4.29.2010

Take Someone Else's Kids to Work Day = SUCCESS

Excuse me, but I believe you're wearing my sash

I meant to blog about this earlier, but last week the kids went to 'Take your child to work day' at the Sears corporate office. No. I don't work for Sears now, but I know a guy... Anyway, it's brilliant. Sears gets to do marketing and product recognition research on a youth audience for a full day. The kids get food, meet some celebrities, and come home with a bag of stuff (Erin O'Connor, Miss Illinois 2009 was not IN the goodie bag...) And mom gets a day off. Everybody's happy.

4.22.2010

The problem with having 2000 songs on your iPod

Scene opens with Habtamu and Lee in the car listening to Lee's MP3 player on random. An unfamiliar song begins.

H: (with trigger-happy finger on the NEXT button) Do you like this song?

L: (Song's Intro continues) I like how it starts but honestly I can't remember what song it is. What is the name of it?

H: I don't know. It's your music.

L: Well you can read now, what does the screen say.

H: (Squints at the music player) Cawd Heart SomethingSomethingSomething

L: Cahd? Like... C-O-D? Cold???

H: Yes. Cold Heart.

L: (brain searches by decade for a cold heart song while the song plays... still no lyrics) I don't know any cold heart songs. Is there more to the title?

H: Yes.

L: What's the rest of the title. Read it to me.

H: I can't.

L: Sound it out.

H: (getting frustrated) I can't. The letters are moving. I can't read it.

L: (realizing that long song titles start scrolling after a couple seconds) Ok, well spell it out for me.

H: C-O-L-D-H-A-R-D-B-I-T-C...

L: Yeah, you know what, lets just skip this song.

H: Why? You don't like it?

L: Not in the mood anymore. NEXT!

Aaaaand Scene

4.20.2010

Yordanos in April

April 2008 - Ethiopia

April 2009 - USA

2010 - USA

Habtamu in April

April 2008 - Ethiopia

April 2009 - USA

April 2010

4.08.2010

Fooling Around

How do you explain our strange customs to children from another country?  Here's the wiki version of April Fool's Day.

Every day I have the children write a journal entry.   On April 1st, Habtamu's and my conversation went like this:

H: Hey Mom?  Is it April 1st?

Me: (thinking quickly for so early in the morning)  Nope.  (Said with totally straight face.)

H: So.... what is it, then?  March 32nd?!

Me: Yep.

H: (sighs)  Man, this is the longest month!

I let him in on the joke soon, and he tried it on his sister, who TOTALLY didn't understand what was going on.  Once she got it, she was on board. 

This is the kind of day MADE for the girl whose standard daily joke is this:

Guess what?
What?
Chicken butt!

Guess who?
Who?
Chicken poo!

Guess why?
Why?
Chicken pie!

Or this:

(Feel a tap on the back.)
(Turn around, only Y is there.)
It wasn't me!

3.24.2010

Channeling the Sweathogs

Anybody remember Vinnie Barbarino?  Wha?  Wher? Who?  Why?

We've got our very own Ethiopian version now.  I just want to tell the boy that he doesn't have to FAKE stupid, because there will be plenty of times in his life when stupid WILL happen.  (Just as in all our adolescent lives!)

For now, I concentrate on getting him to AT LEAST add the T on the end of "WHA?" to not SOUND ignorant.


Also, this morning, Lee and I were talking about something unrelated to the children.  Yordanos says from the other room, "Mom, I can HEAR you."  I said, "OK?"  She answers back, "I know you were talking about us."  I say, "Why do you think that?"  She says, "You said 'whine and complain'."  Lee then says, "You know, you're not the only people in the world who whine and complain."

3.18.2010

It Takes a Village

Yesterday

2 Moms had to get
5 kids from
3 different families from school to home to
2 different functions at church and
1 Mom to a meeting.

Mission accomplished.  Moms rock!

3.02.2010

New Website... testing... testing...

I wanted a place to put my recipes and whatnot related to cooking.  I'm by no means a great cook, but I have learned to use spices and can now make flavorful and healthy food.  (The two are not mutually exclusive.)  I try to give the caloric info when I've got it.  I'm in love with Weight Watchers, so I try to give points info too.

Join me here to try some new recipes, and let me know what you think if you try them.  Email any recipes you might like posted to newcooking(at)gmail(dot)com.

Chris :)

2.18.2010

Spicy Meat and Rice

1 lb. ground turkey
1 T olive oil
2 onions
1 T crushed garlic
1 t. black pepper
1 t. red pepper flakes
2 t. cumin
2 t. coriander
1 t. salt
2 t. ginger
1 t. chicken base in 1 c. water
1 can (14.6 oz.) crushed or diced tomatoes
 Brown rice, cooked OR whole-wheat pasta, cooked.


Brown meat and set aside. Brown onions and garlic in olive oil. Add spices (substitute spices based on what you have in your cupboard), meat, chicken base w. water and tomatoes.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Put 1 cup meat mixture over 1/2 cup pasta or rice.

2.13.2010

I flew half way around the world for this?

YoYo - yelling in the hallway: UGH! Where's my stupid necklace?

Lee - yelling from the bathroom: Which one?

YoYo: The stupid one!

Lee: Ah, I see. I was just asking because you have like 600 necklaces.

YoYo - stomping around: ARGH! You know, the one mommy gave me! I can't find it anywhere!

Lee - being oh so helpful: Well, where did you last see it?

YoYo: YOUR BUTT!

Lee: ...

Lee: You're going to have to keep looking because it's not there now.

Aaaaand CURTAIN!