Relax, Prudence, this isn't a post about a certain game show host's favorite euphemism for doing it.
While hunting for party supplies and goodie bag filler, I came across a Whoopie Cushion. Thinking of all the fun times I've had with Whoopie Cushions, I immediately started cackling and grabbed one for my son. The cashier smirked at me when she rang up my purchase.
I explained, "It's for my son."
"Uh-huh." She already wasn't buying my line and raised a skeptical eyebrow in my direction when she started scanning the crayons, stickers, and number 3 candle.
"No, really, it's for my little boy."
She forced an uncomfortable smile and said, "Right."
Okay, okay, so I think toots are hilarious and Whoopie Cushions are one of the most fun inventions ever. So sue me! Eh, whatever. I paid and hustled home because I had some serious pranks to pull.
I got home and excitedly shared my purchase with my husband. I told him that I thought it would be epic to hide it and get our son to sit on it. The lil' guy was righteously nicknamed King Toot when he was only a couple of weeks old and he seriously delights in making his toots.
I readied the Whoopie Cushion and hid it under a blanket on one of the two chairs that are currently in my living room. As a side note, I really freaking hate selling & buying real estate and I'm totally over this whole moving thing. Anyway, the trap was set and I just needed to get the kiddo to sit on the chair.
I asked him to come to the living room and to take a seat. He sat on my ottoman. I kept my cool and requested that he sit on the big chair. He climbed up and plopped down and
TOOOOOOOOT!
The look on his face was priceless! His jaw dropped and his eyes were wide as he looked around at us. I was laughing so hard that I nearly peed myself as I wrestled the Whoopie Cushion out from under him. He realized that it was a joke and he started laughing too.
Now he is obsessed with blowing up the Whoopie Cushion and stomping on it while yelling, "Toot!" Every so often he adds, "Oh, excuse me," after stepping on it. I think it's the best impulse purchase that I've ever made.
I'm either a shoo-in for Mother of the Year or I'm officially out of the running!
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Kid Food - Blast from the Past
I'm not trying to claim that I only ponder deep thoughts, but sometimes I find myself thinking of things that have absolutely zero impact on anything. This morning was one of those times. What lametastic thoughts went through my head? I was remembering food that I liked as a kid. If you're in my age bracket, perhaps you have fond memories of these foods too!
Rectangle shaped pizza from Little Ceasars - I can't be the only one who remembers when you'd get two rectangle-shaped pizzas in a ridiculously long cardboard box bottom with the entire thing covered by paper, can I? My father does not eat cheese and, as a result, this was my first experience with pizza that wasn't in the lunchroom at school. Speaking of such things. . .
French bread pizza - Who thought it would be a good idea to take a really thick piece of bread and pretend that it's an adequate pizza crust? I don't know and I think it's awful as an adult, but I always begged my parents for lunch money on pizza day and this was always the pizza on the menu at the cafeteria. I don't know if it's still a hit with kids, but I found a frozen one and tried it to see if I was missing something. I wasn't.
English muffin pizzas - My mother usually bought brown bread (I think it was white bread with brown food coloring added) and that was it, but every now & then English muffins would end up in the house. I loved topping them with everything from butter, peanut butter, honey, jelly, and most of all, pizza toppings. My mom had a toaster oven on the counter and it was the perfect size to make a little English muffin pizza. Kid cuisine at it's easiest!
Canned chocolate pudding - Yes, canned! This was long before the plastic pudding snack cups showed up on the market and it was a perfect single serving of rich & delicious pudding. I know it sounds horrible and I'll admit that it did have a slightly metallic taste, but this stuff was soooo good! I don't recall exactly who made it, but I want to say it was Hunts or Del Monte. I used to jam home after school, grab a tin of pudding, turn on the animated version of Dennis the Menace (followed by Heathcliff!) and chill out for an hour.
Canned macaroni & cheese - Yes, canned! I want to say that Franco-American or Chef Boyardee provided this impossibly cheesy lunch favorite. The cheese sauce was incredible (to my not-all-that-particular tastebuds), but the pasta is what made it so darn good. It was mushy & weird like all canned pastas and it was perfect with the creamy-cheesy sauce. It was in a blue-colored can and I've looked for it for years to see if it was really all that good or if nostalgia was swaying my memory.
Canned spaghetti - Are you seeing a theme here? I swear that my mother did not raise me on canned foods (except vegetables, it was all about the canned vegetables - BLECH!), but she did buy them for weekend lunches so I've definitely had my fair share of preservatives. This stuff from Franco-American looked like wormy brains, but it was really tasty with a sprinkle of garlic powder. Yes, I added it to canned goods as a kid too.
Canned asparagus / canned spinach - Do they even still make this stuff? Having enjoyed the deliciousness that are both of these vegetables freshly prepared, I can confidently say that I will never eat the limp and stinky (just what someone looks for in food, right?) canned versions ever again.
Ice-Cream Cones cereal - It was a cereal shaped like, well, ice-cream cones. The jingle has stuck in my head for YEARS though I'm pretty sure it went off the market when I was still in elementary school. "My name's Ice-Cream Jones. I'm bringing the kids my ice-cream cones!" My mother never, ever bought this cereal, so I can only dream how it might have tasted. What cereal did I get? Bags of puffed wheat, puffed rice, and other horrors. I'm not being dramatic. Seriously, did you even know that cereal comes just in bags? No box, just a sack o' cereal. Anyway, it was all horrible, but the puffed wheat turned into something that can only be described as Elmer's glue when it came in contact with milk. :::shudder:::
Tribbles - You know, I'm not positive on the spelling of these. My Star Trek dorkiness might be why I think they were called Tribbles so they might actually be called Trebles? It was a bag (like M & M size) of little cookies (again, about the size of an M & M). I had these one glorious Summer and they disappeared off the shelf and out of my life.
Astro-Pops - My all-time favorite lollipop! These things seemed like they lasted all day long and they were kinda shaped like a rocket. I'm embarrassed to admit that the Astros were my favorite baseball team for a long period of time because my under-6 aged brain thought they had something to do with my favorite lolly. How much did I love these suckers? I can vividly recall crying because I dropped one in the sand at the beach when I was around four.
Vienna sausages - I know these still exist, but I feel the need to admit the shameful truth: I freaking loved these disgusting wieners. The smell would probably make me gag now and sticking my fingers in the weird jelly that they are packed in definitely would, but OMG I LOVED these things. How much did I love them? I'd eat them straight from the can. No need to class up these babies!
Have you ever eaten any of this stuff? If so, did you like it? What crazy food did you eat as a kid?
Rectangle shaped pizza from Little Ceasars - I can't be the only one who remembers when you'd get two rectangle-shaped pizzas in a ridiculously long cardboard box bottom with the entire thing covered by paper, can I? My father does not eat cheese and, as a result, this was my first experience with pizza that wasn't in the lunchroom at school. Speaking of such things. . .
French bread pizza - Who thought it would be a good idea to take a really thick piece of bread and pretend that it's an adequate pizza crust? I don't know and I think it's awful as an adult, but I always begged my parents for lunch money on pizza day and this was always the pizza on the menu at the cafeteria. I don't know if it's still a hit with kids, but I found a frozen one and tried it to see if I was missing something. I wasn't.
English muffin pizzas - My mother usually bought brown bread (I think it was white bread with brown food coloring added) and that was it, but every now & then English muffins would end up in the house. I loved topping them with everything from butter, peanut butter, honey, jelly, and most of all, pizza toppings. My mom had a toaster oven on the counter and it was the perfect size to make a little English muffin pizza. Kid cuisine at it's easiest!
Canned chocolate pudding - Yes, canned! This was long before the plastic pudding snack cups showed up on the market and it was a perfect single serving of rich & delicious pudding. I know it sounds horrible and I'll admit that it did have a slightly metallic taste, but this stuff was soooo good! I don't recall exactly who made it, but I want to say it was Hunts or Del Monte. I used to jam home after school, grab a tin of pudding, turn on the animated version of Dennis the Menace (followed by Heathcliff!) and chill out for an hour.
Canned macaroni & cheese - Yes, canned! I want to say that Franco-American or Chef Boyardee provided this impossibly cheesy lunch favorite. The cheese sauce was incredible (to my not-all-that-particular tastebuds), but the pasta is what made it so darn good. It was mushy & weird like all canned pastas and it was perfect with the creamy-cheesy sauce. It was in a blue-colored can and I've looked for it for years to see if it was really all that good or if nostalgia was swaying my memory.
Canned spaghetti - Are you seeing a theme here? I swear that my mother did not raise me on canned foods (except vegetables, it was all about the canned vegetables - BLECH!), but she did buy them for weekend lunches so I've definitely had my fair share of preservatives. This stuff from Franco-American looked like wormy brains, but it was really tasty with a sprinkle of garlic powder. Yes, I added it to canned goods as a kid too.
Canned asparagus / canned spinach - Do they even still make this stuff? Having enjoyed the deliciousness that are both of these vegetables freshly prepared, I can confidently say that I will never eat the limp and stinky (just what someone looks for in food, right?) canned versions ever again.
Ice-Cream Cones cereal - It was a cereal shaped like, well, ice-cream cones. The jingle has stuck in my head for YEARS though I'm pretty sure it went off the market when I was still in elementary school. "My name's Ice-Cream Jones. I'm bringing the kids my ice-cream cones!" My mother never, ever bought this cereal, so I can only dream how it might have tasted. What cereal did I get? Bags of puffed wheat, puffed rice, and other horrors. I'm not being dramatic. Seriously, did you even know that cereal comes just in bags? No box, just a sack o' cereal. Anyway, it was all horrible, but the puffed wheat turned into something that can only be described as Elmer's glue when it came in contact with milk. :::shudder:::
Tribbles - You know, I'm not positive on the spelling of these. My Star Trek dorkiness might be why I think they were called Tribbles so they might actually be called Trebles? It was a bag (like M & M size) of little cookies (again, about the size of an M & M). I had these one glorious Summer and they disappeared off the shelf and out of my life.
Astro-Pops - My all-time favorite lollipop! These things seemed like they lasted all day long and they were kinda shaped like a rocket. I'm embarrassed to admit that the Astros were my favorite baseball team for a long period of time because my under-6 aged brain thought they had something to do with my favorite lolly. How much did I love these suckers? I can vividly recall crying because I dropped one in the sand at the beach when I was around four.
Vienna sausages - I know these still exist, but I feel the need to admit the shameful truth: I freaking loved these disgusting wieners. The smell would probably make me gag now and sticking my fingers in the weird jelly that they are packed in definitely would, but OMG I LOVED these things. How much did I love them? I'd eat them straight from the can. No need to class up these babies!
Have you ever eaten any of this stuff? If so, did you like it? What crazy food did you eat as a kid?
Friday, May 27, 2011
It's Time for the Strawberry Festival
Fun * Rides * Games * Vendors * and lots & lots of
Strawberry Tastiness!
Strawberry Tastiness!
In Southern California and looking for something fun to do this weekend? Come on out to the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival! The festival runs each day of this weekend, from today until Monday. You can find all the fun at the Village Green, between Euclid and Main in Downtown Garden Grove.
I have a long history with the Festival. As a youngster, I volunteered in booths for two different charities. I think sometime around 1985 or so would have been the first time I was in a booth there. After being absent for several years, I have been a helper for the Festival itself for the last eight years.
By far, the most challenging part of volunteering has been working traffic for the parade and helping out at the VIP breakfast Saturday morning. What am I doing this year? Take a wild guess. . .I am desperately hoping that I'm not stricken with the same morning sickness that I get every day that I have things to do and places to go. I'll let you know how that hoping works out for me.
I hope to see you there!
PS I'll be easy to recognize because I'll have my 3-year old attached to my back or my hip. ;)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
General George S. Patton Museum at Chiriaco Summit
I don't visit museums often. It isn't that I dislike them, I like a few very much, it's just that I don't usually think of visiting one if I have free time. I had free time today and my hubby was uncharacteristically home on a Saturday (again - yay!) so the family took a day trip to visit the General George S. Patton Museum at Chiriaco Summit.
I realize that WWII happened a long time ago and most people in my generation probably don't know diddly squat about General Patton, but he was a fantastically fascinating and ballsy character in American history. He was direct and had little tolerance for fear and cowardice. He may have pushed his men and held them to high standards, but they appear to have respected him for it.
If you can't bring yourself to read any of his writings or anything written about him, at least take a few hours to watch the 1970 film Patton. Understand, however, that the film is partially based on Omar Bradley's biography and the Patton family refused to help flesh out the title character for the filmmakers.
Over a year ago, I actually suggested the name Patton to my husband should we have another boy child. Of course, now our next child is already named. . .and God didn't give this child the name Patton.
The museum is located near the former entrance of Camp Young, Patton's headquarters for the Desert Training Center. It's a small museum, but there are a lot of display cases exhibiting everything from uniforms, mess kits, rations, sabers, knives, firearms, shells & casings, and many more items. The highlight, I think, is found outside: TANKS. Lots and lots of tanks. Even my little one liked the tanks.
The museum also has "The Big Map." Yes, that's the name and, yes, it is. It is an impossibly large relief map of the entire area. Let me say that the Desert Training Center was HUGE. How huge was it? It stretched from Pomona nearly to Phoenix and from Yuma to the tip of Nevada. Why was it so ginormous? Because twenty divisions utilized the DTC to conduct war maneuvers and 1,000,000 soldiers were training there to prepare to fight in the North African theater.
I don't know that I'd recommend such a long drive for such a small venue for most people. Unless you're a WWII buff or a Patton fan, don't go too far out of your way. But if you're on Interstate 10, somewhere between Palm Springs and Indio, do stop by for a quick visit.
PS Based on how lousy I've felt lately, I'm thankful that I didn't lose my guts at the museum for Old Blood & Guts.
I realize that WWII happened a long time ago and most people in my generation probably don't know diddly squat about General Patton, but he was a fantastically fascinating and ballsy character in American history. He was direct and had little tolerance for fear and cowardice. He may have pushed his men and held them to high standards, but they appear to have respected him for it.
If you can't bring yourself to read any of his writings or anything written about him, at least take a few hours to watch the 1970 film Patton. Understand, however, that the film is partially based on Omar Bradley's biography and the Patton family refused to help flesh out the title character for the filmmakers.
Over a year ago, I actually suggested the name Patton to my husband should we have another boy child. Of course, now our next child is already named. . .and God didn't give this child the name Patton.
The museum is located near the former entrance of Camp Young, Patton's headquarters for the Desert Training Center. It's a small museum, but there are a lot of display cases exhibiting everything from uniforms, mess kits, rations, sabers, knives, firearms, shells & casings, and many more items. The highlight, I think, is found outside: TANKS. Lots and lots of tanks. Even my little one liked the tanks.
The museum also has "The Big Map." Yes, that's the name and, yes, it is. It is an impossibly large relief map of the entire area. Let me say that the Desert Training Center was HUGE. How huge was it? It stretched from Pomona nearly to Phoenix and from Yuma to the tip of Nevada. Why was it so ginormous? Because twenty divisions utilized the DTC to conduct war maneuvers and 1,000,000 soldiers were training there to prepare to fight in the North African theater.
I don't know that I'd recommend such a long drive for such a small venue for most people. Unless you're a WWII buff or a Patton fan, don't go too far out of your way. But if you're on Interstate 10, somewhere between Palm Springs and Indio, do stop by for a quick visit.
PS Based on how lousy I've felt lately, I'm thankful that I didn't lose my guts at the museum for Old Blood & Guts.
Friday, October 22, 2010
It's Ladies Night!
Yeah, yeah, so I have an affinity for Kool & the Gang, but it is most certainly Ladies Night tonight!
For only the second time since my son has been born, maybe since I've been dating my husband (that would be over seven years for those of you keeping score at home!), I'm kicking it with some chicks tonight. My NM 08 friends are having a hen party, no children and no spouses, and we are gettin' our drink on! I was supposed to make my super-tasty stuffed mushrooms, but since I didn't go to the store and I do have seven ripe avocados on my kitchen counter, I'm bringing my super-awesome (and lazy!) guacamole. Of course, no cocktail party would be a cocktail party without the cocktails so yours truly is also bringing a big bottle of some cheap-ass vodka. . .Smirnoff to be exact. Martinis and munchies? Oh, yes, I am in!
Super-Awesome (and lazy!) Guacamole
Ripe avocado
Minced onion (or onion powder)
Granulated garlic
Salt & Pepper
Diced tomato
Toss avocado flesh in a bowl, discarding skins and pits. Roughly chop or mash avocado flesh. Add everything except tomato and continue to mash avocado with back of a fork. Add in diced tomato and lightly blend together with fork.
You might notice that my guacamole recipe does not call for ingredients to stretch the avocado goodness. Let me be absolutely clear on this: Guacamole DOES NOT contain mayo or sour cream or any other ingredients to stretch the avocado. If you only have one avocado, then you only get a small amount of guacamole!
For only the second time since my son has been born, maybe since I've been dating my husband (that would be over seven years for those of you keeping score at home!), I'm kicking it with some chicks tonight. My NM 08 friends are having a hen party, no children and no spouses, and we are gettin' our drink on! I was supposed to make my super-tasty stuffed mushrooms, but since I didn't go to the store and I do have seven ripe avocados on my kitchen counter, I'm bringing my super-awesome (and lazy!) guacamole. Of course, no cocktail party would be a cocktail party without the cocktails so yours truly is also bringing a big bottle of some cheap-ass vodka. . .Smirnoff to be exact. Martinis and munchies? Oh, yes, I am in!
* * *
Super-Awesome (and lazy!) Guacamole
Ripe avocado
Minced onion (or onion powder)
Granulated garlic
Salt & Pepper
Diced tomato
Toss avocado flesh in a bowl, discarding skins and pits. Roughly chop or mash avocado flesh. Add everything except tomato and continue to mash avocado with back of a fork. Add in diced tomato and lightly blend together with fork.
You might notice that my guacamole recipe does not call for ingredients to stretch the avocado goodness. Let me be absolutely clear on this: Guacamole DOES NOT contain mayo or sour cream or any other ingredients to stretch the avocado. If you only have one avocado, then you only get a small amount of guacamole!
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