Here's the story...

So my blog is about my blended family, but I rarely blog about any of the issues, good or bad, that come along with being a blended family. I mostly just write about the boring family stuff that we do. If I did actually talk about blended family issues, it might sound like I am throwing some people under the bus...totally not my intention. I try to keep my caddy-ness to myself whenever possible (or at least between me and my closest friends).

Anyway, we found out last month that the kids' mom is moving back to Arizona. Totally not her fault...I don't think she has much choice. Her husband's business is there and the long distance thing has to be getting really old for them. That immediately poses the question: is Kamden staying or is he going? This will be the third time she has moved from our area to Arizona.

This time Shane put his foot down and was insistent that Kamden would stay with us, at least for the school year portion of the year. She is pretty unhappy about it but agreed that it was the best thing for him. Anyway, I have mixed feelings. Of course I am happy that he will be with us for the majority of the time, but I worry about what another life change would do to him emotionally.

The issue of "where is Breann going" isn't really an issue, because Shane isn't her bio dad. He has been her "daddy" since she was two years old but has no legal rights. We made it clear that she was always welcome to live with us, but it doesn't look like that will be an option.

Happy Birthday MJ!

Friday night, Mary Jane and I went to dinner for her birthday. She is a maniacal fitness freak so going to dinner ALWAYS means that we walk the 2 1/2 miles into town. We had lovely food, split a bottle of wine, and hiked home. Her husband has been in a six week fire academy, so I've been happy to have her all to myself!

Not so extreme home makeovers

As with most mountain homes (ok cabins), adequate space can be an issue. Kamden and Cash share a bedroom, and I have to be very strategic in my selection of furniture and room arrangement. We have always had a loft bed for Kamden to accommodate all of his clothes, books, and toys. The downside was that he hated sleeping in it because the height bothered him. He ended up in my bed or the couch 6/7 nights a week. After searching for a year, I finally found some kids bedroom furniture that would store all his stuff and had a bed he might actually sleep in. (PS-not my choice of comforter set...he is obsessed with anything Army).

Before:

After:

Notice the new carpet? Much nicer choice of color for a house with two crazy little boys and a puppy. (I'm wishing I'd hidden those X-Box wires. If it were up to me, the whole X-Box would be in the trash can!)

Baby's bed...pretty soon he'll need a big boy bed. I realize my labels all over everything are a little ridiculous but that's the only way I can keep it from getting out of control!

Now if I could just get all these damn toys out of the living room!

Super Bowl Pesto Cheese Pastries

I'm making an effort to cultivate a little skill in the kitchen as I currently have NONE. I decided to try a new appetizer for Alex & Jackie's Super Bowl party. They turned out fabulosa!! This is officially a new favorite of mine.

2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp prepared basil pesto
½ pkg frozen puff pastry sheets (1 sheet),
thawed
2 oz (60 g) thinly sliced deli ham (about 6 slices)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line Large Sheet Pan with Parchment Paper; set aside. In Small Batter Bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth using Stainless Whisk. Grate Parmesan cheese into batter bowl
using Rotary Grater; add pesto and mix well.
2. Unfold pastry dough onto flat side of Large Grooved Cutting Board; lightly roll seams using Baker’s Roller. Arrange ham over dough, overlapping if necessary. Spread cream cheese mixture over ham using Small Spreader. Bring bottom edge of dough up to create a 1½-in. (4-cm) fold; bring edge up again make another 1½-in. (4-cm) fold. Repeat on opposite side. Fold dough in half, bringing folded edges
together. Press dough lightly to seal.
3. Cut dough crosswise into sixteen 1 inch-thick (6-mm) slices using Bread Knife. Place slices cut-side up onto sheet pan. Bake 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

PS- Don't expect too many more cooking posts from me...my kitchen masterpieces are few and far between.

I am thankful for....

Every week on my Monday morning (which is actually Saturday) I give a few minutes of thanks for being able to go to work. I turn all Mommy responsibilities over to Dad and off I go. I get in the car, drink my coffee, and listen to Howard Stern (or some other programming which would be horribly inappropriate for children). I do not look at the car seat in my rear view mirror and I do not wonder which corner of the car the baby has thrown his shoes into. I get to work, log on to my computer, and involve myself in tasks which have nothing to do with 2nd grade, baby talk, or poop removal of any kind.

Sure there is the pang of guilt I feel as the baby waves bye-bye. Of course I torment myself with thoughts like "...how much TV is he going to let him watch today?" or "what if he lets him eat candy??!!" I have to remind myself that Shane has been doing this a lot longer than I have. Just because we don't do everything exactly the same doesn't mean he isn't a great parent. I am, afterall, very fortunate that we can both work without having to put our kids in day care.

I am usually missing them terribly by lunch time, but I wouldn't trade my coffee drinking, Stern listening, e-mail checking adult time for anything (except a huge lotto hit, in which case I would hire a nanny for a few hours a week).