The Dental Appointment

by Fiddledeedee on January 27, 2012

I picked up the phone the other day.  The voice at the other end was reminding me about Jensen’s dental appointment for his bi-annual cleaning.  “We look forward to seeing Jensen on Thursday.”  ”Yeah, you say that now.” Crickets.  “Um, did I just say that out loud?”

I never know how appointments like these are going to go. Especially when two really helpful older sisters delight in putting the fear of God into a certain 6 year old brother regarding dental and doctor visits.  I HOPE YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A SHOT. JUST DON’T EVEN LOOK AT THE NEEDLE.  HEY, YOU MIGHT GET TO SEE THE DRILL!

It’s a gift.  And the reason that I owe my dad that weekly apologetic call for all the chaos that I instilled as an older sister myself.

On the morning of the official dental visit, Fiddledaddy offered to take young Jensen.  I was pushing them out of the door before he changed his mind. Cailey offered to attend as well.  “I want to keep him company.”

Sure pal.  I’m guessing that she was hoping for a front row seat to a very public meltdown.

The appointment was scheduled for 9:30 am.  Fiddledaddy is nothing if not punctual, so he left the house by 9 am.  The drive should only take about 15 minutes.

Imagine my surprise when I received a call from the dentist’s office at 10:00 informing me that Jensen had missed his scheduled appointment.  What? They should have been there 45 minutes ago. There’s no way you could miss him, he’s a memorable kid.  Rarely ever entering a building quietly.  Could you go check to be sure he’s not here?

Insert Muzak while I wait on hold.

“No, I checked and they’re not here.”

My heart stopped.  And then I remembered that Fiddledaddy had TWO of my offspring with him.  I told the office I would get back to them, hung up, ordered Emme to get dressed, and then tried to call Fiddledaddy on his cell.  No answer.

My mind goes to the dark place and I envision them all in an overturned car, likely having amnesia and that’s why no one called me.  Or  the worse scenario that I don’t even need to describe.  I begin to throw on shoes and grab my purse, trying to imagine exactly the route which Fiddledaddy would have taken.  Which would not be the one I take in order to avoid unprotected left turns.

Just then the phone rings.  “They are here!  As soon as they arrived, they were whisked away by the dental assistant, not having time to check in with the front desk. Our apologies.”  Evidently the dental assistant broke with protocol.

Seriously.  It’s a small dental office.  I could spit from one end to the other.  How could you possibly miss Jensen?  I’m guessing that he was unable to speak in ALL CAPS as he is wont to do since there were instruments in his mouth.  Likely the most quiet he’s been in his entire life.

Interestingly, Cailey was in the waiting room the whole time, and overheard them calling her mother and talking about her brother not being there, and still she sat quietly…She admitted later that she wondered about what transpired, but kept silent.

Cailey.  The resident narc.  Always willing to stick her nose into everyone else’s beeswax, sat silently by while her mother had a coronary.

Two instances wherein the usually noisiest children in the house could have actually been a help.  Silence.

On the bright side.  There were no cavities.  (Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”)

I should report that I’ve developed a new twitch which I’m sure all around me will find distracting. Please just step over me.

Have a wonderful and stress free weekend!

{ 4 comments }

Dinner planning, as easy as E-Mealz (plus a giveaway)

by Fiddledeedee on January 26, 2012

As you may know, I’ve been a fan of E-Mealz for the last few years, and have partnered with them as an affiliate.  I wanted to let you know about something new that they are offering, and give you an opportunity to enter to win a 3 month free membership.

E-Mealz is a menu planning website that takes the guesswork out of planning your families weekly meals.  You chose the plan that you want from a choice of 28 E-Mealz dinner menu plans.  For example, you might chose a Regular Family Menu from stores such as Publix, Wal-Mart, or Aldi.  Or if you want a more specialized diet, you might select a Low Carb or Low Fat option.  What I’m most excited about is that since I’ve been using E-Mealz, they’ve added other more specialized options such as Gluten Free, Vegetarian, and even Natural & Organic!

The menu plan that I’ve used most successfully has been the Family Menu/Low Carb using the “any store” selection.  This works well for me since I split the majority of my grocery shopping between Publix and Wal-Mart.  (And a great way to decide is to see a sample from each.)

Once you choose a plan, you download and print your menu and shopping list and then you can take that two hours or so that you just saved and paint your nails.  Or whathaveyou. As a bonus, the complete grocery list is organized by store sections (which includes side dishes all on one page).  E-Mealz speaks my organizing love language.

I love having the guesswork taken out of meal planning.  And by saving myself from frequenting the grocery store for last minute items, I know I’m also saving my grocery budget.  Each plan will also give you an approximate weekly average cost for the recommended dinners.

Over time I’ve amassed a good number of downloaded menus so that I can easily work in a special favorite meal if a substitute is needed.

A Giveaway!

The sweet girls over at E-Mealz are offering a 3 month Meal Plan to one lucky winner (a value of $21.00).  That’s right, a subscription is only $7 per month for 3 months, or you can buy a 6 month membership for $35.00, or a one year subscription for $58.00!

And for a limited time, E-Mealz is offering a discount for my readers.  Simply sign up using the code:  savemoney for 15% off.

All you have to do is visit E-Mealz.com and come back here and tell me in the comments section of this post which Store Meal Plan appeals most to you.

The Rules:

  • You must answer the prompt given.
  • No duplicate comments/ one entry per person.
  • This giveaway is open internationally, age 18 or over.
  • Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
  • You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

I will leave comments open until Sunday, January 29th at 9:00 PM, EST.

Bon appetite!

{ 21 comments }

Steven Tyler v. the National Anthem

by Fiddledeedee on January 25, 2012

Social media was all abuzz today regarding Mr. Tyler’s rendition of the National Anthem at the Ravens/Patriots game over the weekend.  He was being slammed left and right for the way he sang, and for messing up some of the lyrics.

How bad could it be?

I’m a curious sort, so I checked it out on youtube.  Frankly, I don’t understand what all the fuss was about.  He is, after all, Steven Tyler.  I thought he did a pretty good job.  He sounded like, well, Steven Tyler.

I didn’t detect any disrespect, and thought he really threw himself into the song.  And he did it a cappella!  You’ve got to give him credit for his career longevity and his ability to keep spandex makers in business long after the 80′s were over.  He rocks.  And he’s 63.

This was nothing like the debacle that Rosanne Barr made of the National Anthem a number of years ago.  Just sayin’.  I’m still steamed about that one.

And another thing, I’m totally enjoying the kinder gentler American Idol again this season.  The 3 judges plus cute little Ryan have a wonderful rapport with one another and their mutual respect is obvious.  It’s had to believe that it’s been 10 years since that franchise was born.

Anyhoo.  What did y’all think of Steven’s try at the National Anthem?

{ 13 comments }

Easy Mac & Cheese Burger Bake

by Fiddledeedee on January 24, 2012

As a homeschooling mother of 3, it should not come as a surprise to you that I spend a good deal of my day in the kitchen, creating 3 squares a day that I liken to culinary works of art.

And by culinary works of art, I mean that yes, cereal counts as a meal. But seriously, I cook a lot. There are days I’m looking for shortcuts that don’t involve a trip through the local drive-thru.

Quite a while back, my children were grocery shopping with me. This is not a sport for the faint of heart. But often, shopping alone is a luxury I’m not afforded.

As we traveled down the canned goods aisle, the offspring took notice of the canned ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, and such. I waived them away since we have extricated MSG from our diet, but upon closer inspection, I noticed Chef Boyardee does not contain preservatives, and most importantly, NO MSG.

I tossed a few cans into the cart.

Over the next weeks, I began to silently thank the Chef in Chef Boyardee for making lunch a breeze for me, and the kids always think it’s a special occasion if I serve them something warm for lunch, as opposed to, you know, bologna.

But then again, they think it’s a special occasion when I wear clothes that match.

Anyhoo.

I was recently asked to participate in a Chef Boyardee promotion featuring some fun recipes on their website, as well as to come up with a recipe of my very own using the Chef Boyardee products as an ingredient.

I enlisted the help of my children as we shopped the grocery store canned goods aisle, and my oldest daughter came up with a culinary winner. First of all, I had never considered tampering with Chef Boyardee perfection by adding other ingredients, and after perusing some of the recipes on the website, I found one that I knew my children would love.

We’re a fan of lasagna in our house, but I don’t often have the time needed to whip up a batch. So I thought I’d try the Chef Boyardee recipe for Ravioli Lasagna, tweaking a few of the ingredients because I am rebellious in nature.

Ravioli Lasagna

Ingredients:

  • No-Stick Cooking Spray
  • 1 cup frozen loose cut leaf spinach
  • 2 cans (15 oz. each) Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes, drained well
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375∞F. Spray 8×8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place spinach in microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 2 minutes; squeeze spinach dry.

2. Combine ravioli, drained tomatoes and Italian seasoning in medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is hot. Combine cottage cheese, spinach and black pepper in small bowl.

3. Place half of ravioli mixture in bottom of baking dish. Top with half of cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

I veered from the recipe a smidge in that I added 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of basil into the cottage cheese. (This is a secret addition to my regular lasagna that I love.)

And at the last minute I had to jettison the addition of the spinach, because I always keep fresh spinach in the refrigerator, but alas I miscalculated the expiration date and that bag of spinach is now lying in state in the bowels of the garbage pail.

I also opted to use the Chef Boyardee Cheese Ravioli in Tomato & Meat Sauce because you can never have too much cheese.

You can quote me on that.

And pssst, I may never need to go to all the trouble to make my homemade lasagna ever again.

Now for the recipe that my daughter and I came up with.

When asked what my children want for lunch, inevitably they say mac & cheese. Which is all well and good, but I like to get a little more protein in them to get them through the homeschool portion of our day. Plus the addition of vegetation of some sort is always a bonus.

Therefore, we created: Easy Mac & Cheese Burger Bake

Ingredients:

  • Shot of No-Stick Cooking Spray.
  • 2 cans Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup thawed peas

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet, adding the garlic powder and black pepper.

3. Mix the cooked ground beef with the 2 cans of Mac & Cheese and cooked peas. Place in a glass casserole dish after first giving it a shot of cooking spray.

4. Place grated cheddar cheese on top, and bake for 25 minutes, uncovered. By baking uncovered, the edges get just slightly crispy, adding to the flavor.

This recipe just landed in my “What? it’s already 5:00, and I have no idea what to feed these people!” file.

I got a great big thumbs up all around the dinner table. Add a salad to this meal and you’ve covered most all of your major food groups.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can have a chance to create and enter your own recipe into Chef Boyardeeís Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest from December 29, 2011 through March 11, 2012 for your chance to win free groceries for a year as well as one of ten $500 weekly cash prizes. Then visit Chef Boyardeeís Facebook page from March 26, 2012 through April 8, 2012 to vote for your favorite recipes from the Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest. Each day, one voter will be selected to win a $100 cash prize.

Be sure to visit the Chef Boyardee Roundup page on BlogHer.com to check out other bloggersí recipes!

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

{ 3 comments }

Born to be Wild

January 23, 2012

On Friday night, our church threw a red carpet event to honor all of their volunteers.  It was a night I looked forward to, not just because it meant certain escape from the insane asylum that I affectionately call home, but because it afforded me a night to spend with some of my very favorite [...]

Read the full article →