Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Weekend Gallery 4 – Fridge Art

September 12, 2010

I thought for today’s Weekend Gallery I’d show some of the kids’ art work from this past week – enjoy!

Here's the latest from the four youngest

Here's a picture Katie drew of Becky as a mermaid. I drew the top on :-).

And here is Princess Cotton ball and her Whimzy friends as drawn by Maggie.

Becky drew this picture of Whimzy Goldy with X eyes. Not sure what she died of - Becky won't say.

Here's Joe's picture of Emrel from Sonic X - not Emeril Lagasse :-).

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Friday Fluff or Chocolate Part 2

September 10, 2010

Okay, since it is Friday, and this follows my chocolate post, I thought it would be nice to combine the two for my Friday Fluff post. So, today we’re going to talk CHOCOLATE!

The question for today is: What is your favorite kind/brand/flavor/whatever of chocolate? And here’s my picks:

1. Lindt – This is good, creamy, milky, silky chocolate and I love their truffles! The fillings range from hazelnut to mint even to chocolate and they are just very indulgent.

2. Ghiradelli – Again a very good quality chocolate and they are fairly similar to Lindt in their offerings.

3. Ritter Sport bars – I really love these! They are really large chunky bars and my personal favorite is the whole hazelnut milk bar – very, very good! Aldi has a package of Ritter mini’s which is a variety of their flavors – nice if you want to try the different kinds they have.

4. Aldi Choceur chocolate – No kidding, people, their chocolate is imported and really, really good.

5. Dove Chocolate – This is probably the first chocolate that I really fell in love with after the Lindt candies. Again, the milk is very creamy and soothing to the soul.

6. In the realm of cheaper chocolate – Reese’s peanut butter cups, Hershey bars with Almonds, Butterfingers, and Heath bars are among my favorites. I have to say though, they are almost too sweet for my taste buds these days, and I’d rather have the higher quality dark chocolate because I think you get more bang for your flavor buck and not just sugar.

7. And let’s not forget that chocolate bar my sister in law sent – I really want to go to that shop!

So, those are my favorites – what are yours?

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Chocolate

Chocolate is the one single food I love above all others. The taste is soooo good and the feeling from enjoying a fantastic piece of chocolate is wonderful. I have not always loved chocolate as much as I do now and it did become an addiction for me during a really dark time of my life. It became a best friend in a way. I remember when that first started too.

There was a day when I was really frustrated with someone and could not get them to understand me, and I just suddenly dove into a chocolate cake on the counter just stuffing and stuffing and stuffing trying to make myself feel better. I remember thinking, “What on earth are you doing??”, and stopping and wondering what was going on. It was a while before I did anything like that again, yet the seeds were sown.

Not too many years after, I started my coffee and chocolate habit at the bookstore, and those Lindt candies really started fueling that need inside me for something I did not have and could not seem to find. As the years went on and the darkness closed in, I found myself having to buy a candy bar or piece of chocolate every time I went to the store – I had to have it. Thinking about giving it up made me sad because it was becoming to me like a friend would be – I could eat that candy bar and it would soothe me, or fill up temporarily the sadness that invaded my life.

When What Not To Wear became my weekly habit, having a chocolate dessert to have while I watched also became a habit. Again, it was a special treat for me and a special time of my own to do something just for myself. Between the show and the chocolate, I started thriving a little again.

Then, as I started healing from my dark journey (another post altogether and not sure if I will talk about it much here), I started to not reach for the chocolate much anymore. I could walk past the candy at the checkout and not pick something up. I remember that for a short time I had to make a conscious decision not tobuy it – it made me sad sometimes, but I did it. I also tried to give it up for Lent once, but gave up on that because it was the only thing I had at that time that filled me. It took time to let go of it. A long time.

Last year, my sister-in-law sent me a chocolate bar from a place that makes them at their store. I cried when I got that package and saw what was in it. To have someone send a gift that is meaningful and an expression of friendship meant so very much to me. It came around the time of the anniversary of my breakdown and I needed it. I savored it for several days – the chocolate and the good feeling of being cared about.

Then, this spring, I had my epiphany. I was eating a chocolate bar and as I was stuffing it in, I was aware of my thoughts with every bite I took! It really dawned on me that I WAS using chocolate as a drug of sorts to numb my feelings! Since that day I feel the addiction and the power it had over me is gone. I can now enjoy chcocolate for what it is and not what it does for me and not to numb my pain or to treat it other than what it is. And it is a delicious, delicious food!!

Is the addiction gone for good? Oh, probably not, as I know I still crave it once a month :-), and sometimes after a really bad day. But, overall, yes I think I’ve made my peace with it and the healing from Another Source has taken it’s place.

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Coffee!

September 7, 2010

As anyone who knows me can tell you, coffee is one of the things I love! I always have loved the aroma of coffee, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to really start enjoying it when I was older. When we lived overseas, there was a coffee shop that roasted their own beans and the smell was so inviting – I loved walking past. I didn’t really start drinking coffee until I was out on my own and even then I think it wasn’t until after I had kids that I started drinking it on a regular basis (a coincidence no?). Actually, it really isn’t the buzz I like but the taste. So let’s go back to those days…

I remember a cool early summer morning sitting on the couch with my Victoria magazine, a breeze coming through the window, in my pretty pink shorts and top, drinking an Irish Mocha Mint. Now, that flavor was one of the original General Foods International Coffees (they don’t make it anymore) and my mom was the one who got me hooked on it. I also liked the mocha flavor they had. They tasted so very good and it was a special mommy moment – something just for me. I started drinking those more often when I needed a lift.

Fast forward several years later, after I stopped drinking the GFIC because they changed the recipe, and I was introduced to my first real cappuccino. I was at a local mall that had a coffee shop where you could buy coffee beans (ground and whole), but they also sold coffee drinks. So, I bought a cappuccino. That coffee tasted just liked it smelled – intoxicating! I enjoyed every last drop and was hooked after that!

For Christmas one year my husband bought me one of those mini espresso/cappuccino makers. Matt, my oldest, loved to make me coffee drinks with that machine! I have to say, it was very nice having my own personal barista and he did a very good job. I would wish we had a coffee place in town so that he could get a job there – I think he would have liked it.

Then, I started getting mochas at a bookstore after Mass on Sundays – that was when I really started to want them in more of an addictive way. Then, I not only would get my coffee, but also 3 of those Lindt truffle candies – mmmmm. Unfortunately, this was not the best habit to get into. However, it was very comforting – the coffee and chocolate – and was the one treat I could really afford to give myself.

I soon found Starbucks and would go there on my road trips. Getting my coffee and chocolate (or sometimes a scone) was the last thing I would do and the drive home was just so relaxing.

Now I own a little Keurig mini and can make coffee on demand basically. I like Keurig because they have the most flavors of decaf – yes, I had to go to decaf. Even then, just last year I was up to two cups a day and on the rare occasion, when I absolutely HAD to have a coffee, three. The unfortunate thing is, I have found that coffee, cortisol, stress and me do not get along. I have given up coffee only to find me dropping a few pounds – so there is a distinct connection. While I’m not ready to totally give up my coffee, I am cutting back . Maybe after I drop XX pounds I can drink more again :-). I will keep my once a week date with Starbucks though – it’s a treat for me.

Anyway – there it is a mini nutshell of my love affair with coffee. If your a coffee lover like me – share your thoughts!

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Weekend Gallery 3 – Dolls and a Tea Party

I have 3 daughters which means 3 of every kind of doll – see if you can see all the 3 of a kinds in this picture.

We had a tea party today using the lovely tea set my mother gave to my daughters. The cookies I bought at Aldi – they are starting to get their holiday goodies in!!

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My Favorites Or Addictions?

September 6, 2010

I was talking with Matt today about my favorite things and he knew what they were and added one that I hadn’t thought of:

1. Coffee
2. Chocolate
3. Books
4. Music

I could also add these:
5. Cosmetics
6. Fashion

But I’m not as into those last two as I used to be. Each fill my life in a different way and have been almost central to my life in certain times as well. Chocolate is the one thing I can honestly say has been addictive, but even books can be that way sometimes. So, I’m going to talk about each one of these later this week and the parts they have played in my life. Of course I’ll start with coffee :-).

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I’m Baaaaccckkk!

I’m back from my hiatus because of my cold, but I’m back and feeling better now. So, I’ll be putting some new posts up tonight and also this week. I’ve also added a comment or two, so check those out as well. I’m off to take care of things around the house and I’ll be back to chat!

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Oh Crap – I’m sick!

September 2, 2010

There was a commercial a few years ago for Cold-eeze cough drops that said, “It says in the Secret Mommy Handbook that mom’s can not get sick”. Well….my body doesn’t know about that Secret Mommy Handbook. I’ve got a lovely little cold and while it is getting better, I’m still not 100% (like I’ll ever be – haha!). So, please bear with me as it will take a little longer to respond to emails and post here too. Thanks…ah…ah….AH….AHCHOO!! *sniff*

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