March Madness...

I used to think March was a LONG boring month: nothing fun happened...unless you counted the green pancakes in the shapes of shamrocks my mother used to make on St. Patricks Day. It wasn't until recently that all of a sudden there was tons to do and celebrate!

1st: Dr. Seuss's Birthday! Teaching math at the secondary level, I obviously had no reason to know of or celebrate the birth of this wonderful author. But now that I have kids, and have several books memorized, it is becoming an annual celebration. This year we went to a celebration with some friends at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich. Each of the different clubs from the college sponsored a booth with all sorts of activities for the kids. It was a very enjoyable evening.

2nd: Molly's birthday (3/13)! I can't believe my little girl turned 2 this year! It seems like just yesterday I was about 9 months pregnant, stressed about studying for my relicensure test, and praying that the baby wouldn't come early. Well, she did. But it all worked out in the end: Molly was born healthy and happy, I was able to reschedul my test for free and I passed. Fast forward 2 years and Molly has been such a joy in our family! She is the perpetually happy baby (unless you tell her no and then her world is coming to and end), she always has a smile on her face and we are all crazy about her. James is such a good big brother to her and she just loves loves loves James. Love you little peanut!

I surprised myself and made her a cake...my first ever attempt at a "theme" cake. It didn't quite turn out as I had hoped, but hopefully the next one will be better....in case you can't tell it's a butterfly.

3rd: Pi day! Yes, Pi as in 3.14. Even though the actual holiday was on a Sunday (3/14), we (the math department...ok me, Ms. Tucchio, and Ms. Ryall) celebrated Pi day at New London High School on Friday (3/12).

We had a Pie eating contest where students had to find 3 round objects in the whip cream using only their mouths.

We had a hula-hoop contest to see who could do the most hula hoops in 3.14 minutes. Yes, that is me (with Ms. Ryall) doing hula hoop...

And we decorated the school so it would leave no doubt in the students minds that we were celebrating Pi day.

4th: St. Patricks Day! The kids wore green and I made green german pancakes for dinner. They made fun shamrock pictures at school that day. Thanks Miss Hayley!








So a month that took some gritting of teeth to get through has now become filled with fun things to do to make the time pass while we wait for warmer weather and the school year to end....

It's Asparagus Season!

"It is said that in a venerable British men's club there is a sign reading 'DURING THE ASPARAGUS SEASON MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO RELIEVE THEMSELVES IN THE HATSTAND.' ...Benjamin Franklin, in a wide-ranging discussion of bodily discharges, once noted, 'a few stems of asparagus eaten shall give our urine a disagreeable odor; and a pill of turpentine no bigger than a pea shall bestow upon it the pleasing smell of violets.' " (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/577/why-does-asparagus-make-your-pee-smell-funny)

In celebration of Asparagus Season, I have posted a great recipe involing the wonderful vegetable. It's quick and easy, relatively healthy, and has passed the "Steve Test", meaning: Steve will eat it willingly, except for the tomatoes. I only put those on my portion.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

3/4 lb linquine

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1/2 lb thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 cup slived button mushrooms

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 large carrot, peeled and ribboned (use a peeler to create long, thin strips)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded basil

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

3. Drop in the asparagus, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and cook until tender. Stir in the flour; cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the chicken brother, milk, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot strips.

5. Toss the pasta with the vegetables and sauce, adding the pasta water, if necessary, to loosen the mixture. Serve garnished with the parmesan cheese and basil.

My variations: I add shrimp and/or chicken. I also omit the carrot strips (not a big fan of cooked carrots), and up the amount of mushrooms. Also, being winter and fresh basil is not very plentiful, I sprinkle on dried basil. You also might want to adjust the amount of pepper for personal taste.

ENJOY!

Your own personal monkey...

James: Mom, I want my own personal monkey.

Me: You have one - Molly.

James: But she doesn't have a tail!

Me: What would you do with your own personal monkey?

James: I would keep him somewhere, like in the closet. Molly doesn't like to go in the closet. She screams when I shut the door. And she's stinky.

Oh boy....

Am I a bad mom if...

So I totally borrowed/stole this from my cousin's blog because I could relate all to well...I altered the wording a bit to fit my crazy house...

(I hope you don't mind Betsy!)

AM I A BAD MOM IF...

...I let Molly talk for so long after she wakes up that by the time I go get her she has managed to take off all her clothes AND her diaper?

...I let James run around in his underwear all day because its easier than asking him 5 zillion times to get dressed?

...I only play "Batman"/puzzles/fort for an hour instead of 3?

...I let Molly attempt to cry herself to sleep for an hour before going to get her?

...I take Lacy out to use the bathroom/get the mail/take a walk around the "compound" while Molly is sleeping, without taking the monitor with me?

...I let Molly/James go all day with oatmeal caked on their eyebrows without noticing?

...I let Lacy lick the kids' faces sometimes...ok a lot?

...I let their fingernails grow so long because I/they hate cutting them that they are like claws?

...I let my kids have cheetoh's BEFORE dinner?

...I let my kids watch movies so I can work on my blog?

*of course, these are all purely rhetorical and not things I would EVER do.

Duck Pin Bowling...

Last weekend James went to a Star Wars birthday party for one of his good friends. It was held at Waterford Family Bowl where they went Duck Pin Bowling. Now, if you are like me and don't know what Duck Pin Bowling is, let me explain...It's like bowling for little dudes. The pins are half the size of regular pins and the balls are smaller and lighter than regular bowling balls. The kids could take as many turns as they needed to knock the pins down (instead of the regular 2) and of course bumpers were set up. The kids had a blast! It looked like so much fun, I wanted to try it!

And what Star Wars Party would be complete without an appearance by Darth Vadar and some Storm Troopers?

And thankfully, James FINALLY got a haircut!