Weekend Update - First Movie

I took Little Miss to her first movie last Saturday. She really wanted to see Cars 2. Husband had the car so we took the train. She got fruit snacks and got very excited. She watched the previews and, towards the last preview, crawled up onto my lap. As the Pixar short film began, she fell asleep - and slept through about half of the movie. She did wake up and enjoyed the second half. She talked quite a bit about the movie for the rest of the weekend so all was not a waste. After the movie, we walked from Courthouse to Clarendon. She played at the playground and then we went to Metro back home. Except the Metro was packed. So, I decided to walk home. It's not a big walk, but it's a distance I usually drive and most who read this blog knows my severe allergy to exercise. Still, Little Miss enjoyed it (of course she did, she was in a stroller).

On Sunday, we all woke up early. Husband had an early tee time. Little Miss was very mad at him for leaving. Then, Little Miss and I went to church to see a friend's baby get baptized. It was a beautiful day. Little Miss was a little tired and hyper from being overtired, but she was no worse for her age group, I suppose. We came home around naptime and both took a nice, long nap. Then, there was dinner, bath and bed. Nice Sunday if I do say so myself.

My Good Reminderer

Actually, overall, Little Miss has a good memory - and sometimes she uses that memory for good. 

Example of good - "Daddy, don't forget to buy OJ."
Example of bad - "Remember you forgot your wallet?" 
(This example is only bad because she reminds me of it quite often and it happened 2 months ago.)

This morning, halfway to our destination, I realized I forgot my lunch.  This was what I heard from the backseat:

"Don't be sad.  You can make it tomorrow.  I'm a good reminderer."

Now I'll have to see if she reminds me to make my lunch tomorrow.  She probably will.

You Look Stinky

The other morning, I was getting ready in the bathroom. I had gotten dressed and was putting the finishing touches on my makeup before running out the door. Little Miss picked up my deoderant. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, you need deoderant." I said I was good but thanks. She looked at me again and said, "You look stinky." Seeing as I just stepped out of the shower and it wasn't an overly warm morning, this was highly unlikely. I just said, "Well, I guess I need deoderant now. Thanks a lot." (Insert heavy dose of sarcasm.) I guess a double dose never hurt anybody, and it's a good thing I don't let a 3-year-old's opinion hurt my feelings.

Full Moon

We were at the mall last weekend.  Little Miss got out of the car and said she had to fix her underpants.  What she didn't share with us was how she planned to do that.  Next thing Mom and I knew, Little Miss had her skirt and underpants down around her knees.  Luckily, we were in the corner of the parking garage so I don't think anyone could see her business, but I also didn't think I've have a kid take her drawers down in the middle of a parking lot.  I'm so proud.

Weekend Update - Wicked Father's Day Crawfish

On Friday, I had a lazy night. We just had some leftovers for dinner and watched a DVD. Little Miss gave us some trouble going to bed, but I told her we were going to a party on Saturday. She argued that she didn't want to go to the party. I said we'd discuss it on Saturday.

On Saturday, we were woken by Little Miss running into the bedroom with her pajamas half undone and off. "I need to get dressed to go to the party!" she exclaimed. I told her to go pick something out so she ran back to her room. She ran back into our room with a t-shirt and underpants. She claimed she couldn't find any pants. So, I got up and got her a pair of shorts. I've never seen her get dressed so quickly. She rushed so much that she couldn't get her arms through the shirt. Unfortunately, at this point, it was 8:30AM and the party wasn't until 2PM.

At 1PM, we did head out to our friends' house. We brought crab dip and had a lot of great fun and great food. After, I came home and Husband I vegged out again.

On Sunday, Husband woke up with Little Miss because Sunday is my day to sleep in a little.  Then, we had a pancake breakfast.  After brunch, Little Miss and I head to the Fair Oaks Mall with Mom to see the giant bubble. It has costumes and promotional items from the play Wicked (which I'm going to see in just a couple of weeks). Then, we hung out at my parents' house for a little while. Sister, Brother-in-Law, and Nephew came over later. Then, Little Miss and I left, hit the grocery store and came home to celebrate Father's Day. I'm making crab cakes, rice pilaf and stuffed tomatoes - all of Husband's favorites.

Not Cool

I got out of the shower today, threw open the shower curtain, grabbed my towel ... and was greeted by a toddler and a cell phone camera.  FML.

(NOTE:  I can only hope I yelled at her to evacuate the area as soon as possible before she took a picture, but unfortunately, Husband isn't very eager to check and delete.)

3 is a Fun Age

I keep telling myself 3 is fun, and it is. Little Miss is turning into a person. There are conversations, singing, joke-telling, running, jumping, all sorts of things. However, her fears are also taking shape though some are convenient fears. For instance, sometimes, she's scared of the dark when it's bedtime, but sometimes, she's not. "I can't go to bed," she'll say. "It's spooky in my room." Yeah, I don't buy it.


Anyway, today, she was on the couch. We were ok on time, but I could see she was about to hit a wall and stop getting ready. So, I was trying to push her to keep moving. She curled her legs up on the couch and said "there's a bug on the floor". Now, there's no bug on the floor. I told her, if there was, I'd be right up on that couch with her. Of course, this is why she's scared of bugs - because she's seen me absolutely freak out. So, I told her the bug couldn't hurt her (especially because it was imaginary). All she needed were her super shoes. So, I put on her shoes and told her no bugs could hurt her now. She looked at me, looked at her shoes and jumped off the couch to go brush her teeth. Sometimes, kid logic amuses me. Just not when she can't go to bed because her room is spooky.

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

The other day, Little Miss said she wanted to be a construction worker when she grows up. She does love tools and tries to "fix" things all the time at home. I told her she could be anything she wants to be when she is bigger (which isn't the truth necessarily but it's a good answer to a 3-year-old). Later that night, Husband brought up the subject and asked why she wants to be a construction worker. She said she wanted to build something which I thought was a cute answer. Lately, she talks about building something out of brick. I wonder if there is mention of the Three Little Pigs in her daily schedule and she's concerned about our safety.

Weekend Update - Birthday Fun!

It was my birthday weekend last weekend.  We were lazy on Friday and just got pizza and vegged out.  On Saturday (my actual birthday), I had a bad headache.  So, I woke up with Little Miss who was super cuddly and we just kind of sat on the couch and cuddled watching morning cartoons.  When Husband woke up, I handed Little Miss off and rolled over on the couch and took a full-fledged morning nap.  Husband went golfing while Little Miss and I took a walk.  At the end of our walk, Little Miss and I took a nap.  After a half hour or so, I got up to clean a little and get ready for an evening out.  Husband came home while Little Miss stayed sleeping.  She slept so much and so deeply, I went to my birthday dinner without them.  Two friends and I went to Ray's Hell Burger Too, and it was delicious.  We'd been wanting to try the place out for quite some time, and it was worth the wait.  I'd like to go again without the headache.  After, we all went to see Super 8 which I liked.  It's not my usual movie, but it had heart and, well, Kyle Chandler.

On Sunday, we were lazy and then went to my parents' pool with my parents and sister and nephew.  Then, the storms moved in and we moved indoors.  We then had dinner there and head home.  It was the most relaxing weekend we've had in awhile, and it was perfect - except for the headache.

Bad Mommy

So, Little Miss has been wary of putting her face in the water. So, while we were playing in the pool, I gave her a little push. She lost her balance and fell under water. The water was less than a foot deep and she had an inflatable vest on so I wasn't that worried, but I helped her too her feet. I made a big deal of the fact she went under water and clapped my hands. Here is how our conversation went:


Me: "Yay! You went under water! You did great! How did that feel?"
Little Miss: "It was fine. Just don't push me again."

Divine Little Miss

Little Miss looked at me this morning in the elevator and said "When I'm cranky, I'm Sarah Bernhardt."


I laughed and asked her who called her that. She said Father-in-Law did. I said my mother used to call her aunt that when she was little, too. So, maybe we have a budding actress. Or, you know, a girl.

Weekend Update - The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Last Friday, we did a small celebration for Husband's birthday. I bought him an individual cake so we could blow out a candle (and Little Miss blew out the candle and ate his cake). Then, we gave him his present. I bought him a couple of books last week and Little Miss wanted to get him M&Ms which she decided is the best birthday present you could give a person.

On Saturday, Little Miss didn't feel well so, even though she woke up early, she slept a lot. Therefore, I slept a lot. We slept separately and then together on the couch. We pretty much slept the day away.

On Sunday, Little Miss felt much better. Husband went golfing in the morning. Little Miss had a big brunch of scrambled eggs with cheese and tater tots. Then, we took a walk around the neighborhood. After, we went to cash in on my free ice coupon at Rita's and met Sister-in-Law and Nephew at their pool. The kids had a blast. The boys came home and more friends joined, and we had a relaxing afternoon at the pool. Good, relaxing weekend - especially because Little Miss was a very good girl and got more and more healthy as the weekend went by. More stories to follow.

Books Read in May 2011

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
2. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (NOTE: This is part of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. You can find more information and order in which to read here.)
3. Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney (NOTE: This is the third book in the Lost Lords series. You can find more information and the order in which to read here.)
4. The Pirate Next Door by Jennifer Ashley (NOTE: This book is the first in her Pirate series. You can find more information and the order in which to read here.)
5. Bossypants by Tina Fey

Good month for reading after a slow start.  I'm really getting back into historical romances.  I read them from time to time, but it's nice and refreshing this month for some reason. 

Movies Watched in May 2011

1. Bridesmaids
2. The Hangover Part II
3. The Lincoln Lawyer
4. Too Big Too Fail

I saw all those movies in the last week.  The rest of the time, I've been watching some TV on DVD which is why my rental list looks so low lately. The last is a HBO film.

YUMMY

I made this last night and, if I do say so myself, it came out super yummy.  I don't think it needs nearly as much butter as it calls for though.  First time I do a recipe, I follow it closely, but I'll cut back in the future at least at the onion stage.  The arugula, tomato and mozzarella add a nice bit to the sandwich, too.  I made mine with a small handful of tater tots, but it's a pretty good meal by itself or with a side salad.


You can find the recipe from the link or here (reprinted without permission, but I did credit it and shows where you can go get it, and it's not like I'm getting any money out of it).  Also, I did not take the picture.  I took a picture, but it's not as pretty.


MM Sandwich
Serves 4


Ingredients:
2 whole medium Onions, Halved And Sliced
1-1/4 stick Butter
2 pounds Cube Steak, Cut Into 1/2-inch Strips
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
5 dashes Tabasco Sauce
4 wholeDeli Rolls (crusty), Split
8 slices(thick) Fresh Mozzarella
8 slices(thick) Ripe Tomato
1-1/2 cup Arugula


Directions:
Season meat with salt and pepper. Set aside.


Melt 1/3 stick of butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions for several minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a separate plate and set aside.


Return skillet to stove and increase heat to high. Add another 1/3 stick of butter. When melted, add meat to pan in a single layer. Do not stir. Allow meat to sit, undisturbed, for a minute in order to brown. With a spatula, flip meat to the other side and allow to brown. Reduce heat to low. Add onions back into pan, then add Worcestershire, Tabasco, and remaining 1/3 stick of butter. Stir and allow to simmer, adding more Worcestershire or Tabasco as desired.


Melt 1/2 stick of butter on griddle or in a separate skillet. Place roll halves, cut side down in butter and brown over medium-low heat until golden brown.


To serve, spoon meat/onion mixture over bottom half of rolls. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons pan juice over the top. Lay two mozzarella slices on each sandwich, followed by two tomato slices. Top with a generous amount of arugula, then press the top half of the roll on top. Cut in half and serve immediately.

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Happy birthday from your girls! I hope it's a fabulous day.

Weekend Update - Memorial Day

Last Friday, we went to Little Miss's school concert. Her last official day was last Thursday, but the Tuesday/Thursday class could participate in the concert on Friday. The kids did a lovely job. Little Miss just stood there and occasionally clapped her hands.  Below is a photo from the little reception after the concert.

On Saturday, we drove to Deep Creek Lake for a beer festival.  There were also activities for the kids.  One of those activities was a Sno-Kone which Little Miss LOVED.  She amused many with her blue face, teeth and shirt.

We had a cookout Saturday night and all went to bed pretty early.  On Sunday, we went to the lake where the kids had fun in the sand and sun.  Then, we went back to the house where the kids played a little baseball and then got into the hot tub to play.  The heat is turned off in the summer and it's like a little pool.  This is the first year Little Miss was tall enough to reach the bottom.  She's growing so quickly!  You can tell from the picture that she absolutely adores her cousin, too.   She followed him around all weekend and did everything he did and said everything he said.

On Monday, we went to the white water rafting portion of the Wisp resort, but the water was drained.  However, the kids had fun in the tiniest little puddles.  Below is a photo of Little Miss and me.

So, good weekend had by all.  (Also, for non-related, grown-up fun, Husband and I saw Hangover 2 on Friday.  We had a lot of fun.  I think the movie was on par with the first one.  Yes, it was more of the same, but we went in with that expectation.)