Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas)
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. tahini
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sun-dried julienne cut tomatoes in oil

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend well. If you don't have a food processor a blender works just as well. With a blender you will need to add about 1/4 cup water to help with the blending process.

Lift the seat up!

Only recently has the fact that my six year old little boy does not lift the toilet seat up to go potty started to create problems for the female in the house. This new development has appeared out of no where as if his growth spurt has thrown off his once perfect aim. There are now little potty sprinkles all over the toilet seat that weren't there once before. Maybe it's simply the fact that the sprinkles are growing as he grows, and were in fact always there. Only now have I started to see them glistening on the porcelain seat every time I get ready to sit down. My husband likes to blame me for Jonah's lack of basic male bathroom procedures. Kevin came into Jonah's life when he was two, so prior to that he was learning his behaviors from his Mama. Fast forward to Kevin's absence once again during a fourteen month deployment and that's still a lot of time with just Mama. Kevin really became aware of Jonah's need for male influence on our recent vacation. Kevin recalls an experience on one of our many bathroom stops on our eighteen hour road trip. Kevin said, "There we are side by side doing our business at a very busy gas station. I look over and all of the urinals are full with more people waiting behind us as well. I glace at Jonah and smile, and Jonah gives me a thumbs up and a head node. Then I do a double take and realize that there Jonah is pants and boxers around his ankles, hands on his hips, and his little white buns hanging out there for all the world to see! Every other man and child standing at the urinals are still pants intact as they take care of their business. But not my Jonah. White buns and all exposed with a smile on his face." At that moment Kevin said it was all he could do but turn to the people waiting at the door who had just witnessed this show and smile and say, "Yep that's my boy!" Needless to say all the remaining rode trip potty stops were followed with urinal lessons involving keeping your pants around your waist. It's at these moments that I'm very thankful for my husband. Now about those sprinkles....

Mama your not really that pretty!

It's true! I heard the words that every mother hopes she'll never have to hear one of her sweet children say, "Mama your not really that pretty, and you have acne all over your face." What!! I tried to quickly recover from the painful words that just came out of my six year olds mouth. My mind was a fog trying to come up with something to say in response to keep from bursting into tears. "Well you know Mama just had a baby", and before I could even begin the rest of my excuses for being named the worlds ugliest mom he said "no mama you've always had acne!" Wow! I have nothing left to say or do but to leave the room and try to regain my broken self. Here I am turning the big 30 this month! I just gave birth to my daughter a few short months ago, and although I was back to my prepregnancy weight within days of giving birth I have never felt worse about myself! I hate the way I look, I hate the way I feel, I am pretty much a big ball of hate when it comes to anything that has to do with myself. Now to top it all off my children are now validating everything I was already feeling about myself. Your children spend the first years of there lives looking at you as if you are the most amazing person on the planet. Mommy and Daddy can do no wrong. I could always count on knowing that when I walked through the door and Jonah looked at me his eyes would light up and he would look at me with a love and adoration that no one else ever would. Gone are those days with my Jonahbug. Thank heaven for my little girl who will only have eyes for her Mama for at least six more years if I'm lucky! Unless you have long hair, a sparkly shirt, wear purple eyeshadow, and are named Hannah Montana then you can forget about Jonah wanting anything to do with you! Hearing those words only awoke my spirit to what I need to work on within myself inside and out. With 30 around the corner it's time to get moving and knock the socks off of not only myself but my six year old as well. With a sparkly shirt and purple eyeshadow I'll be a hot mama again in no time!

Homemade Pizza Dough

1 pkg dry active yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)
2 Tbsp honey
2-3 cups flour (Any kind you like)

In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, or by hand if you don't have a mixer. Place the yeast, sugar and warm water in bowl. Mix with a fork to get the yeast activated. Five minutes later add your EVOO, honey, and with mixer going slowly add your flour. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Set the dough in a warm spot covered with a towel until doubled in size.

The Great Escape

My husband Kevin has ran from arguments and uncomfortable situations since we first started dating. Back then he would jump into his Denali and drive off circling the neighborhood until he cooled off. Then he would come sulking back begging for forgiveness and all would quickly be forgotten. These days its no longer the once prized Denali. Now it's a motorcycle. No not a Harley, that would be too safe! It's one of those need for speed crotch rockets. I know nothing about what kind it is or how fast it can go, and I honestly could care less. All I know is that it is far too dangerous for a young father of two, and that we make a monthly payment with an ever sky rocketing interest rate every month. Tonight as Kevin attempted the nightly bike riding lesson with Jonah, the boys quickly started butting heads as they often do. Before I knew what had happen Kevin was revving up the engine on the motorcycle and ripping down the road. Then as always a few laps around the block and he came back with a clear head ready for round two of the bike lesson with Jonah. I can't tell you how many arguments my husbands great escape routine have created throughout our relationship. As angry as it always makes me I know that no matter a Denali or a motorcyle Kevin will always need that escape. In the end he always comes home, he always apologizes, and we always start again. Until the next great escape tomorrow!

Fourth of July Photo

In the attempt to get the annual fourth of July photo for the Grandparents the bribery began. Jonah has only held his sister one other time and that was in the hospital the day she was born. Sixty shots later and the promise of a trip to the fireworks tent down the rode we got a photo. Kevin & I found ourselves giggling hysterically later that evening in bed as we imagined how ridiculous we must have looked to our children dancing, singing, & making funny faces in the attempt to get them to smile. Happy 4th of July!

Swimming Lessons

Today is day two of swimming lessons for my six year old Jonah. I have often felt like a failure this year as it quickly has become apparent that my not so little boy does not know how to do many fundamental activities that many children his age have mastered now for several years. Not only does Jonah not know how to swim, but he also cannot ride a bike. So thus the two big summer goals have been set into place; learning how to swim, and learning to ride a bike without training wheels. Learning to ride a bike has quickly become a huge power struggle between Jonah and Dad. Jonah gets quickly frustrated and storms off after one attempt around the driveway. Dad in turn gets equally frustrated and starts making statements regarding giving the bike to a little boy who will appreciate it. I usually step in at this point with my encouraging mom words saying, "You can do it just four more times around the driveway and you can stop for the day." A desending goal always seems to come through victoriously in a childs mind. So after four long whine filled laps around the drive we complete one more learning day of bike riding 101. I have much higher hopes for the swimming lessons as my husband and I are not the instuctors but rather we have paid the city to take on this challenge. Jonah came home day one full of smiles and actually stated that he liked it! Day two brought the same smiles and excitment. Eight more lessons to go and I hope to have a little fish on my hands.