Movies I'd like to see that will probably play no where near me:

The Hangover

Nursery University

Bart Got A Room

and most of all BIG MAN JAPAN <-- I may buy this one just to see it.

Blog This

So often I find myself not writing about a subject because I feel like other blogger have said it so much more eloquently or with significantly more snark that I can muster. I'm shying from politics because I am pretty happy with the Obama administration and I don't blog about Ella's antics so much anymore because it sorta feels like a permanent invasion of her privacy. So, that leaves my views and projects to talk about and sometimes it's just not that interesting. So so so. That's where I am with this four year long project. Yes, I've been blogging for four years.

The Best Snack Ever

Brain/Blog Dump

Wow people, I've been on the go for days and my brain feels like mush. I've hit the point where I have to start making lists so I can remember put gas in the car. Tomorrow I hope to pencil in a long hot bath and a date with my DVR. I've just got tooo much to do. I just sent a fax and it's 12:13am. Who sends faxes at 12:13am? Fax spammers and really freaking busy people. Anyway I am having a Miller High Life and thinking of staying up until 1:00 to read my dear blogs that I haven't caught up on for days and I'm wondering if all my digital pals are still kickin'.

I find it ironic that my blog's spell check says that "blog's" is spelled wrong.

I liked the movie Watchmen even with it's very Biblical theme. Oh yeah, I said it; Dr. Manhattan represents Jesus and Ozymandias is Judas. Also I am still really upset about the parents who brought their 6 and 4 year old to see it who sat in front of us. And I really think the person who sold the tickets to that family needs a good lecture on how 'it takes a village.'

I can't wait to cook some squash tomorrow night - I've been craving it for days. There must be some vitamin in squash I need right now.

We (The Stateline Divas) won against the Fox City Foxz' Rollergirl Regiment in Appleton last Saturday 65 to 64 and it came down to the last second so it was a super great game and the ladies we played were very nice and the hotel was great and a good time was had by all. As far as I know, no major injuries - Yay! Thousands of photos HERE (I'm #00.) We play in Beloit against the Paper Valley Flying Squirrels on April 25th. Tickets HERE and the fabuous poster I made for it HERE.


Feeling down? Go read THIS it may make you feel better. My favorite: "Today, I was eating ice cream and I noticed some on my jeans so I wiped it off with my finger and licked it. It was bird shit. FML"

Skimping

So I find myself using every last thing in the pantry before going to the grocery. There are tons of websites out there that will find a recipe based on what you have in the pantry or freezer and I've been getting a little more creative too. It's kind of interesting meeting the challenge but today because we were out of town, the cupboards are really bare. Our fridge looks bacheloresque with mustard, a flat two inches of coke in a two liter bottle and left over mostacholi from a week ago. I just fried the last three eggs for breakfast and if we want lunch before we hit the grocery store it'll have to be canned soup or graham crackers with apple slices and peanut butter. So I'm going to the big store in the next town over to do the big shop today. We're also not splurging on Oreos and chips any more. Really week after week my grocery lists look like this:

Milk
Eggs
Butter
Cheese
Veggies
Fruit
Bread
Meat
Soap

Occasionally we have to add flour or sugar or some spice but this is the typical list and everything we eat is formed from these $65.00-$100.00 worth of groceries. Sure the veggies and fruits change according to season but really I think it's the typical American grocery list up there.

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Read about how restaurants are cutting back on what they're serving, but not what they're charging. Also, food at the grocery is shrinking, cerial boxes are getting smaller and cheese blocks tinier. I wonder if America will loose a few pounds or gain. If people are buying more food in a box (ramen noodles, cheap pizza and mac n cheese) or if we'll grow our own fruits and veggies and cook from scratch... someone should do a study.

To Poo or Not to Poo

So I was reading about this No Poo thing, where people are giving up shampoo. There are several reasons to do it, the first and probably most compelling for me is the news of cancer causing agents in kids shampoos (click for a list.) Here's the thing, I wash Ella's hair at the beginning of the bath and then she is steeped in slightly soapy water with pores wide open, while she plays mermaid until her toes get pruny and the water goes cold. So it's probably not good to soak a kid in cancer causing chemicals. Sure I could go ahead and try to find a shampoo that doesn't contain toxins but a) I'm not a chemist and b) I no longer trust any large company to tell the truth.

So besides all that, there's the plastic which I am trying to give up, and the cost of hair products as well as the argument that un-shampooed hair is sleeker and shinier after 6 weeks, especially if you have coarse kinky hair (which I do.) I've been reading about it and some people use baking soda instead of shampoo and vinegar instead of cream rinse. But there is this 6 week period where your body is re- adjusting it's natural oils and your hair metabolises to the new routine and you just walk around looking greasy and I'm not sure how it works at all if you work out and get all sweaty twice a week like I do. I mean I don't mind living a little hippier but I don't want to smell like a hippy, that is where I draw the line.

So I am hoping to try this out, but I think I'm going to try it when I have a block of six weeks where my hair is long enough to just put in a tight shiny little bun for a month and a half (perhaps this summer.) I also need to keep reminding myself that no shampoo does not mean I don't wash my hair, it just means I will be using a gentler method. I promise if I decide to go for it, I will document in detail every agonizing day and the hopefully shiny results.

Happy St. Patty's

Light

I'm still alive. I've got errands and task coming out the wazoo this week. Everything seems to be getting done and the sun is out so that makes it all the more pleasant to be accomplishing things. I suppose today is as good a time as any to tell you next weekend the Divas are bouting the Fox City Foxes in Appleton WI so I'm also looking forward to that.

Also yesterday I caught Ella opening and closing the fridge very slowly with her eye up to the crack in the door trying to figure out how the light went off. I didn't say anything I just watched her try to figure to out for like five minutes. Eventually I heard a very faint "hmmm" and she walked away.

Still on a Roll

I think it may be a cinnamon roll because today was full of funny. Lunch with my pal who has the best stories ever, Discovery Center with kiddo ala the membership Mom gave us for Christmas and of course roller derby tonight with new skatey ladies. As a bonus the sun is shining again and when Ella's hand rolled lolly pop was dropped in the parking lot and smashed into three pieces, the lolly pop surgery we delicately performed over the open flame of my stove was completely successful and the lolly lasted at least five minutes before it was very purposely crunched and munched up. Yay, for all those cake/candy making shows I watch, reality TV finally pays off.

On a Roll

Ever have one of those day that everything momentarily went right? You hit all the green lights, everyone that called or e-mailed had good news, the sun was out and the house was clean. I'm having one of those days. Good Juju to you folks for reading.

Rules for Uploungy Ball

"First you get a gianormous bed and you put it in the middle of the room, then you jump on it so high you can touch the ceiling fans then you dribble the uploungy ball and if you can dribble it one time you get to keep the ball and you get a point but if you miss the dribble you have to give it to the next person."

Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

On the way home from school Ella and I are talking about show and tell and because we couldn't think of anything impressive to bring to school that started with the letter "U" besides Ella's new umbrella I was wondering what the other kids brought. I'm told one girls brought a stuffed unicorn and another kid brought a ball, then the following conversation takes place:

Me: Ball! What letter does that start with?

Ella: Well, it starts with "B" but really it was an "Uploungy Ball"

Me: An Uploungy [uhp-lounj-ee] Ball? Like for playing Uploungy?

Ella: Yup.

Me: Ok, ok, wait a minute, what does it look like?

Ella: MoooOoooOooom! It's round.

Me: Ookay... what color is it?

Ella: Brown of course. And it goes up and down, up and down and Candice let me play with it, Candice was really nice to me today.

Me: Well that's great, an Uploungy Ball huh?

Ella: Yup.

Moments later we are home and I'm am discussing with Dan what an Uploungy Ball is when I just can't take the mystery any more and I decide to call Miss Preschoolteacher before she leaves school and ask what Candice brought for show and tell, the following conversation takes place:

Me: Hi Miss Preschoolteacher, I have a silly question, I just need your help figuring something out. What did Candice bring to show and tell today?

Miss Preschoolteacher: She doesn't go here anymore, she got accepted to a school closer to home last week and her last day was Monday when Ella was home sick, that's probably why Ella can't think of what she brought for show and tell.

That's when I made this face:

Depression Soup

Because of my new favorite celebrity from Illinois (now in upstate NY) Clara Cannucciari and her You Tube Channel Depression Cooking I've been thinking of this recipe from when I was a kid. It's from my Mom's side of the family and found in the trusty DeCori Family Cookbook, in which the recipe is attributed to Helen DeCori and Kay Nuciforo and so my Mom says it must be a Roman recipe. Menestra Shama loosely translates (as passed down) to "mock soup" or "poor man's soup" or "depression soup" I don't know and no amount of internet searching or English to Italian internet translators can clear it up, so please, if you know someone that speaks Italian or better yet lived/s in Northern Illinois AND through the depression AND speaks Italian, please ask them for me if they have any insight to the etymology of the Shama part of Minestra Shama. So anyway, on to the recipe that taste very yummy, was one of my favorite soups as a kid and costs a total of $4.25 to make.

Tomato Paste 1.25
Ditalli Noodles 1.75
Cabbage 1.25
I assume you own olive oil or some type of oil, salt and pepper.

Minestra Shama
4 qts Water
1/2 lb Ditalli Noodles (or any noodles really)
1/2 Head of cabbage
1 8 oz Can Tomato Sauce or 1 8oz Can of Stewed Tomatoes or 1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste (whatever you can afford)
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil (or vegetable oil - again whatever you can afford)
1 Tablespoon of Salt

Bring water and tomatoes to a boil, add salt, put in the sliced cabbage (long thin strips), when the cabbage is soft put noodles in and cook until tender. Pepper to taste.

My mom always made it with the tablespoon of tomato paste and more cabbage, less noodles and I suppose it would be good with a little Italian sausage in it as it's kind of yummy as a spicy soup, but really it's best as is with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Stuff

I never watch the Bachelor but last night I was bored and Ella and Dan went to bed early. On the advice of the commercial I sat up and watched the three hour conclusion. Wow! What an entertaining, voyeuristic, awkward piece of television.

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I love Obama and the things he's getting done.

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As of labs run yesterday and a low fever, Ella has Influenza A, and despite this story Tamiflu kicked her flu in the ass and she's feeling better in one day. Our insurance only covers so much and there is no generic equivalent so between co-pays and fresh bottles of children's Motrin and Tylenol and new coloring books for time spent on the couch here's the final score: Flu 0 vs Us -$112.63 The flu has taken on another challenger and picked a fight with Dan today but I called the doc and hopefully he'll call something in for Dan. The projected final score for those of you in the sports books biz: Flu 0 vs Us -$162.63

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Pink Dolphin

Yes, the appearance of Peeps signifies the very height of it

"Mom, is marshmallows in season?" -Ella