city itself is on the water, so we can still kayak and fish, just not out of our own backyard.   Soon we will be in the rhythm of city life – big public parks to walk to, a front porch to sit on and watch the city go by and awesome safe places to go for long walks and runs.   Not to mention Dudley’s favorite dog park is 2 miles away.  

I know that the space in the house will be tough to get used to – as will not having a yard – but living in town will make the whole city our living room and with the city playground a four block walk, I know that our days are going to really perk up.     And Casey and I are looking forward to sitting on that gorgeous front porch after the kids go to bed and drinking wine and watching the world go by.   Good bye TV!

I am still holding my breath a little… because it’s an historic home, I know that the home inspection may turn up something.   The house has been owned by the same family since 1901, so the current owners have never had an inspection.   Still, barring a foundation that’s about to collapse, I’m sure that whatever turns up can be fixed, right?

More to come on the big family move!

I’ve heard that some of you have  had trouble submitting recipes on the “Contact” page .   Instead, please  respond with your submission on the “Your Input Needed”  page!

 I’m  getting some awesome recipes!   This is going to be a stiff competition!   Keep them coming!   (And I’d better get cooking!)  

Ok, Mommies, be honest: how many of you are secretly counting down the days to the end of football season?   How many of you are tired to the TV blaring all Sunday long (and all night on Mondays… and sometimes Thursdays… and now on Saturdays…) and are eagerly anticipating the end of the playoffs and final reward of Super Bowl Sunday??

Ok, I’m sure there are a lot a real football fans out there, too.   I, for one, love going to Navy football games, and even enjoy  watching the occasional game on TV.     And I love a good Super Bowl party.   Segue:  The gold folks at Pepsi  have invited MommyBlog to take part in a contest give-away for The Ultimate Pepsi Super Bowl Party Pack!   The prize, worth over $250 includes an official football, t-shirts, beverage pail, football helmet snack bowl and many more fun items to make your own Super Bowl party the hit of your neighborhood.  

All you have to do to enter is  send me your best Super Bowl party recipe.   Whether it’s chili, nachos or  pigs in a blanket… just send me your favorite football party staple and you’ll have a chance to win the Ultimate Pepsi Party Pack.   Please submit your recipe on the MommyBlog Contact page.   Winners will be judged (be me) on the basis of creativity and taste!   (Relatives ineligible; sorry guys!)   You must submit your recipe by Midnight on January 22nd to give me a chance to try them out and declare a winner.   Pepsi will send the party pack directly to the winner in time for Super Bowl Sunday on February 1st.

Good luck and feel free to enter as many times as you want!   Go Ravens!   (Actually, we’re NY Jets fans in this house, but the Ravens are  our home team, and as the Jets have sorely dissappointed this season, we’ve got to have some one to root for!!)

I’ve had better days as a mother.

Casey took a short trip out of town and things are always a little edgier around here when he’s gone.   Ok, I should amend that to say that since Cooper was born, things are a little edgier when he’s gone.   Before Cooper (BC… ha ha ha …) Kenny and I had a grand old time anytime it was just the two of us.   We went on dinner dates to the local pizzeria, prowled the mall, played in the backyard in our pajamas and generally had a silly time.   But now with the little wiggler in the mix, and suddenly two totally different little people to deal with, things are rough when I’ve got them on my own.

Dudley is also a mess whenever Casey is gone, chewing everything in sight and prowling around the house nervously all night – whining to go out every other hour until sunrise.   To top all that off, we’ve had a bird stuck on our screened porch since 8 o’clock this morning.   At one point I went out there to try and lure him out, but he ended up flying so hard into the screen, he bounced onto a glass coffee table and stunned himself for a good five minutes.   I locked Dudley in the house (he is famous for getting our stuck birds…. in his own way) and watched the poor thing lay on it’s back, breathing deeply and praying that it would get up.   It did, but then spent the rest of the day perched on the back of the wicker couch, staring out the screen, afraid to try again.   He is still there and I can only hope that some instinct will drive him back out the door and into the wild by morning.   Otherwise, Mommy’s going to have to have a little birdie funeral later tomorrow…

But back to my own brood:   I know that it will be easier as Cooper gets older, but he’s only 6 months and still has those afternoons and evenings when he just wants to be held.   Or when I need to take a little extra time to feed him, or put him down for a nap, or whatever it might be.   And since Cooper’s been around, Kenny has become much more of a Daddy’s boy – quite possibly because so often in the evenings, I’m wrapped up with the baby and it’s Casey who does the baths and storytimes and sings him to sleep.  

Today was not so hot for my record.   Kenny was extra “needy” all day – no matter how much one-on-one we had, he wanted more.   Excpet for the few hours Cooper was napping and I was playing solely with him,  Kenny purposely made messes, sassed me back, jumped all over the place and then wailed like a fire engine when I scolded him.   By the time I started making dinner, he was bouncing like a wild man and semi-purposely dropped a full cup of apple juice all over the floor.   I so almost lost it.   I didn’t say a word to him, but I threw the empty cup into the sink and marched myself into the other room, swinging the door shut behind me.   I could hear him start to cry.   Which made Cooper start to fuss.   Which reminded me that I really couldn’t leave them unattended in the kitchen with a hot pan on the stove.   But even though I was cordial during dinner, I simmered, and Kenny, perhaps in effort to make amends, cleaned his plate (even managing a, “Yum, Mama.   This is go-od!”) and  asked sweetly for dessert (“Mama, can I please have a little vanilla ice cream, please, Mama?).   Cooper then hit his witching hour just as we settled in the bed for stories, and Kenny was more than a little distraught that I couldn’t hang in the room with him very long.

Now that they are both asleep, I looked back over all the little peevish gripes I had throughout the day and I feel  a little small.   Small mostly because, before Cooper, Kenny and I were little buddies – cohorts – partners in our day-to-day rhythm.   Now I feel like I’m on him all the time about everything.   Sure he’s three, so he acts like a hyena most of the day, but he’s also my little boy and I love him so much and yet I find myself irrationally annoyed with him when he acts up.   Like he’s suddenly supposed to be the big boy  so I  can  attend to the baby.   I don’t know what the answer is.   But there suddenly is a tension I wasn’t expecting in having a second child.   And I do want to have another one.   But for now, it really is kind of hard.

… he would say, “Gee, Mom.   I’ve been trying to tell you for months… stop tying me up to go to sleep for goodness sakes!   Set me free!   Let me cry for a minute.   I LOVE sleep.   Just let me do it my way!”

I mentioned a few posts back that with the new year I decided to stop swaddling Cooper and stop rocking him to sleep for bed and naptimes.    Trying to get him to sleep  was getting out of control: he wasn’t napping and was waking up all night.   So we let him be free to roll around (and sleep on his tummy) and VOOM:   He had been taking naps like clockwork and sleeping at night  like  a champ.   Sure, he cries for a bit: usually 5 to 10 minutes to settle down to nap, then hardly a whimper at bedtime, but he’s been napping in two-hour stretches and sleeping from 8 to 6ish, nursing, then settling in until 8 or 8:30 to wake for the day.

It’s a whole new world.

Kenny never napped.   That is, he stopped napping at 8 weeks and started again at 14 months.   But I always tried to nurse him to sleep.   The poor little rascal was so darn tired, he’d always fall asleep nursing, and I’d carefully try to lay him down, then *wham* he’d startle awake screaming and that would be it.   I didn’t know any different.   Grr.   Now with Cooper actually sleeping during the day and night, I have a whole new ream opened up to me.   I can play with Kenny.   Do chores.   Darn it, I may even pick up a hobby.   Ok, I’m not going that far.   But it was fun to dream for a minute…

Now if only Kenny hadn’t given up his naps so soon…