Literal Interpretation

Here's how the incident played out - -

Things One & Two - Mommy! Can we have those last two donuts in the kitchen?

Me: (Wonders to self, how in the world did donuts even last in this house for that long?  Two days?  That MUST be a new record.) Sure, go for it.

Things One & Two tear out of my room and head to the kitchen. Thing Two had the lead. He's just faster. And, less clumsy. About two minutes elapse and then Thing One heads back to my room. 

Thing One: Mom. Thing Two is so rude. He grabbed the last powdered sugar donut. Then, while he was eating it, he was smiling and laughing.

Me: And? (I mean really, survival of the fittest, right?)

Thing One: So I told him to quit rubbing it in my face.

Me: And then? (Knowing exactly how Thing Two thinks, much like his momma, I knew exactly what happened next.)

Thing One: Well, he told me that what he was doing wasn't rubbing it in my face. *This* was rubbing it in my face. (This is where he pretended he was smashing a donut into his own face.)

Just so you know - - there's no recovering from that one. The mister and I just stood there and laughed. Then we were all four laughing. 

Me: Okay, Thing Two. I know we laughed. And that was pretty funny. And clever. But it really wasn't very nice. On several levels. So don't misunderstand our laughter. Next time, be kinder. Okay?

Thing Two: Okay Mommy. But that was pretty hilarious. Wasn't it?  And, you look pretty today.

He's a smart one, that Thing Two!  Well played Thing Two.  Well played.

Relish Cooking Show Contest

Alright, Moms~ The Relish Cooking Show, sponsored by the San Angelo Standard-Times, is THIS Thursday!

If you've never been to a cooking show, they are so.much.FUN! We've had cooking shows in San Angelo before, but this one is put on by a different company. Basically, they cook several different recipes on stage, sharing hints and tips as they go.

The goody bags always have great stuff in them, and there are always prizes and lots of fun! 

I have a bunch of tickets to give away, and my marketing director wants me to make it "a little fun." So, here's what we came up with...

Post your favorite recipe (main dish, side dish, salad, dessert, etc) here, for a chance to win 2 tickets. The tickets have a $30 value, so it will be worth a few minutes of your time to post a recipe :)

You have until 10 p.m. Wednesday night to post your recipes- I will announce the winners by Thursday morning.

To enter, you need to be a follower of the Blog (click the "join this site" button on the right side) AND you have to "like" SanAngeloMoms' Facebook page. Other than that, it's open to everyone!

IF you have problems posting to the blog, don't worry! Just post to the SanAngeloMoms page, under the post about the contest (so I can find it easily). 

Can't wait to see all the great recipes everyone posts~ After all, who can't use some new dinner ideas?

Here's my family's newest favorite dinner recipe:

Sausage and Peppers Casserole

4 T olive oil, divided
2 lbs turkey sausage, sliced
1 red onion, quartered and separated
1 pkg tri-colored peppers, cut into 1" strips
16 oz bag frozen green beans
14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T Italian seasoning
8 oz sliced mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375. Heat 2 T oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove sausage to bowl. Drain fat from skillet. Heat 2 T oil in skillet over med-hi heat. Add onion and peppers; cook, stirring until tender, about 2 minutes. Add green beans, tomatoes, garlic ,and seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Combine sausage, vegetable mixture and mushrooms in a 9X13' baking dish. Bake uncovered until well browned, about 40 minutes.

Dance, the Best Gift... Ever.

I grew up in Forney, TX (Home of the Fighting Jackrabbits). I still remember going to the high school football games with my dad on Friday nights and never watching any football.  The drill team was the most interesting thing to hit that field, and I knew that one day I too would be a Highstepper.

When I was in second grade, my mom signed me up with a recreational dance program in our community.  18 years have passed since that day, and I am still dancing.  My director, Ms. Lisa, was an amazing woman.  Even though she was working with a group of children, she took her job and most importantly us seriously.  I'll never forget that feeling.  Every one of us was special.  Every one of us was important.  This was all that mattered to me as a child.  As an adult, I look back and appreciate so much more.  Ms. Lisa volunteered every single hour she spent with us.  She sewed each and every one of our costumes, she glued individual sequins on all of our hats, she fluffed every pom pom.  We loved dance because she loved dance.

I met some of my best life-time friends in that recreational dance program.  I went on to dance through junior high, and I finally reached my goal of becoming a Forney High School Highstepper.  Ms. Lisa was waiting outside of every audition, and she cried harder than my mom when I made Captain both my junior and senior years on the team. 

This summer one of my friends told me about a Youth Imact Program developed by a company called Just For Kix (JFK).  JFK is a company that has brought dance to communities across the nation for over 30 years.  The Home Office is located in Minnesota, but directors are hired to develop recreational dance programs in various cities throughout the country.  When I heard about this opportunity, I was thrilled.  I knew I had to be a part of bringing this to San Angelo.  I thought that if I could give at least one child the same gift of dance that was given to me, my life would be fulfilled.  I taught my first class on September 10, 2012, and that fulfillment was confirmed.  Nothing can describe the way it makes me feel to hear my own students tell me that they love dance.  Now I understand.  I understand how someone can voluntarily stay up countless hours sewing tiny skirts to be payed with a hug and a smile.

Today I am 26, and I can still remember every song to every dance Ms. Lisa taught us.  Were we perfect little dancers?  No.  But we felt like we were.  I am forever grateful for the gift of dance, and I will do my best to pay it forward as long as I can.  "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou.

My, how times have changed!

I remember several years ago, when "Just Between Friends" came to San Angelo.

I thought it was a great concept, but didn't think that *I* would find anything to buy there. I don't know why; it's not like I thought I was above shopping the sale or anything like that. But, for whatever reason, I just didn't think the sale applied to me.

Two years ago, SanAngeloMoms became one of the media sponsors for the JBF Sale. I had to set up a sponsor table for the sale. I walked in carrying all my table decorations and SanAngeloMoms information. The one thing I didn't think to bring was my debit card. Looking back, I know it was dumb, but it just didn't occur to me.

At that first sale, I saw lots of friends, and made many new ones. Since the line to check out went past our tables, I had plenty of time to chat, and "ooh and ahh" over all the goodies everyone found.

Driving home, I had a thought: "Why didn't I buy anything at the sale?"

I have four children, and at the time three of them fit into the sizes sold at JBF. I had been so focused on being a "sponsor" that it hadn't occurred to me to be a "customer" too.

The next show we helped sponsor, I was ready! I walked in to the Wells Fargo Pavilion with my table decorations, laptop, information flyers, and entry forms. AND, my debit card was tucked away in my back pocket!

I got my table set up, and went to go look, and "see if I could find anything."

DID I EVER! I was shocked to find that most outfits that I would have easily paid $20 for in stores were priced at $5! And, even though we don't have stores like GAP and Gymboree in San Angelo, there were plenty of those name brands and more to choose from.

By the time I finished shopping, which took several trips from my table that night (I kept forgetting I was responsible to answer questions and tell people about SanAngeloMoms!), I'd found enough clothes to complete my daughter's wardrobe, and all of the "fill-in" items I needed for my son (a couple pairs of jeans, a few long-sleeve shirts, and a hoodie).

I could not believe the vast quantity of clothes for sale! Everything is arranged by size, and boys and girls clothes are separated. 

The best part? I'd only spent $89! I KNOW I had at least $500 worth of clothes.

For the next sale, last spring, I went even more prepared. I had a list of things the kids needed, and even brought a list to help out a friend.Again, I found a full wardrobe for my daughter for the spring, some fun things for my son (Since I have an older son, my younger one gets many of his clothes from his older brother), and a few things for my friend's little girl.

Again, I'd spent under $90 for all that I'd bought. And this time, a friend benefited too.

For this sale, I have a plan. For the first time, I am going to sell items in the sale! Of course I'm going to shop again, but this time, hopefully I will be getting a check a few weeks after the sale. Just in time for me to get some Christmas shopping done :)

Also, I have made it my mission to make sure that other moms know about this wonderful sale. It is NOT just a big garage sale- the clothes all have to be in good condition, and free of stains. 

If you've heard about the sale, but haven't been to it, try to get there this year. It's expanding into the Arts and Crafts building next to the Wells Fargo Pavilion, so it will be even bigger!

There will be a question/answer session with Sandy Jameson on SanAngeloMoms tonight at 9:00, so if you have any questions, please join us. If you miss it, you can always come back and ask questions later, and she will get back to you.

Also, I'll be giving away "Friends Passes" at this month's Moms Night Out on  September 18. If I have any left, I'll give them out on SanAngeloMoms.

Please share your experiences with JBF below, so other people can know what to expect!

Congratulations to our winners!!!

Thank you all for entering our first SanAngeloMoms Blog contest. We had almost 37 entries! Congratulations to our winners!!

The video above shows us drawing the winners- but in case you cannot view it, here are the winners:

*Nekita Powell
*Stefanie Bara
*Ashley Bonilla

I have one set for the 2:30 show, and 2 sets for the 5:30 show. The first one who tells me they want the 2:30 tickets gets them, the other two get the tickets for the 5:30 show. If you don't need all four tickets, or are not able to use the tickets, please let me know as soon as possible, so I can draw another name.

Be sure to keep visiting our blog- I have all kinds of fun plans for us :)

New school year = New friends!

Well, we made it through the first week of school, and are officially in the middle of a three-day weekend!

For the second year, I have three children three different schools (four in four, if you count my toddler in Moms Day Out), all with different experiences. Luckily, they are all enjoying school so far this year.

It occurred to me this week, that while it is so important it is for kids to have a good school experience, so much is beyond our control. Personality types of teachers, who our kids choose as friends, kids "being kids" and teasing, bullying, and picking other kids as friends over ours can all be heartbreaking for our children, and yet so hard, if impossible for us to control.

Sure, we can change our kids' classes, transfer them to a different school, or decide to home school, but kids need to learn how to deal with different people and experiences at some point in their lives.

Yet, it is surprising to me how some kids make it through school relatively unscathed, while others have horrible experiences for all or part of their school careers.

So much of it depends on experiences and friends they make outside of school, which carries over into the school environment, but, as I have observed, a lot of it is the child's personality.

My two teenagers are pretty "mainstream" kids. I have been blessed with the fact that they are "pleasers," and attempt to keep their teachers happy and their parents proud.

My 2nd grader may be a little more of a challenge. He does have some "pleaser" qualities, and wouldn't dream of misbehaving (on purpose), but his personality, imagination, and to some extent, possibly his intelligence, could possibly cause some difficulty for him.

I've written previous posts about Jacob- he is my animated, precocious little guy. While he makes adults giggle with his antics, I think his personality may cause him some difficulty in making friends.

Is he "weird" or "mean?" No. Not in any way. But, he thinks differently, acts differently, and plays differently than others his age. And that makes him hard to relate to other kids.

We've struggled with this for the past year or so, and I think I've finally found something that's helped. I've gotten him involved in theater- where other kids have similar energy levels and imaginations.

Having friends in theater has made not having many friends in school much easier for Jacob. He goes to school to learn and play with the one or two kids he's befriended, but goes to acting class and play practice to "have fun."

It's very different for my older two kids. For my daughter, school and marching band IS her social life, with some trips to the mall and sleepovers with her friends sprinkled in.

For my son, his social life is with his friends from school, but they mostly socialize online. Skype, video games, and Facebook are the majority of his social interface. It has taken me a while to be "accepting" of this, but, after talking to the parents of his friends (who, thankfully are friends of mine), we have decided that video socializing is the new method of play. These boys are all smart, socially adept, good kids. They are all involved in different activities in school and after school, so online play is the only thing they really have in common.

There's more to school than learning in the classroom. I believe that success in school is a combination of academic success and socialization in one form or another. I've realized that that socialization can come in different forms- in school, in extra-curricular activities, or on-line, as long as they're socializing in one form or another (but not too much :) ).