Breakfast is a time...not a specific food!

Ok...so I'm going to hop on a little soapbox here... fair warning!

Egg.  Yummy - anytime of the day.  If I want to eat some egg....that does not mean I'm having breakfast.  Chopped egg on my salad? Yes, please!  Fried Egg Sandwich from Whataburger? YUMMY! Yes, please! Available anytime at any location I've ever visited - although they stop serving "breakfast" at 11am.  Egg can be eaten tons of ways at any time of day!

Breakfast is something you eat when you first wake up.  Whether you are a night owl or have a more conventional schedule - when you drag your groggy hiney from those sheets - it is time for some breakfast.  This is why Waffle House and IHOP stay open 24 hours - because "breakfast time" is different for everyone!  Egg doesn't decide breakfast time - your schedule does!

With that being said, I do understand that there are many restaurants that stop serving their breakfast items around 10:30 or 11:00 am and most doughnut shops are closed by noon.  I get it.  The majority of the world has breakfast between 5:00 and 11:00 am.  So if an eatery decides to take the breakfast items off of the menu during certain hours to open up kitchen space for the rest of the menu, I can totally respect that.

However, today I was a little irritated by a local Subway Fast Food Restaurant.  It has been a long (and eventful) day of sales and lunch and stuff and stuff.  Not to mention it was dart league night and we had to meet the other team by 8:00 pm.  So...dinner at home was not an option.  We began the "What do you want?" debate with each household member and finally decided on Wendy's for little man and Daddio and Subway for the big kids and myself.

Wendy's.  New flatbread sandwiches - big hit with Daddio!  (Now I can't wait to try one!) Dinner purchased and served!  Next - Subway.  Off we head to one of the local Subway shops.  Now, A's favorite sandwich is...interesting.  Flatbread, egg, turkey, avocado and cucumber.  And she loves it!  And...I must admit...it's pretty good...lol.

Anyway, B and I walk in to the Subway and the very young looking guy behind the counter puts on his gloves and asks what I would like.  I peek over at the veggies to see if they have any egg - and they do.  So I explain that what my daughter wants is not on the menu, but it starts with flatbread and egg.  This is where it gets frustrating...

• He said, "We don't serve breakfast after 11." (It is at this point about 7:00pm)
• I said, "Oh, this isn't a breakfast sandwich."
• He points to a picture of a new sandwich they are advertising with egg on it (some black forest ham thing - I think) and asked, "Are you going to order this?"
• I said, "No, this is something my daughter come up with on her own.  It's not on the menu."
• He said, "We don't serve breakfast after 11."
• I said, "I understand that, but I'm not ordering one of your breakfast sandwiches.  I want a flatbread turkey sandwich with egg on it."
• He said, "But, we don't serve breakfast after 11."
• I look at him with my "mother" look and said, "So you are telling me that I can't order a sandwich with egg on it, unless it is that sandwich (pointing at the advertisement) - even though you have it readily available right there (pointing at the egg)?"
• He said, "Yes, because we don't serve breakfast after 11."
• I said, "Ok, we'll just go to another Subway that will."

And we walked out.  B said, "Um, mom.  Are we seriously going to another Subway just because he wouldn't give you egg?"  I said, "Absolutely!" and then went on a tirade all the way to another near by location (and missed my exit).  We went in to the new location and walked out 10 minutes later with our sandwiches (egg and all).

Let me be clear - IF Subway stops serving breakfast at 11 and wants to take their breakfast items off of their menu then - I totally respect and understand that!  But to tell me that I can't have egg on my sandwich, because it is too late for breakfast - even though you have egg on your food line a good 8 hours after breakfast hours have ended - is ridiculous.  I will still go to Subway - because we love it!  I will not go to that location.  I should have known not to go to the Subway that is "sandwiched" in between a Church's Chicken and an Exxon Gas Station - all in the same building.  Totally my fault. Ugh!

Coconut Shrimp w/ Maui Mustard Sauce Recipe!

Check out this link where you can get the recipe for Coconut Shrimp with Maui Mustard Sauce!  It looks yummy and only takes about 10 minutes prep time and 10 minutes cook time!

Here is what you must know:
 - It is easiest if you purchase deveined and peeled shrimp
 - You must have a Dutch Oven or Fry Daddy
 - There are a couple of things you have to let chill in the fridge for half an hour or so
 - This is only a recipe for about 18 shrimp - so it may be a good idea to prepare something to go with it or use as an appetizer for a party

Here is the link: Coconut Shrimp w/ Maui Mustard Sauce Recipe

Also while you are there check out the awesome #giveaway for the recipe book!  It is has an AWESOME Scan It/Cook It feature for smart phones that I am super excited about! 

For a Work At Home Mom (WAHM) with a nearly teenage boy, 10 year old girl and a 1 year old,  I need the easiest, yummiest, fastest dinners I can find!  Check this out and try to win yourself a cook book! :)

Happy Cooking!

Love,

 

My crazy baby!! Aaauugghhh!

So...there I am - doing my 3 am email check (this is when L wakes up for his nightly feeding) and guess what I see?!

Well let me set the scene. So he wakes up - I wake up - I make bottle - I change his diaper. He drinks bottle and will not go back to sleep until he has sat in his walker for about 15 minutes, squeaked, talked, screamed at his binky, played with his toys for another 15 minutes in playpen and then screamed at me because he is fighting sleep...lol. All this while daddy snores away and I check my email - until the screaming begins and I soothe him back to sleep and then fall back into my pillow until 6 am when it is time to wake up B and A.  Luckily this is the weekend so the 6 am thing won't apply.

So there I am this morning - after the bottle. I put him in his walker and head to the desk for some email time. After about 10 minutes I see movement out of the corner of my eye that (in our dimly lit room) I know isn't normal. I turn my head away from the computer screen and my eyes focus......

and ... my little tart has found a way to come out of his walker, turn around, and have a seat on the walker tray (yes on top of Winnie, Tigger & Eeyore), using the seat for a little step stool. And there he is...proud as anything - looking all around the room from his new sight level. HOLY CANOLI!

Scared the poo out of me! I think it's quite possible that is the fastest I've moved since he was born!

Whew...deep breath. So...I guess that's it for the walker...

Oh yes...that just happened.

So....you know you've had a long day when....

What. A. Long. Day. - That is what I was thinking on the way home.  It has been one of "those" days.  You know the kind:

• Wake up at 3 am with headache - Check!
• Wake up at 5 am and waddle to the kitchen with my eyes closed to make a bottle - only to find that the little guy really just wanted his binky and is now fast asleep - Check!
• Wake up late (which means no time to shower) - Check!
• Start knocking off the mile-long "To Do" list only to realize you can't do it all because enough time does not exist - Check!
• Spend the day (half asleep) trying to deal with people that you are convinced are out to get you or maybe it is just a full moon - Check!

Yes.  That kind.  But then - finally - it is time to head home.  Sweet. :)

So there I am, sitting in my car, driving home.  It has turned into a lovely night so I turn the A/C off and roll down the windows to enjoy the light breeze.  I have the radio tuned to my favorite station and I realize I'm pretty beat when I can't even really sing along.  So happy to be headed home.

And then as I'm waiting for the light to turn green, I see it.  Right in the middle of the intersection!  A big frog!!  He is just hopping little tiny hops across the intersection.  Then my mind begins to wander......There is no water around here.  No creek.  Where did this little guy come from?  Well he's hardly little - he's actually quite large!  Poor little thing.  Unfortunately, I am in no condition to be stopping traffic to rescue a huge frog that I'll have no idea what to do with.  Although...the thought does cross my mind. (sigh) Lord, I need to get home. (Yawn.)

Finally, the light is green and as I start to push the gas peddle, I feel a tiny bit bad for this poor little froggy.  I sure hope he doesn't get smushed!  And at that very momemt, a car speeds through the light in the lane beside me and I already know he's done for.  The next few seconds play out in slow motion - the car hits the frog and he flies up into the air and then slowly starts to flutter back to the middle of the intersection.  I know what you are thinking....frogs don't flutter!  Nope.  They sure don't - but potato chip bags do.  Yep.  That just happened.

So for future reference - no matter the day you've had - no matter how resilient you think you are - anytime you mistake a potato chip bag being slowly pushed across an interesection by a light breeze... for a frog - you've defnitely had a long day.

Good night all & sweet froggy dreams!

Love,

 

Date with my boys. :)

Isn't it funny how you wake up one morning with a plan for the day and it changes hour by hour until you hit the pillow?

Well that is how today has been - and I must say I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

The original plan: Oldest son B and my daughter A went to their dads last night - and probably won't be back for a couple of days.  Get the baby L to sleep by around 6 am and then put myself to bed until at least noon.  Have lunch with my mom around 1:00 - do some Avon & Usborne errands - then back home.  Wait for the MIL to get here to watch little L so "my guy" and I can go play in the dart league.  Come home around 10, feed and bathe little L and put him down for his midnight to 3 am nap.  Do my PC work until 3 am - change and feed little L, play with him, watch a little TV with 'my guy' since he is now home.  Put little L to bed by 6 and put myself to sleep until about 11 until I have to get ready for work.

That was my plan.  Pretty typical day for me actually.  This is how it really went:
 - L didn't go to sleep at 6 am like he normally does.  He took about a 15 minute nap, but then was up until almost noon.  I laid down to get a little rest and slept until 5pm.  No lunch with mom (sorry mom), no Avon or Usborne errands (sorry pocket book!).
 - MIL wasn't feeling well so she texted she couldn't come hang with little L tonight.  I tried to get dear SIL to come over but she had already made plans.  No darts tonight - no biggie!  League won't actually start until probably next week so I'm only missing out on practice.
 - B decided he wanted to come home because he didn't want to go to the water park his dad and sister were going to and because he wanted to get caught up on the chapter he is writing for his novel and to work on his drawings.  He was home by about 5pm. 

New plan: Take both my boys and make a date night of it! :)  Me and L get ready and give Daddy kisses bye (he has to be at work in an hour).  We pile in the car with B and head into town.  First stop: A friends house to drop off a movie for them to borrow and catch up with small talk.  Then we head to the bank by 9pm to make a deposit.  Bank closed at 8. (sigh)  Everyone back in the car - but the battery is now dead. Ugh!!  A very kind woman offered to jump me off if I had jumper cables and new how to hook them up.  I was pretty sure I did, but wanted to be sure so I called my friends hubby.  He walked me through it and we got it started.  I thank the lady (and kick myself because I have no books or brochures with me to give her!!) and then we are on our way.  My interior lights are beginning to dim and flicker.  As long as I keep the gas pushed in and the engine revved it is ok.  But now we can't go get a bite to eat for fear that the car won't start again.  So we head to Taco Casa's drive-thru!

While we are waiting in line, the interior lights get lighter and lighter.  By the time I get to the window I pay the woman and tell her my car is about to die and block her drive-thru so I am going to pull off to the side and send my son in for the food.  Her response: "Well hurry and drive to the next window!"  Thanks for your expert advice.  So I pull out of the line and send B in - and although they know what is going on and it was our turn to pick up food at the window, they send him back outside for the receipt...as my lights get even more dim.  The car nearly died at every light on the way home.  I finally pull into the driveway and turn off the engine.  I tried to start it again and it started right back up.  WTH!?  I cancelled dinner at Mexican Inn for nothing! Ugh.

So we make a bottle for L and I let B sit in 'my guy's' chair and we decide to watch Netflix.  Taco Casa was exceptionally yummy and we really enjoyed the movie!

What a great little movie!  Even though this movie came out in 2003 neither B or I had seen it yet.  Eddie Murphy is always a hoot and the kids in the movie (especially the little boy that plays his son) were super cute and funny.  The movie taught a great lesson about family and happiness being more important than anything else really and how doing the right thing isn't always the easiest - but works out in the end. :)

After L's bottle - he sat in his bubba's lap and watched it with us until he fell asleep in B's arms. :) 

Now L is asleep - B is in bed - and I am about to go find my pillow.  Well after I do some laundry.  Night all :)