I Want Real Parents...

So Gary and I are sitting on the Couch watching TV and Noah is snuggled between the two of us. We were having a light conversation about how spoiled he is, and how lucky he is, and out of no where he says, "I want real parents!" I responded in confusion and chuckle, "We are your real parents." Noah says, "No your not, my parents are dead, you adopted me..."

"What?!? What are you talking about (laughter), you're not adopted."

"Well, that's what Isaiah said."

Gary and I were laughing so hard! Gary said he heard this the other day when the three of them were playing Xbox. Apparently Isaiah got mad at Noah at some point and fabricated this little story, which Noah vulnerably believed down to his core. We actually had to convince him that we were his real parents and that we never died. Oh good Lord, what will I do with these kids?

Adding Spice to Your Life, and Keeping Marriage Interesting!

Weekend Trip:
Gary and I just hit our 7th year together and who ever invented the phrase '7 year itch' sure hit it right on the mark. We celebrated it by setting very low standards for a weekend get away. Headed off to Santa Clara near San Jose, Ca. about 2 hours from where we live. We went to Great America, a well known amusement park. For those of you who aren't in the know, we aren't married but live like we are, real exciting let me tell ya' especially when your dragging around three kids and a waist full of stretch marks! We haven't decided if we like each other yet, we're going to wait 'till the kids are grown before we make our decision about taking the marrital plunge.

Ok, so back to the weekend get away. This is really our first get away without the kids not including the crusie we took since my whole family also went as well. Great America has a lot of great rollercoasters, and we went on them all. We even took the little tram thingy, you know those gondola boxes hanging from a wire that feel like they are ready to snap and plunge you to the ground any second. I am horribly afraid of heights. No ferris wheels, latters or play ground slides for me. So I had this great idea to bunji jump since it sounded like a fun idea and an alternative the the "marrital plunge!" So ya' know, we pay for the jump and they are getting ready to put the harnesses on us, and I start getting nervous and about to cry. Gary was loving every second of it by the way. Surprisingly however, once they started lifting us up into the air I felt calm and relaxed and very secure. Then they signaled to Gary to pull the rip cord!!! I don't think Gary has every heard my scream and cuss at the same time except of course when I'm mad at him but that's different. He was laughing so hard. We were filmed and forked out 20 bucks for a 1 minute dvd of the frightful event. He just keeps replaying the initial "drop and scream"...he had our kids rolling! So besides a great spicey meal at PF Chang's in down town San Jose and a late movie, that was the trip! Oh wait, we had ants in our hotel room does that count as something interesting?

Spicing it up at home:

So I know most couples like to spice it up in the bedroom either to keep the romance alive or as a last ditch effort to save something that's not worth saving. But it is however hard to keep a marriage interesting so you gotta spice it up every once in a while. So for example: Gary really likes a clean house when he gets home from work, and perhaps he's a little on the OCD side but ya gotta love him for it.

But...sometimes I'll leave a little mess so that when he gets home he'll see it.

See, most women might go buy some lingerie to get their man all hot and bothered when they get home.

Not I!

No, I pull out my windex and dirty rag and start scrubbing the kitchen counters as soon as I see him walk in the door. There's just something about me cleaning... well you can figure it out! hey and I save money doing that too by the way, so I'm not only cleaning my house and stimulating my man I'm conserving the all mighty dollar! Boy I sure am a multitasker... and I'm exhausted.

30 Minute Casserole for a Multitasker

Chrystal's Shepard's Pie:

2 Cans of green beans
1 package of bacon (cut in pieces)
1-2 pounds of Jimmy Dean sausage
potatoes
Shredded cheese
Country gravy mix
butter

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Simultaneously, cut up potatoes and bacon. boil potatoes, and cook up bacon in sauce pan. Simultaneously as bacon and potatoes are on stove, brown sausage in skillet. Drain oil from bacon, with bacon in sauce pan add 2 cans of drained green beans and add choice of seasoning, add small amount of butter and cover on low. Once potatoes are tender, your green beans and bacon will be done as well. Poor bacon and green beans in 9x11 casserole dish. layer sausage on top of green beans and bacon. Mash butter and milk and potatoes until you have a mashed potatoe consistency. Layer mashed potatoes on top of sausage. Layer shredded cheese on top of mashed potatoes. Make country gravy according to instructions on package. layer gravy on top of cheese. put in oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Your done!


Yummy, Yummy!

Cheap Labor is hard to find...

I was recently looking for the help of cheap labor to landscape my backyard. I went to a well known place where you can aquire respectable workers at a bargain price...hahum (clearing my throat).. the home depot parking lot...turns out they don't even work for minimum wage anymore...I'm just kidding.
I did however employ the services of my 11-year-old son. It's great because I told him I'll pay him minimum wage (which he quickly agreed to, having no real understanding of what the minimum wage is)... and in my cunning ways to save a buck I quickly added, "And I'll be deducting taxes from your pay, boy!" Of course he asked what taxes were so in a clever response I told him I was going to teach him two lessons about life. #1 The value of a dollar earned, and #2 the way government works and how it's important to know what your tax money goes towards when deducted from your pay check.

So I say to the boy, "I'm your government, your taxes go towards your transportation... and your welfare!"

I think I really have something going with this idea, let's see how long it lasts...