spooky noodle dinner {a little late, but fun}

I made this spooky little dinner for my kids on Halloween.  It was a big hit among the little ones and adults too.  I think it would be a great dinner any night. 

 I heard this recipe on XM radio one day when I was flipping through...I don't have a source.

Ingredients:

1 pack of hot dogs

1 box of spaghetti noodles 

(I used whole wheat noodles--with the hot dogs and sauce they didn't know any different)

1 jar of marinara sauce

Cut the hot dogs in to small circles.  Take uncooked spaghetti noodles and poke them into the hot dog slices.  Boil the noodles (with hot dogs attached) per package instructions.

Serve spooky noodles with marinara sauce.

Enjoy!

halloween

The pumpkins were carved according to their owners' specifications... 

The table was set with a frightening skull centerpiece...

Spooky noodles were made and cooked...

{recipe to come}

The sun slipped below the horizon as costumes were put on excited little people...

 

And the trick-or-treating began...

and lasted far longer into the night than anyone would have predicted.

Now...what to do with all the candy?

Madeline...

These little Madelines are eager to travel the streets of Paris tonight with their little loot bags in tow.

Happy Halloween!

magic

cocktail hour?

You know, the hour that marks the beginning of break-downs, exhaustion, a long day and tired kids.  My pediatrician refers to it as "cocktail hour"--- the hour at 5 o'clock when the adults desperately need a cocktail to get through the evening with tired kids. 

This little one has found her cocktail hour just after dinnertime.  We rock, bounce, walk, etc. to calm her down.  Lately, we have moved to the patio.  There is something soothing about the end of the day when the breeze kicks up and the warm light of the sun fading that calms her.  With a blanket in hand and the breeze blowing through her hair, she is content.  This has become our spot when cocktail hour arrives--just under the fern and and next to us, out on the patio.  We don't dare move until she is peacefully sleeping .  Now, if only this technique worked with our older children...

rainbows

This little beauty met me on my way out of the house a few weeks ago.

I was out for a walk before the sun went down and was awe-struck by the beauty of this rainbow.  I don't know how long it had been since I'd seen a rainbow {or noticed one}.

It was refreshing in every sense and reminded me of the carefree days of my childhood.  Yes, I was one of those kids that rode their bike looking for the end of the rainbow.  I was ever-hopeful I could find the pot of gold and maybe a lucky leprauchan too!

motherhood: "what are you doing today?"

via

Lately, when I am at Starbucks the barista or cashier always asks me, "what are you doing today?" It must be a company wide initiative to relate to their customers or some guy on his 5th cup of Jo with so much energy that he can't stop jittering or talking. Nevertheless, they always seem quite genuine and it is nice. When the question is asked, I pause and think, "what am I doing today?" A helpless disorganized mess forms like a cloud of fog in my head as I rapidly search for an answer.

Now that I have 3 kids with distinctly different schedules, I seem to be the chauffeur of the house. So I respond with, "I am driving kids around. You know, I am the momma chauffeur." The young guy behind the counter who is probably knee-deep in college and himself gives a carefree laugh. I laugh too as I realize that he has no idea what I am talking about.

Before kids, I all-knowingly laughed at mothers that spent their days driving kids around. I thought ladies that did that were just unorganized or had too many kids. Why would anyone want to do that with their time? Well, now that i have quickly slipped down that same path this Fall, I must say that a day of driving kids here and there is quite rewarding.  Knowing that I am responsible for getting them to school on time, getting them to the doctor when they are sick and the ever-important, getting them picked up on time creates a funny sort-of satisfying feeling. It is a deeply satisfying feeling that I can't entirely explain.

Yes, a big part of the worker in me wishes I had something really important to share with the barista. Something like, "I'm off to catch a flight." or "I have an important deadline to meet." but I guess being responsible for 3 little ones is pretty important too.

And with that, I'm off in the mini to begin my afternoon rounds!

(Yes, I also vowed I would never drive one of those but somehow that changed too!)