High School Musical: The Ice Tour

If you have a tween or a pre-tween, I would suggest taking them to this ice show. It was so fun and not too expensive.

They added to the line-up a preview of HSM3 and the skaters skated to 3 songs from that movie. Then they went on to act one which was choreography and music from the 1st movie and after the intermission was the second movie. The skaters were so talented. They were doing some of the basketball moves and flips on ice without missing a beat. I think the most amazing thing was in act one during the cafeteria reenactment when the skaters would jump up on table tops. Crazy Cool.

Happy New Year

So what are you thinking about tonight as 2008 comes to a close? Is it your family, the economy or maybe about who else you can find on Facebook that you haven't spoken to in 20 or so years? :) All of these things are on my mind. About the Facebook thing...for some reason, more so lately, really long somewhat forgotten friends have managed to either find me or I found them because of a mutual friend. Crazy world we live in now where you can connect so easily and have the choice to do so.

For instance, there was this guy I dated for about 10 minutes, OK it was a few weeks and 10 minutes I think way back when I was 18? At the time while I was living on my own and held a couple of jobs he was the most grown-up person I knew. He worked at Northrop and had a real job and he was so young. He seemed kinda mysterious at the time but now that I think about it, maybe he was taking that angle to not bore me. LOL! Just kidding George. Anyway because of the wonderful world of modern technology we were able to catch up and guess what, he's still the most grown-up person I know. lol!

I've noticed so many different trends in 2008. Tweeter, blogging is becoming more and more of a trend both for people that want to tell a story, their story, just stuff or the biggest trend...blogging for money. So many give-a-ways (I won a cupcake decorator thingy) and people advertising other peoples stuff and getting paid for it.

So the economy is also an issue that concerns me. For many reasons of course but one also being the fact that I started Hey, That's Gourmet! in this horrible financial time. So let's just hope that people want to wallow in chocolate. :) Just kidding. Chocolate makes people happy and I know this first hand from being such a chocolate fanatic.

Dave and I are looking forward to January 19th. We will be in San Francisco for a food show where we will be tasting our way through a giant convention center. We attend this once a year now and I have to tell you that tasting aside, it's just fun. We are there for business but we are like little kids going from booth to booth taking in an learning about all sorts of new food trends. It's so much fun! We named the business very carefully so we can add more than just confections. But this year we are on a mission for a new line of caramels since everyone is making a salt caramel and we need some sugar-free and vegan chocolate as well as some real unique milk chocolates. Let me know what you like!

So now totally unrelated to this post - check out this picture I took of our menorah this year! Cool huh?

Happy New Year!

41 degrees during the day and getting colder at night!

This is a short post just to say that it’s 41 degrees here in Southern CA today and I was not ready for it! I know that some may say, so what, it’s below zero here. But what you may not understand is you prepare for that. You buy warm clothing. My wardrobe, if you want to call it that, consists of short sleeve shirts and jeans. I have one heavy jacket that I bought 10 years ago and doesn’t fit much anymore. So yes, I am cold and I am not enjoying the rain, no matter how much we need it. OK, I am done whining...at least until it's 4pm and I have to go outside again!

Honest Scrap Award!

My blog has been awarded the Honest Scrap Award by Rena. Scrap means left over, fragments, discarded material. Many times truth and honesty are discarded material, considered fragments and left over. People like us need to tell it like it is, and let the scraps fall where they will. There are 2 guidelines for receiving this award. One, you are to list 10 honest things about yourself. Make them interesting, even if you have to dig deep. Two, present the award to 7 other bloggers. So here are the 10 honest things about myself...

1) I don't lie, the guilt isn't worth it

2) I always put family first...always, always, always

3) I don't steal

4) My natural hair color is brown

5) I am a skinny girl in a fat girls body, honestly!

6) I return the shopping carts to the place they belong, even in the rain

7) I am a Jewish mom that loves her Christmas tree

8) I don't believe in purchasing something just to wear once and then return

9) I use reusable bags at the grocery store

10) I don't tell people things just because it's what they want to hear

Now for the 7 people I nominate: (read these blogs even though I don't comment much. Some I just started reading thanks to Mom Bloggers Club) Yes, most of the people listed have no clue who I am but I love their blogs!

1) Jenn

2) Kelly

3) Sunshine (although she has already been nominated by Rena, checkout her blog :) )

4) Jayne (although Sunshine nominated her, checkout her blog :) )

5) Deb - such a great blog!

6) Megan
7) Melanie

Tis the season for Rum Balls

I was born in 1969 so I have something in common with one of my favorite holiday indulges, Rum Balls. We were both born in the 60's.

With the recipe below you can make some changes to suit your taste. I have experimented a lot and found that this is a pretty good recipe for experimenting. Instead of the Nilla Wafers you can use shortbread cookies. Instead of pecans or walnuts you can use hazelnuts. Instead of rum you can use bourbon. Also try adding extracts. I have used coconut extract and cherry extracts in the past. Just a little bit though like about a teaspoon or two. Be sure to plan ahead with these. They should sit in the fridge in an air tight container for at least 48 hours.

Yield 4 dozen

1 1/4 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (easiest to use a food processor for this)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar - J calls it snow)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I like to use Hershey's European Cocoa)
2 tablespoons dark or light corn syrup
1/4 cup of rum (do not use 151 because it is too dry and will not work well)
Confectioners sugar, chocolate sprinkles, nuts and/or coconut for garnish

Simply mix all ingredients up to the rum together in the order given above. Make little balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place in a bowl or container and cover. Place in refrigerator for 48 hours. Take out of fridge and roll in confectioners sugar or any of the garnishes listed and serve. They are so darned good. And of course, not for kids.

J's Hip-Hop recital was today

Jonathan takes a Hip-Hop dance class at the Boys and Girls club. They are a great organization around here. The studio they have is just for the arts and do their recitals twice a year.

Last year Jonathan went to Huntington Academy of Dance in HB and it was waaaaaaaay to serious of a dance center for such a silly kid. Plus a lot of the moms there were like stage moms and kinda freaked Dave and I out. We heard a lot of "when I was in dance" and "if you can't take it seriously then don't take it at all" and it was not a whole lot about just enjoying the classes and being a kid.

So in the recital Jonathan's class danced to the song Forever and they did a great job! In the middle of the routine everyone got a free dance moment and had to choose what they were going to do. Jonathan started break-dancing and he was front and center so he got some major attention. He was great! I am bias but he really was pretty good.

CONGRATS JONATHAN!

My Grandma's Brisket Recipe

My Grandpa and Grandma (Joe and Frieda Rosen)

This is a recipe that does take up your day so be sure to plan well. My grandma used to make this brisket but she only used water. My sister and I use Broth. I personally like to throw in a cup of red wine but that would change the name to Sharon's Brisket Recipe and here I am giving my grandma's.

My grandma's name was Frieda Rosen. She was awesome. She was kind and taught me some very good life lessons. One in particular that I will never forget was when I was 16 and asked if she could buy my class ring for me. She said no. NO! I was shocked. I couldn't believe it! Knowing I was quite spoiled and expected everything in life to be handed to me, my grandma told me that the only way I was going to get that ring was if I bought it myself. She told me she absolutely didn't believe I could do it. So there it was. If I wanted a ring like all of my friends I actually had to pay for it myself. So I saved a portion of my paycheck from my part-time job at Baskin-Robbins for a couple of months and was able to order the least expensive ring they had. BUT I DID IT! And I did it all by myself. It was the first time I ever actually earned something totally on my own. It really changed me. I know it may sound silly but after that I started to really be a lot more responsible. One year later I upgraded that stupid ring just because I could. My grandma never forgot she did that for me either because she brought it up on the phone every now and then. She even told Dave about that lesson learned when she was out for my wedding. She said to me several times that although I was a brat as a child, she was very proud of how I turned out as an adult. She was right about the brat part. :) My grandma passed on about 5 years ago and I swear to you that there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her.

My Grandma's Brisket Recipe (Courtesy of Jennifer Rosen & Mary Scotti)

Ingredients:
4-5 lb beef brisket
3 tablespoons Crisco (original recipe uses Nyafat (vegetable fat) which is very hard to find)
1 lg onion (minced)
Salt and Pepper
Good Hungarian Paprika (about 1/4 cup)
Half and Half of enough water and Beef Broth or Stock to cover meat (about 1 to 1 1/2 quarts)

In dutch oven or large pot, place oil in pot, melt down on medium heat, add minced onions and saute until translucent, add brisket, brown on both sides, season with salt, pepper and paprika to taste (the more the better) then cover brisket with water, cover and simmer for about 5 hours or until fork tender. Towards the end of simmering, last 40 minutes or so, tilt the lid a bit. This will make the juices simmer down and become thicker. When cooking is complete, slice on the bias and serve on a platter pouring the remaining juices over the meat.

Hooray for the internet during the holidays!

I truly do not know how people shopped every year before the Internet came along. I mean seriously, have you been in the stores lately? The (majority of) employees are rude and don't want to be there, the shelves are either picked through or the merchandise is on the floor or worse, you end up buying someones return without knowing it!

This year while I was not able to afford much for Jonathan so I did ALL of my shopping online. I found that the deals I got were better than going to the store itself and I knew it was in stock and I didn't waste my time. I didn't have to stand in line for a half hour and I managed to get free shipping in most cases. Also have you noticed that there is merchandise you can only get online. I have been searching everywhere (calling of course) for the Pixar collection of short films on DVD and not one store in my very overpopulated area has it in stock. I ended up buying it from Amazon.com. I love Amazon because you can find everything under the sun there. And soon you will be able to buy from Hey, That's Gourmet! on Amazon.com. Dave and I just signed a 3 year contract so I guess we are in it for the long haul.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. I can't imagine what the heck my parents went through when I was little having to go from store to store. And believe me, when I was a kid there was a HUGE amount of floor space taken up by the mounds of wrapped packages for us kids. It was a truly amazing site! I wish some of the pictures still existed of Christmas's past. Our house was quite a site. The electric menorah in the window and a giant fake tree with hundreds of multi-colored twinkle lights in the "game room" just next to the living room. It was very warm and cozy. We had a wood stove that was in the middle of the room. I lived in Hopewell Junction, NY back then. Oh, anyway I'm getting off topic again. LOL! I do that a lot. So my parents (dad and at the time my step-mom) had gone shopping in that mess. Perhaps back then it wasn't like it is today. Maybe it was more fun?

So I am done shopping for this season. I bought Jonathan some very modest gifts. I got him that DVD from Pixar, a root beer making kit, a Camp Rock electric drum set and and an Ugly Doll. Ugly dolls are so cute and all the rage. So the only thing I have to do now is hit Walmart and Big Lots for some stocking stuffers. Tomorrow night Jonathan will be at school for Drop and Shop, an event his school does so parents can go shopping if they dare. I will be going to get those stocking stuffers and some wrapping paper and I am DONE!

Latkes, latkes and more latkes and a little brisket

I know when Hanukkah is getting close because Jonathan starts begging for me to make latkes. I am planning to make a ton next week as I always do but I thought it sounded yummy enough that I made some tonight as well. Here is the recipe:

1 pound of russet potatoes (don't use waxy ones)
1/2 brown onion
2 eggs
3 Tablespoons flour
canola oil or vegetable oil

Peal the potatoes and put them in cold water. One by one grate them on the small part of a grater. Do not use a food processor or the larger grate because you are not making hash browns. You will want them to be a very fine grate.

When done with the potato, grate the onion the same way and mix in.

Place grated potato and onion in a strainer and strain out all of the water. This will not be a quick process. You may want to do it in batches. The reason for this very important step is because waterlogged potatoes do not crisp up.

Once drained add eggs and flour and mix well.

Add oil to a large skillet and heat to about 350. I use an electric skillet so I can control the heat.

Using a tablespoon drop in scoops of the potato mixture. Once in the skillet take the back of the spoon and gently flatten the center so it's not real thick.

Let brown then flip until golden brown. Take out and place on plate with paper towels or place a cooling rack over a baking sheet and place on rack. Lightly sprinkle with salt.

Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream

My family has enjoyed latkes for generations as many Jewish families have. I hope you enjoy them too. If you have any questions let me know.

I like to serve them with brisket. Here is the easiest brisket recipe in the world.

1 brisket
1 packet of onion soup mix
aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Trim fat from brisket
Place in center of a very large piece of foil
Sprinkle half the packet of soup mix on the brisket and turn over
Sprinkle the other half of the soup mix on the other side of the brisket
Cover the brisket with the foil and be sure not to leave any holes or pockets that steam can escape from.
Place in a shallow roasting pan.
Place in oven and roast for 2.5 hours for a 2 lb. brisket
DO NOT OPEN OVEN OR FOIL DURING THIS TIME
When finished take it out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before opening foil.
When done you will have a perfectly cooked brisket that made it's own delicious au jus.

Enjoy the holidays coming up!

Doubleshot..mmmmmmm

Forgive me if I babble. Today I was sitting at my desk at work staring at the dual monitors I have. One monitor I have the program up that I enter all of the classes the company I work for teaches and on the other monitor I have my email up. I have been staring at these screens since 8:30 this morning with only a couple of breaks and I am tired! I guess waking up at 3:00 am because I couldn't sleep doesn't help either. But hey, at least I got time to catch-up on The 2 Gossip Girl and Privileged shows I had recorded.

So I am sitting here and I finally decided I had 2 choices. Either fall asleep on my desk or go downstairs to the liquor store in our building and buy an energy drink. I am not an advocate of energy drinks so you have to relize just how tired I must be.

I looked at the selection and I cannot believe all of the choices. There were juice drinks, soda drinks and coffee drinks. They claimed to be so crazy full of energy. I of course bought Starbucks Doubleshot Energy + Coffee, vanilla flavored drink. It seemed like the only thing I could actually get down. All the other drinks were full of sweet flavors and seemed gross.

I have to tell you that the Starbucks drink I got was awesome. The can is 15 Fl oz and 2 servings. 210 calories and 2.5 grams of fat for the entire can! The taste is great and it did give me a bit of a boost but it's not like I'm shaking from a caffeine overload. I loved it!

So if you find yourself falling asleep at work my advice to you is try this drink! It's awesome!

In the black?

Why oh why did I venture into Toys R' Us today? Because of a birthday girl. Jonathan is going to a party for a classmate tomorrow and we hadn't had a chance to pick up her gift until today. What a mistake.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the mostly vacant strip mall that Toys R' Us resides in, Dave and I knew we shouldn't have waited until the infamous Black Friday to go birthday present shopping. Then on the other hand we thought we would be getting a great deal on an otherwise overpriced toy or game. We would usually go to Walmart as they have most of the same merchandise that is popular with the kiddo's. But Walmart BF would have probably been a really bad idea.

We parked and actually got a pretty good spot so we were thinking that maybe the crowds have past and we were going to breeze through the store. (are you laughing at us yet?) As we entered the store we stopped for just a second to glance at the beginning of point disaster. With each step we took there were more and more piles of toys and games and action figures and whatever else had been tossed from a shelf to the floor. The end caps were loaded with "deals" that were not very good. It was obvious that anything they actually had with a reduced price, was already gone and the rest was just full priced merchandise that the stores had and probably hoping people would buy as well. But really, I have never seen such mayhem and disorder. Employees were telling customers that needed direction to a product that they had no idea where it was because everything was so misplaced. The price scanners on the wall were not working so there was no way you could tell the price of something unless you took it to a register. Some toys were out of boxes and you had to step over things just to keep from tripping over something else.

I saw the news about what was happening today in other areas. Some news so horrible it doesn't need to be repeated. And in other places reports of people getting a deal on a TV for over $400 off. Of course those people have been in line since Wednesday. And they really were too! Jonathan and I spent our day at Colour Me Mine and Barnes & Noble in Costa Mesa on Wednesday once I was off work. There is a Best Buy there and there they were. The people lining up for the sale that would happen 2 days later. Knowing they would be missing Thanksgiving they still put their tents up and waited. According to the news channel that was out there early this morning, people were taking shifts to be sure they wouldn't loose their place in line. I would never do that. Funny thing is, many of the same deals went online yesterday at 10pm Pacific. But then again, many things sold out FAST! I went on to Walmart.com last night at about 10:05 and the Motorola Blue Tooth ear thingy was already sold out. It was marked down to $18. See, that's a deal! Last year I did get in line at Walmart at about 4 am. It was fun and I got a few good deals. I probably would have done it again but truthfully I didn't have the money this year.

At Toys R Us we did finally end up with a game for the birthday girl. The original Mystery Date game. It wasn't marked down, not even a cent. But it's something she'll enjoy. So I wonder if the stores will actually be in the black after today?

Are you addicted to your Blackberry?

I was up really early today and watching the news. I saw the piece of the interview with Obama about how he really wants to keep his Blackberry because he is so used to it keeping him connected. Can you relate? I certainly can.

I have a T-Mobile Dash smart phone and I get every pennies worth out of it. I check my 5 or 6 email addresses several times a day and I use it to get on the Internet when I need to know something right then and there. I now also take advantage of the modem use and connect it to my laptop when needed.

I can't even imagine actually just having a phone anymore. Imagine what life would be if I had an iPhone? I may never look up! :)

Did I miss something? Was Obama already sworn in?

I rarely use my blog for political rants but something has been bothering me and I need to get it out. Has Obama been sworn in yet? Is he an active president? He sure is acting like it.

I just read an article that stated he "blessed the Bush administration's bailout of the financial industry." Well that was very nice of him. I understand the country is in a major amount of despair but every time I see a new headline about Mr. Obama he is already acting as if he is the Commander in Chief.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a big fan (anymore) of President Bush and no, I didn't really support McCain or Obama either. But I think out of respect he should back off just a little and perhaps concentrate more on what he will do instead of what he is going to do now as president.

I understand a lot of people will disagree with me but please be respectful, this is my blog and a great place for me to vent. :)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! AMAZON.COM MAKES SUPER MOM FEEL SUPER AGAIN!

Amazon.com does it again! They addressed the problem of Super Mom's and Dad's not feeling Super. This applies to all people as well of course. They now package some items such as electronics and toys in an Amazon Frustration-Free Package, a recyclable box that is easy to open and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell cases, plastic bindings, and wire ties.

So why can't manufacturers follow suit? Hopefully they will. This type of packaging is not only better for our hands and ego's but very good for the environment as well.

So there you have it. A company that addressed the problem of my Kryptonite.

TGIF

It's Friday! WHOO-HOO! This week has been a very short one. It went by so fast. And I can't even believe it's almost Thanksgiving and then Hanukkah and Christmas.

I haven't been blogging so much lately because I really don't have anything interesting to say. The days have been so much around getting Hey, That's Gourmet up and running that I haven't really thought about much else. We have advertising on Google and Yahoo now. If you search through many different words such as Brownies, Browniepop, truffles, even football you may see out little ad come up.

Dave still works at AAA and his and everyone else in customer service that is "technically" part-time actually can only get part-time hours until whenever. Dave's supervisor said he just needs to hang in there and it'll change back to where he can work 40 hours a week even thought he's a part-timer. So he's been doing just that. Also about Dave, his shoulder is getting better through physical therapy. I don't want to mention his seizures because I don't want to jinx him.

Jonathan has been great too! He reads really well now and will read a chapter book over one with a bunch of pictures. He is also still a stellar speller. But an angel he is not. He received a detention 2 weeks ago for throwing an eraser at a classmate during reading time. He said the child irritated him pretty bad before class and he was still mad at him but he still should not have thrown that eraser. He learned from it so I guess the detention was fine. But on the other hand he has never done anything like that and I would have appreciated the teacher just giving him a verbal warning. Nobody should get detention on a first offense.

Tomorrow we are participating in another boutique selling our chocolates and sadly it's the last one we are scheduled for. I was hoping to find another one before Christmas. If anyone knows of a boutique still accepting vendors on any weekend day except December 13th please let me know. I would love to be able to have one more chance before Christmas.

To my sister, I hope the conference goes well and you get to relax soon.

For all of you that have a blog that I read I will be sure to read them today. Sorry I've been so bad about that. It's just been CRAZY!

Have a great Friday!

My Kryptonite

Jonathan looks to me as some sort of Super Hero for the most part. I kiss his boo-boos,resolve his problems, feed him, reward him and so on. But I found out that even me who Jonathan considers to be the most super of all super moms has a weakness, a kryptonite. Plastic packaging is my krptonite.

Nothing makes me feel more weak then the packaging that toys, electronics and pretty much everything comes in. Jonathan asks me, Mommy can you open my toy so I can play with it in the car? So there I am with my keys trying to make some sort of tear without cutting myself. Sometimes I just have to say No J, I can't and he just has to deal with it until I can get to the scissors. Scissors by the way doesn't always cut the packages either. But eventually the Kryptonite is depleted and I get to the prize and win and then again I feel Super.

Where did the time go?

I swear it was just Jonathan's 6th birthday and I was at Mile Square Park in the dark cleaning up after a full day of fun. I swear it was just Halloween when I was getting Jonathan dressed as a chef. I swear it was just Thanksgiving where I decided to cut corners and get a turkey dinner from Mimi's then throw it out because it was gross so I roasted a turkey anyway. I swear it was just Hanukkah and Christmas and there was that sweet feeling of neighborly love in the air. I swear it was just New Year's and I fell asleep at 9pm.

Well now it's Jonathan's 7th birthday on October 23rd and all of the above follows so quickly. Why does it feel like every special occasion happened just the month before instead of a whole year ago? Why do I feel like I want to just stop time and stare into the day I am in, instead of letting it pass by like we are in warp speed.

My dad is looking for an apartment that is large enough that we will be able to go and visit. My dad lives in New York so it's not like we can go every weekend. But I can't tell you how much I would love to be able to go at least twice a year. But there is the problem of time and that money stuff but I hope to make it at least once a year.

This is a new year in the Jewish Calendar so I will use that as my benchmark. I am going to start really looking around. Taking in the days ahead. Make Jonathan's 7th last as loooooong as I can. In July I turn 40. Ya, can you believe it? Anyway, it will not be a time of days forgotten. I will make this year sweet, memorable and worth the time to live.

Albert Einstein said "I never think of the future, it comes soon enough"

Time for the chickendance!

Yes it may be time for that fun lovin festival Octoberfest at Old World Village down the street but that's not what I'm writing about here. My chickendance is for the roasted chicken I made for dinner tonight. (My sister is about to roll her eyes as I get to the details)

You may think it's just a roasted chicken, so what. But it wasn't. It was a 5 pound roaster that cooked in an hour and 20 minutes. That is so great for a mom that comes home on a work day at 6:00pm. If I were to make this in the oven it would take 30-40 minutes more time. That is precious time, dontcha know.

The other day a very large and heavy box arrived with a note that said, Love Dad. It was my NuWave oven. My dad has had one for a while now and loves it. I am a believer!

The first thing I cooked in this thing was a rather inexpensive london broil. With my dad's advice I didn't use salt or pepper to season. Instead I bought some Lawry's meat tenderizer without MSG and sprinkled some on the steak. In about 25 minutes I had an amazing dinner to serve my very hungry family. Added steamed frozen veggies from the micro of course.

For Jonathan it's tourture. He loves steak and watching it cook was not only entertaining but had to give him a lesson with patients.

As mentioned, tonight was the 5 pound roasted chicken. Seasoned with some lemon and garlic, salt and paprika I put my new centerpiece of the kitchen to work.

My mother lives with us and she is very weird about her chicken. She really doesn't like what the crockpot does to it. So we either buy a roasted chicken on the way home from work at a market or we have to make it at home. Well I have to tell you that at 99 cents a pound for twice the chicken, I would always rather roast it myself. Plus I have control of seasonings my family likes and no added oils when I make it at home.

So I seasoned the chicken and placed it in the NuWave oven. Set the timer to 40 minutes. When the timer went off I had to turn the chicken over. That's right...I had to turn the chicken over. I have to say that this is not easy and I need to figure out an clever way to do this. Once I I flipped it I set the timer to another 40 minutes. By this time Jonathan was saying "oh mommy it looks so good!" And it really did.

When the 5 pound chicken was ready it was only 80 minutes later. I MADE ROAST CHICKEN ON A WEEK NIGHT! Really it was perfect! Perfect, golden and juicy.

So what's on the menu tomorrow? Chicken tacos probably because there is so much leftover and did I mention it was SO GOOD!?!

Thanks again daddy!

A working mom stuck between a rock and a hard place

Last Thursday Jonathan had to stay home from school because he was sick. So of course I have to take a day off of work. I took him to the doctor and she said just give him Motrin and he will be better by Sunday. So I did. And he wasn't. I had Friday off so technically I had to take 1 day off of work. Monday came and J is still ill. I took him to another doctor who took a chest x-ray and sure enough the 1st doctor should have prescribed him antibiotics because he has an infection in his chest. One step away from pneumonia. So here I am on Thursday and I am still not at work and Jonathan is still not at school. I tried, I really did. I brought him to school this morning and as soon as we hit the parking lot he threw-up. I was frightened. I knew my bosses were not going to be happy with me taking yet another day. I was right.

9:00am: My cell rings, it's my boss. She said, this is not good you can't be off this much.

So what is a mother supposed to do? Even if I had a sitter they won't watch a sick kid. Who wants to get sick from watching someone else's sick kid? And Dave can't call into work or he'll really get in trouble. My mom can't watch him for more than an hour at the most.

I run into this problem at least 2 or 3 times a year. How is a full-time working mom supposed to be a stealer employee and a perfect mom?

I honestly don't think the world will ever know.

A book you moms & dads need to checkout in January!!!

So a huge congrats to my friend Rena Jones who is now a published children's book author. Her book comes out January 2009. It's called A New Job for Dilly.

Rena says "it's about a little rat who loves sour pickles. He's tired of having to steal them, so he decides to look for a job from A to Z. It's an alphabet picture book for kids ages 4-8 years." How cute is that!

So here is her very own Author page, again so cool! Check it out when you get the chance.

http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Rena_Jones.html

Congrats Rena!

Say Mac and Cheeeeeeeeeese and this that and the other

Just out of the oven is the Stouffers Mac and Cheese. While it's cooling the salmon is in the oven and the green beans in the micro. I am on this blog blabbing while dinner is practically cooking itself and my kid is behind me in the living room watching the Upside Down show. Yes, I do have to get up a half a million times to check on things and it takes about an hour to complete a post. lol!

Do you do this? I work in an office all day so when I get home I have to compact my time into a multi-tasking mish mosh. Thank goodness I have my husband to help me when I get lost in front of my aging monitor. But then before I know it, it's 8:30pm and nothing is actually done except perhaps we are finally eating. Time is precious and there really is not enough of it.

Grey hair. I am 39 and I seem to be seeing a lot of these lately. Maybe I need to slow down? Maybe I need to not stress so much over time. Maybe I just need to dye my hair more and stay in denial that the grey is even there. It surprises me every time though. I think it's because I remember my teens and 20's like it was yesterday. While I am happy to be more mature and wiser, I don't see myself as aging. Well, at least not until I look in the mirror. lol! I do seem to babble on more now then I used to. LOL!

Ok, I am done blabbing now.

I took 3rd again this year

So the judging is in and my Chocolate Chip Poundcake came in 3rd. So I am 3 for 3! I am a little disappointed because I really loved this recipe. But still, this is the 1st time I was in the pound cake class and I placed. Not too shabby!

Last year I received 3rd for my Huckleberry Angel Food Cake and the year before 2nd for my Cranberry Orange Angel Food Cake. NICE!

I'm looking forward to next July.

Mama Sharon's Helpful So Cal tips for a fun 4th

Happy 4th of July!

*When showing up to a picnic late, don't eat the cole slaw that's been sitting out for 2 hours.

*If you are planning to go to Downtown Huntington Beach, make new plans unless you enjoy spending your holiday with 150 thousand people.

*If you are going to bar-b-que, be sure your propane tank is full BEFORE you start cooking.

*Don't get angry that the people on your street are still lighting fireworks at 2am. It's nothing new, you should expect it by now!

*If you decide to go see fireworks at the last minute and realize you drove around too long and missed all of them, don't worry, go the next night to Downtown Disney or park outside of Knotts. They have fireworks every night of the summer.

*Want more tender chicken before you grill? Soak it in buttermilk overnight.

*Please be safe and don't drink and drive!

Angel Flop Cake

Well I guess I will only be making the chocolate chip pound cake for the fair this year. The angel food cake is just not working out. While it's always my favorite cake, the weather is not permitting me to make it. Such a delicate cake need air conditioning and not a house that gets 10 degrees hotter then the temperature outside.

I made the pound cake 3 times already and I have to admit, this is probably the best cake I have EVER baked. The glaze is awesome. It's a rich espresso glaze and it compliments the chocolate so well. I think I have a "fair" chance for 1st this year.

Wish me luck!

And now it's Summer

Holy Smokes it's HOT outside! This past week Jonathan graduated from Kindy and we sat outside in 100 degree heat. Dave was burning pretty bad. I don't burn like that so I was o.k. Just really uncomfortable.

Anyway, summer is here and it's time to "chill" a little. All of Jonathan's activities are finished until September. All he has noware his swim lessons on the weekends. School starts for him on August 11th so he needs to enjoy his summer while he can.

It's also O.C. Fair time and you know what that means...CAKE COMPETITION! Whoo Hoo! The last 2 years I entered I made cakes that were kinda fruity angel food cakes. The 1st year was a cranberry-orange angel food and last year huckleberry. Did I come in 1st place? No! All because of chocolate. I was beat by chocolate cakes both years. So this year it's chocolate time. And, I am entering 2 cakes instead of just one. I Am entering a chocolate-raspberry angel food cake. I LOVE the combination of chocolate and raspberries. I am also entering a chocolate chip pound cake with espresso glaze. Oh My Goodness! I made the pound cake last night and brought it to a barbecue we went to today. It was a hit. It really is a great cake. I'd say good enough for best of show! :-)

Anyway, stay cool no matter where you are. If your in Australia, stay warm. :) I have dinner on the stove so I have to go. I'll post my recipes here on my blog if they place at the fair in July.

Toodles!

Wow is it really spring?

As I watch the news I see the weather report from all over the U.S. Snow, rain storms, hail, etc. You would think that mother nature forgot that today starts spring.

When I was little in Hopewell Jct.,NY I used to love the air in the spring time. It was chilly in the morning but just enough for a light sweater or jacket. The winter coats were put away. The air even tasted good. It was crisp and there was always a light breeze. Once the flowers started blooming the air smelled a bit sweet in spots. And of course the birds were singing again and the deer started to venture out. Sounds like a movie, huh?

So here in Huntington Beach, CA it's about 51 in the morning and gets to about 73 during the high point of the day. Perfect! We have that light chill but then it's warm enough to enjoy. Much better than hot.

Spring has always been my favorite season. Happy Spring!