Yep, I'm "that" mom

Here's the deal you group of Mommies in perfectly pressed khaki's, full make up and snobby accents. You with your children in fancy clothes that you keep trying to adjust and make sure remain clean. You with your matching fancy coffee's and your perfectly formed circle that's close enough to the playground should little Hannah need you but not close enough that you may get dirty. I am not a bump on a log. I do not care if I look silly. I am able to laugh at myself. I love to make people laugh, even at my own expense, especially my children. I try not to take myself too seriously.

So when I am at the playground I play with my kids. I play tag and race around and pretend to be the monster or the dragon or whatever the hell my kids want me to be. And you know what? They love it. You know what else? YOUR kids love it. That's why they come over and ask if they can play with us and then end up crying when we leave. You may want to try it sometime, actually playing with your kids. It's kind of awesome. Of course you and your children may have to get a little dirty. You'll probably have to wear different shoes, too.

Once you've mastered playing with your children at parks you can move on to more crazy stuff. I suggest shopping cart races down small hills in big box parking lots, while half of the onlookers look at you like you should be in jail and the other half looks at you like they wish they could try it. Or beat boxing at the grocery store while your kids play the Quaker Oatmeal drums. Or perhaps you could let Dad in on the fun and ambush him with silly string when he gets out of the car after work. This is especially fun because he will be unarmed. However, I will let you know that silly string on a 90 degree day has a certain suck factor in the clean up department.

If none of these things interest you, playground Mommy, just go ahead and stay in your circle with your fancy coffee and snobbery. But be advised, when I say "heads up!" I'm only giving you half a second to get out of the way of the Frisbee, and if it hits you in the head I will totally laugh.

Lentils!

While living in CO I purchased a cookbook which was to become one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, Southern Living Slow Cooker Recipes. In that cookbook was a recipe that normally I would have just flipped right past but for some reason caught my eye. The recipe was Spanish Style Lentils and Rice, and that recipe started my infatuation with lentils. Yeah, I know you're sitting there going, "Lentils? Seriously?" But hang on a second. They're cheap, they're good for you, and most importantly my family loves them.

So, here you go, my family's favorite lentil recipes. Try one and you may be surprised.

Spanish Style Lentils and Rice

*This is great used in place of taco meat.

1 c dried lentils

1 c uncooked brown rice

1 onion chopped

1 green pepper chopped

2 cans chicken broth

1 can ro-tel

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Soak lentils for 8 hours, drain and rinse. You really do have to check them thoroughly, they are a product that isn't messed with in any way. Occasionally you may find a rock.

Add rice and next 8 ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours or until tender. Stir in cheese and serve immediately.

*I find that my "new" crock pot cooks too high, even on low. Watch the time on this, it will be done faster than 4 hours if you use a "new" crock pot.

Herbed Lentils and Rice

Recipe found here... http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Herbed-Lentils-and-Rice/Detail.aspx

I have made many variations of this recipe, added chicken, added ground bison, changed the swiss cheese for cheddar. Very good served with chicken, pork, or fish. Also good reheated. This is a staple in our house.

Dal Makhani

Recipe found here... http://steamykitchen.com/10989-indian-dal-nirvana.html

My kids go nuts for this! We eat this with a green salad and steamed rice, clean plates all around. Easy to prepare and cheap!

Christmas is coming, time to buy useless toys

When you have children born in the few months leading up to Christmas you have the special treat of buying birthday gifts just as the Christmas toys are being put on the shelf.

Let's take a look at some of the wonderful toys introduced for the 2010 Christmas season shall we?

1. Sing-a-ma-jigs. The mouth is unnerving. My kids would probably love these. They will not be under the tree.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-R4761-The-Sing-A-Ma-Jigs-Teal/dp/B00388L7VC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1284572594&sr=1-1

2. Squinkies. The ladies told me these are not cool and they don't want them. I'm going to try to get that in writing.

http://www.amazon.com/Blip-Toys-37004-Squinkies-Playhouse/dp/B003LQVTUK/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1284573271&sr=1-24

3. Zoobles. I like the colors, they're cute, and cheap at least. I guess LPS was getting old.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoobles-20029955-Undersea-Play-Set/dp/B0038OMQ48/ref=pd_sbs_t_3

4. Video Barbie Girl. You have to see a picture of her straight on. She should be called Tracheotomy Barbie.

http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-R4093-Barbie-Video-Girl/dp/B0037UR206/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1284573574&sr=1-16

5. Whimzy Platinum Pony Carousel Playset. So all of your little animals can ride on a bigger animal.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4109574

6. Polly Pocket Cutants. Mix an animal with an inanimate object and there you go.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4382813

7. Lalaloopsy Doll. Proof that a good gimmick and a cute toy is really all you need.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4102322

8. Baby Alive. Is it me or do you cringe while walking past them when they all start moving and making noise?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4102267

9. Kung Zhu. Because boys need to have their own cool Zhu's

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4033531

10. No explanation needed.

http://www.reborn-baby.com/berenguer-anya-doll.html