Zing, Zang, Zoom!

Welcome to the Greatest Show On Earth! Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey are proud to present Zing! Zang! Zoom!

That's right, the four of us went to the circus today! It was quite an adventure. Sam hasd been looking forward to it for a couple of days, and of course Anthony and I were excited to be taking the kids. Ellen had no clue what a circus might be, but she caught the general air of festivity and got excited too.

We had to park half a block away from the BJCC in a parking deck, and followed the crowd to the arena. We had to stand outside for a while waiting to get in; incidentally, the temperature is definitely dropping! Inside the BJCC we were greeted by the usual deluge of vendors selling everything from t-shirts to food to stuffed animals. Sam wound up with a spinning light up thingy that would probably give you a seizure if you stared at it for too long; Ellen got a clown doll.

The show started with the typical huge opening number. There were clowns, acrobats, horses, and (Ellen almost lost her mind with excitement) elephants. The dancers and clowns were great, the acrobats were satisfyingly death-defying, and the animal performers were wonderful. We had a great time. Of course, by the end of it all Sam had a meltdown because the batteries ran down in his light thingy, and then he fell asleep on my lap after crying for a while and declaring that he didn't like the circus. Sam, like me, tends toward the weepy and grumpy end of the spectrum when he's tired. Ellen on the other hand clapped, cheered, and wriggled happily for most of the show. It was terrific.

Leaving the BJCC, we managed to turn the wrong way and ended up walking about 524582085 blocks to get back to the car. This is not so easy when you are carrying one sleeping 4 year old (go Anthony!) and alternately carrying and walking with a 22 month old. Sam asserted again that he didn't like the circus. We finally made it to the car and got home, and tucked the kids into bed.

I was pulling the blanket over Ellen when I heard Sam giggling behind me, from his own bed. I turned around to see him grinning from ear to ear. I guess the circus is easier to like once you're home in bed, because Sam smiled at me and said "Zing, zang, zoom!"

Chicken Salad, As You Like It

I love me some chicken salad. Love love love it. When it's made right, that is. And I must say, I make some seriously good chicken salad. Feeling that it is unfair to keep this delicious concoction all to myself, I'm going to post the recipe here.

Ok, it's your basic fruited chicken salad. I never measure the ingredients, so just add as much or as little as you want of each (hence the title "As You Like It")

You will need:

Chicken
Apples
Grapes
Walnuts
Green Onion
Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
Lawry's Season Salt
Pepper

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and bake it in the oven til it's done. While it is cooking, chop the green onions and put them in a bowl. Then do the same with the apples. Slice the grapes in half and put them in the bowl. Once the chicken is done, dice it and put it in the bowl too. then add equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream, season it all with the Lawry's salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and top it with chopped walnuts. Serve on croissants, toast, crackers, or straight from the bowl. Deeeeelish!

I like to use Granny Smith apples, but any kind will work. If I use green apples I use red grapes, and vice versa, for a really nice color contrast. The finished product is a great textural, visual, and taste (tastual?) contrast with the soft chicken and the crunchy fruit and nuts, the sweet fruit and the tangy dressing, and the bite of the pepper.

I also keep promising myself that I will someday make a tropical version of this, using mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, and macadamia nuts in place of apples, grapes, and walnuts, and maybe topping it with some shredded coconut. If anyone else gets around to trying this before I do, let me know how it turns out, ok?

Did you ever have one of those days?

Because I've for sure had one today. I woke up with a sore throat. Ran late for work, had to go back home to get my phone, and had the AWFULLEST patient this morning. Had to cancel my weekend plans because Sam has a bad cough, and Ellen appears to getting it too. Finally got off work, went and picked up the kids, and headed home. I was sooo looking forward to trying the soup I made this morning from a new recipe. (I love soup when the weather is cold). I got home, schlepped the kids up the garage stairs, and finally was home. I went to check my soup, lifted the lid. . . and realized that I didn't plug in the crockpot this morning.

Can I have a do-over on the whole day please?

Tag, you're it!

Kelli at The Land of Boys tagged me for this game. . . you go to your pictures file, click the fourth folder, and then the fourth picture in that folder. Post it to your blog. This is mine.


I tag Dixie and Sarah!

Little Miss Priss

The older Ellen gets, the more I realize that she is 100% girl. She likes to run and play, but her favorite things are the stereotypical "girly" things. Baby dolls, hairbows, and just lately, her brand new purse.

Santa brought her a purse complete with keys, cell phone, mirror, play lipstick and a wallet with a debit card. My girl has decided that this purse needs to go everywhere with her. She had to take it to daycare yesterday, along with her babydoll. She slept with it last night. She has carried it all over the house this morning.

Check it out:
















And yes, I know that her mouth is full of bagel in that second picture, but I challenge you to catch that child at a time when she isn't eating something. I also know that a lot of the pictures I post of Ellen are kind of blurry, and dark, but that's because the child doesn't know what it means to sit still. (Even her teachers at daycare say so) She's a busy girl with things to do. And her purse goes with her.




Oh, and here's a freebie pic of Sam in his raincoat, because he gets offended if I take Ellen's picture without taking one of him too.

I suffer from depression

It has taken a really long time for me to be able to admit that. I used to blame my dour moods on everything else in the world -- fatigue, hunger, PMS, you name it. And while those things definitely have an effect (especially PMS), the truth of the matter is that sometimes I just feel at a loss to cope with my life. That doesn't make any sense on the surface; I've got a great husband, two amazing children, and a host of wonderful extended family. I've got a comfortable home, a good job, and I don't have to wonder where my next meal will come from. But in spite of the incredibly blessed life that I lead, I often feel overwhelmed, sad, and angry for no good reason. It got really bad after Ellen was born; something about the hormones, I'm sure. And don't get me wrong. I'm not suicidal. I don't cut myself or take drugs or bury my sorrows in the bottom of a booze bottle. I just find myself listless, fatigued, sleepy, and unmotivated. I take one look at my filthy house and feel paralyzed. I snap at my husband. I binge eat. I spend hours online doing NOTHING. And then I see myself doing all these things and I just get more depressed.

I really have no idea why I'm posting all this on a public blog where any and everybody can read it, except that maybe it feels kind of therapeutic to just talk about it with no reservation. Maybe by just coming right out and saying it, I'll be able to address it more effectively. Or maybe I'll get all embarassed and delete this post tomorrow. Either way, it feels pretty good to admit this to myself and everyone else, instead of treating it like a shameful secret.