Ham Bone...Where Have You Been...

Around the world...And back again...hambone!

This is more than just a little ditty that my grandfather would sing to us while he played this hilarious rhythm on his knee. (I know, I know, more of the South Carolina Sloan craziness).

Well never was this ditty more true than last week. First of all, Maggie's birthday was on Valentine's Day and lots of family came in to celebrate. While they were here my dad decided he should go to the store and get ham, string beans, and hot dogs so we could make it through the weekend. After all, "there are so many things you can do with ham to feed a large family," he said. So funny. And so true.

I felt like Bubba Gump with the ham. We had ham by itself, green beans cooked with ham, vegetable soup with ham, black eyed peas with ham, ham biscuits, and ham sandwiches.

And the funny thing is, I felt like such a woman that week cooking up all that ham stuff. Sometimes I just picture my grandmothers smiling down at me from heaven while I make these Southern goodies. I put my apron on, let my kids run wild (like always), and get to cookin.

It's funny the things that make me feel like a woman. Not going shopping or wearing sexy lingerie. For me it's cookin it up for my family and bringing food to my friends.

All this cooking made me start thinking about the good cooking Nana did for our family over the years. It's almost been a year since she died and so I decided we should celebrate her life by, what else, cooking! So on Palm Sunday we're going to have a Nana Feast in Columbia at my mom's house for all Nana's kids, grands and great grands. I seriously can't think of anything more fun. Everyone is going to come and bring something that Nana made. Here's a sampling:

Fried chicken
Fried squash (aka "Papa's Favorite")
Mushroom rice
Butter beans (that's lima to you)
Green beans
Rice and gravy
(Extremely) Sweet Tea
Vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and pecans on top
Pound Cake
Trash (aka homemade chex mix)
Easter Eggs to dye and hunt (We always did this at the lake every year)
And let's don't forget the ever popular, ever present hi-ball (screwdriver) and mimosas

So take out stock in Tums. Wanna come?

People ask me how I find time to blog. I always tell them that I do it so that I'll stay sane, which is partially true. Today it is totally true. I'm having one of those days. It's 1:30 and both girls are awake from their naps already FOR THE DAY. Tori has a tooth poking through and is such a bear when that happens. She is usually a real angel, but this kid screams nonstop when she's getting a tooth. Zoe, on the other hand, just seems to choose days to scream and whine. Really it seems like every day and it's really really hard.

I am breaking one of our family rules because we try not to speak negatively about another member of the family to others. But I gotta tell ya, I'm going nuts. I don't really know what to do. I tried to take them to a friend's house today for a playdate and it's just so difficult to reign them in, keep them out of trouble and off the stairs when we're somewhere else. Then I just end up feeling more frustrated because I can't finish an entire sentence, let alone a thought, with the friend I'm visiting.

I know this is going to pass. I know it goes quickly. I just can't help but think that I would be so much more fun if I had them in some sort of daycare or mother's morning out. One that I could count on. I have a sitter or two who come occasionally, but I am usually using that time to run errands or go tot he doctor or something. Which, don't get me wrong, is better than trying to do those things with the twins.

I realize I'm committing Mommy Sins by wishing this away and I want to say that's not what I'm doing, but I guess today I am. Sorry. I know that's not good. That's just where I am.

I promise I'll write about more encouraging things next time!

A trip to the Sheriff's Office

Last Friday I had the pleasure of accompanying Maggie's class on a field trip to the Sheriff's Office in downtown Jacksonville. Despite the really really late bus arrival and eating my knees in the tiny school bus seats it was actually a really fun trip. We got to learn about K-9 Cops and their dogs, talk to the Bomb Squad, see the fancy helicopter, and pet the horses that the horsey cops ride. It was pretty cool.

The night before we left for the field trip Maggie, Ian and I were sitting at the dinner table discussing what we might do and see. All of a sudden Ian lays a bribe out there for Maggie. He said that he would take her to FIVE movies if she would stand up when the sheriff asked for questions and yell out, "Don't Tase Me, Bro!".

Seriously. This is the lunatic I married.

And the lunatic I birthed actually did it. Well, it wasn't in front of the whole class and the officer didn't exactly hear her, but she still did it. I heard her and I laughed my head off.

So Saturday he took Maggie to "Hotel for Dogs" - the first installment in the five movie bet.

What am I supposed to do with him? And with her?

Thank goodness for tiny miracles...

It's 7:45 a.m. and I JUST got out of bed. Walked out into the hall to get what I thought would be screaming twins out of bed. Instead I hear laughter. I look on the breakfast table and sippy cups and cereal are already set out for the babies. Who did all this...

Maggie.

She's in the twins' room right now reading them books and making them laugh, all so Ian and I can sleep a little longer.

Seriously, I have the best five almost six year old ever!

Feeling old

For the past few nights we've been watching a lot of TV...well, we do that pretty much every night. But this week we've been paying special attention to the commercials, of course. I gotta tell ya, I am starting to feel a little old. Like remember when your grandparents first saw a VCR and wouldn't even go NEAR it because it was too complicated? (Of course, Nana got over that quick because she wanted to learn how to tape her "stories"!). Or how your parents get that far away look in their eyes when they hear you talking about facebook or IM? Well, these are the looks I'm giving Ian every night when we watch some of these ads. And I really thought I was kinda with it. Apparantly not.

For instance, what is up with the Geico ads? I have been ready for them to move on from the caveman spots for a while now, but why did they choose to go to a stack of money with eyeballs? I just don't get that. Ian says that I'm not the target (Mr. Fancy Marketing Man telling me how it is). He's obviously right because I don't understnad a bit of that spot where the couple is in the Chinese restaurant and the woman is flirting with the Geico stack of money. Wha?

I do have to say, though, that the HULA spot with Alec Baldwin was hysterical. And I KNOW my parents didn't get a bit of it. I find that I am quickly approaching those days, though, when I stare at the newest tv spots and shows and think, "Is that supposed to be funny? I just don't get it." Maggie is going to be rolling her eyes and thinking that I'm so last week. It's coming quick, people.

What's making you feel old these days?