And the secret ingredient is......

Taking a break from the vaca related posts to share this little tidbit.

My friend Ashley Bunton (shout out!) shared a link to Sheryl Jame's new recipe blog on her blog.

It's so good I gotta share.

www.familymeals101.blogspot.com

Tonight we had the chicken stroganoff. Good stuff. Really good. So easy.

The ingredients were simple and included cream of mushroom soup.

I'm a firm believer that pretty much anything with cream of mushroom soup in it has gotta be good. I'm just waiting for the night that the Iron Chef says "and the secret ingredient is.....CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP!!"

Hot in the hot tub and you can't have to much IHOP-Disney trip report part three

Where were we?

Back on the road again. We had to stay in front of the dreaded snow.
Let me go off track for a minute....
For some reason my husband is a freak about the weather. He checks the weather channel constantly, his Internet usage is pretty much limited to checking stocks and the weather channel.com. I suppose he is blissfully unaware that there is a bigger world of porn, celeb gossip, and social networking sites out there.
A couple of weeks ago the weather was saying we were in for it. Snow and all the trimmings. Cliff sent me a text telling me I needed to go to the store to get supplies. I questioned this because:
1. We both grew up in the country. In Illinois. Not Mexico, we've seen snow before.
2. We both drive four wheel drives and unless it is deer season, have a four wheeler parked in our garage.
C. We live two blocks from a gas station.

Back on track.
So on we drove. We made it through Atlanta rush hour traffic free and continued to head south. My friend Paige had recommended a hotel in Tifton that we had made reservations at for the night. After realizing that it was too cold to enjoy the outdoor pool at said hotel we cancelled that reservation and found one that had an indoor pool.

We arrived at Tifton and Jack begging to get in the hot tub.

We finally gave in and headed down to the pool.

Harrison did not want to get in. I think it may have been due to the fact that the swim trunks I packed him were not actually swim trunks. They were shorts that I thought were swim trunks. He's only one, but I think he knew.

I think he looks like Charlie Brown in this picture.

Jack LOVES a hot tub. He talks about his friend's Cole and Ross's hot tub all the time.

He just could not wait to get in the hot tub.

Don't worry, we only let him set in it for a short amount of time.

I did not get a picture of Jack and the older lady that he shared time with in

the hot tub. He had a lot to tell her. I think she was just looking to relax and I was

fairly certain that she did not want her picture taken.

We ordered pizza and tried without success to set up the pack-n-play that had been

sent to our room for Prince Harry.

We gave up and decided he could just sleep with me.

He rolled out of the bed a few times that night.

He was fine.

(so far that parent of the year award is going to allude me again in 2010. 5 year olds in the hot tub, one year olds rolling off the bed.)

We were up and ready to go bright and early the next morning.

Cliff packed up the Tahoe in the pouring rain.

I lost one of our room keys which made wet Cliff not so happy with dry Sarah.

We decided to drive a while and stop for breakfast.

We enjoyed it so much the morning before that we stopped at IHOP

for breakfast again! I think we all had pretty much the same thing.

Cliff got a cheeseburger again.

Harrison loves IHOP.

And then we were off. Today was the day. Our official arrival day.

It was raining as we left Georgia and continued to rain into Florida.

As we got closer to the World I was worried that it literally

was going to rain on our parade.

At exactly 50 miles out (per Jed, the GPS)

the rain stopped. The sun came out.

Pixie dust....

Coming up:

Arrival and a Seinfeld reference

Twisted Sister and IHOP--Disney Trip Report Part two

We were officially on the road. Cliff had expectations that we would sleep in the car for the first few hours on the road (while he was driving). That did not happen. We were too excited to sleep!

We christened the GPS Jed (in homage to our dear departed fish) and made it past Evansville before Cliff officially was skeptical of Jed's direction giving skills.

Jack sang his own version of "We're not gonna take it" for a good thirty minutes straight. It went a little something like this:

When I'm gonna take it, when I'm gonna take it, when I'm gonna take it ANYMORE!!!!

That's it. over and over and over and over


The night before we left I told Cliff that a dream of mine could be fulfilled on this trip, you see I had never eaten at an IHOP (I know, that is ALL kinds of crazy) and had high hopes that we could right that injustice on our was to Florida.

We had plans to stop in Nashville for breakfast. The weather had predicted snow for the KY, TN area and our goal was to stay ahead of the snow. The boys and I slept for a while and we woke up ready to eat.

I started looking for places to stop and suggested maybe a Waffle House would be good enough. Jack was ALL for it. He was very intrigued by the sounds of an entire house made of waffles!

We drove through Nashville and decided to take an exit to get something to eat. What do you know, right off the exit like a beacon in the night....International House of Pancakes!!!

Cliff got a cheeseburger.

As much as I was against him getting this at the House of the pancake,

when it arrived I was a little jealous.

My strawberry and banana topped goodness.

Jack's plate.
We all shared with Harry. He loved having french fries for breakfast.


We hurried through breakfast as the snow was supposed to be starting at anytime.
I made Cliff stop outside the IHOP so I could take a picture.
It had just started to snow.

up next:

Jack gets hot in the hot tub

and we arrive at Disney

Getting there is half the fun?

Disney trip report Part one

And we're off.....

3 am is a fairly familiar time to this Mother of poor sleepers. So it really was no problem for me to get up at that time on Friday morning. I got myself ready finished packing up what I could not the night before and Cliff and I woke the boys put them in their traveling clothes and around 4:20 in the a.m. we were off. Disney here we come!

We made it all the way to the outskirts of Olney before Jack asked "are we there yet?".

Coming up: Part two, IHOP dreams fulfilled.

Disney or bust!!

Early this Friday morning the Kinkade family is leaving for the world's most magical place.

This trip is a long time coming. We had plans to go in 2008 but, I found out I was pregnant with the Prince. Not wanting to go while with child we postponed the trip to October of 2009. When things were not working out with the planning portion of the trip like I wanted (I could not get reservations at all the places I wanted to eat) once again the trip was postponed. This Friday it's finally going to happen.

We are driving. I just did not want to pay to check two cases of overnight diapers.

I do feel guilty taking a pricey, fun filled vacation while there is so much devastation in Haiti. I'm going to have to do my best to make up for it. Hopefully I can get one of those cute little babies to come and live with me. (and then take her to Walt Disney World)

We will be staying at Disney's version of New Orleans, Port Orleans French Quarter. Not a bad place to be since I have decided that I am that I am a Saints fan. Reggie Bush is on the team and my friend Traice Crain says fun stuff like GEAUX SAINTS-that's all it takes for me.

A full trip report with pictures (and plenty of them will be of food) will be on my agenda when we return.

Pat Robertson can SUCK IT!!!!!!!

As I was so concerned about my lack of sleep and my baby wetting though his diapers, not so far away in the country of Haiti mothers were worried about where their babies were going to sleep, where they would find diapers, where they would find food, drink and shelter for their children.

Once again reality slaps you in the face. I realize my problems are so small. I am so blessed. The people of Haiti need our help.

Yesterday, douchebag extraordinaire Pat Robertson had the audacity to call the devastating earthquake in Haiti a blessing in disguise. He suggested that they were cursed because they made a pact with the devil. I was going to put up a clip of him talking about the Haitian tragedy, but I don't want to give him any air time on my blog.



Here's what it says in the third chapter of the first book of John (a passage that I hope Mr. Robertson reads before he goes to bed tonight):

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.


Here's how you can donate to the earthquake victims:

text the word HAITI to 90999

by doing this you donate $10.00 to the American Red Cross, $10.00 will show up on your next cell phone bill

OR

text YELE to 501501 to donate

by doing this you donate $5.00 to Yele Haiti, Wyclef Jean's Haiti foundation

btw, Wyclef is a former member of the Fugees, a group responsible for one of my all time favorites. A remake of Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly.


As you text your donation, give this song a listen....ONE TIME, ONE TIME




From our President:
“To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken. You will not be forgotten,”
“In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you. The world stands with you.”

2010's first miracle

Unconfirmed that is. Someone from the Vatican will be here later this week to investigate.


HARRISON SLEPT ALL NIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Not sure if it was the overnight Huggies (in the next size up) that did it, or maybe he just was so tired from not sleeping the three nights before. Whatever it was, wrap it up! I'll take it!

At 4 am when I woke up and realized he was still asleep I got worried and had to go and check on him!

Keeping our fingers crossed for another sleep filled night.

Sleepless in J.C. take two

Last night was not much better.

In fact, if it is at all possible, it was a little worse.

Another three pair of pajamas night.

Last night Cliff did take pity on me and get up with Harrison around 2 am
so I could get an hour or so of uninterrupted sleep.

I took your advice and bought a case of overnight Huggies.

I'll let you know how it goes....

What I wouldn't give for......

A good night's sleep!

I realize my blog has been more than lacking in posts lately. I have a few started and just can't get them to completion. I'm working on it, but the words just won't come. Perhaps it's due to my lack of sleep.

Here's last night's schedule (and it's a fairly good representation of most school nights):

Cliff and Jack are in bed (together) by 7:30.
--yes, I know that is early. Cliff gets up around 5ish and Jack usually goes to bed whenever he does.
--Jack sleeps with us, we are not family bed people, we are lazy people that gave up on making him sleep in his own bed, Jack goes to bed with Cliff and then when I come to bed I take him to the couch because he won't sleep in his own super cool bunk beds upstairs by himself. I know it's awful. Judge away.

Harrison and I hang out until he is asleep and I put him to bed by 8ish.

Then it's my glorious alone time. Lately I spend it on the computer planning our upcoming Disney trip down to the minute. Sometimes I'll have a little cookie dough.

Harrison is up and screaming by 9:30ish, I pick him up (because from experience the night's before, he will SCREAM for over and hour) change him and his pj's because has peed through them, get him back to sleep by 10:30. Go to the bedroom, pick Jack up and carry him asleep to the couch.

Then I finally get to bed. I'm not a lay right down and go to sleep kind of gal. I like to watch an episode of the Office and then drift away to the soothing liberal sounds of Chris Matthews of MSNBC. Last night I was asleep for approx 15 minutes when Jack comes into the bedroom crying. I let him get in bed with us and try to go back to sleep (and remember I am not a go right to sleep kind of person) in a bed that is not big enough for 3 people.

Finally get to sleep. At 1ish I hear Harrison wake up. He does goes back to sleep on his own, it takes me a little while.

2:30 Harrison wakes up and I know the cry, he's not going back to sleep on his own. I get up and change his diaper and pj's cause he has peed through them again. Fall asleep in the chair with Harrison and wake up at 5 when I hear Cliff's alarm go off. Take Harrison and myself to my bed. As soon as I lay down Harrison wakes up. I get him some milk and he finally goes back to sleep. I go back to sleep eventually.

6 am Harrison has peed through his pj's again onto our bed. Change him and take him back to bed with me where we sleep (me in the wet spot) until Jack wakes us up around 7ish.

If you are keeping track that's 3 diaper and pajama changes and yes, amazingly, Cliff seems to sleep through it all.....

Kate's new do

or don't?

Girl, you work that weave!