Mary had a Little Lamb, Whose Meat was Tender and Delicious

     It never fails.  Every time I get the wild hair to take both my husband and my daughter to the commissary for groceries, I wonder if I'm a glutton for punishment or if I simply block out the memories of how horrible the last time was.  Thankfully, this time the car didn't magically disappear on me, but I do think my daughter is permanently scarred from the experience.  Let me fill you in on the conversation that took place in the meat section.

Monkey:  Daddy, what's that?

J: That's veal.  It's a type of meat.

Monkey: What's veal?

J: Well, it's baby lamb that was killed when it was really young.

Me (only hearing the tail end of that statement):  What on earth are you telling her?  Don't tell her stuff like that.

At this point I noticed a random onlooker stifling giggles.

J: Well it's true!

Monkey:  Mommy!  Do they really make veal out of baby lambs?

Me: No, of course not!

J: Yes they do! Don't lie to her.

Me (whispering):  It's not a lie; veal is actually baby cows.  They use the babies, because the meat is more tender.

J (to Monkey):  I'm sorry, kiddo.  Mommy's right.  It's not baby lamb.  It's baby cows that they kill for their soft meat.

Monkey: crying over sweet baby cows being killed for their meat

Me: Oh my goodness!  Are you freakin' kidding me?  Why would you tell her that?

Random passerby is now outright laughing.

J:  What?  She'll figure it out eventually.

Me: You're going to turn her into a vegetarian!

     At this point Monkey was crying/whining over the fate of baby cows; I was flustered and worried about my child's sanity, and the random passerby walked by and commented, "that's awesome", which of course, encouraged J to do it again with the remaining products in the meat section.  Someone, please remind me next pay day to leave one or both of them at home!

     On a less disturbing note, couple of weeks ago I posted a week's worth of lunch ideas for little ones.  Well I think it's time I share another.  Here's a week of yummy, healthy lunches for your kiddo.

Monday: Hawaiian Kabob Bento

     For a bit of a tropical twist on the Ham and Cheese Kabobs I shared last time, try these by threading diced ham, cubed mozzarella cheese, and pineapple chunks on a wooden skewer.  I added some pretzels, chopped cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and black grapes as sides.

Tuesday: Under the Sea Sandwich Box

     This is my favorite so far.  No, it's not as flawless as the original that was my inspiration, but I was proud of it.  (I know; I need a life.) It's a ham sandwich that I cut into the shape of an octopus using a pair of meat scissors.  The head and two front arms are all one piece, but the remaining limbs were cut out separately and arranged so that they resembled an 8-legged octopus.  I added the spots using bits of grape tomatoes.  I cut the eyes and mouth from a cucumber, using the peel for the green pupils and the mouth.  Next I used a cookie cutter to cut out 4 dolphins from watermelon.  Then I drew a swirly design on a boiled egg using food markers to resemble a conch shell.  Lastly, I threw in some goldfish, and voila! Under the sea fun!

Wednesday: Tuna Fish Sandwich

     As cheesy as this one was, it made me giggle when I thought of it.  To make the fish I used one whole English muffin, and another English muffing cut to look like a tail using a heart-shaped cookie cutter.  I filled the sandwich with some tuna salad.  I sent Monkey to school with the sandwich and a few sides that aren't pictured.

Thursday: Not-so-sushi Tuna Rolls

     I like this one because it's something I would fix for myself, but Monkey liked it too.  I made two rolls, using one tortilla each.  I layered some julienned cucumbers on the tortilla, and then spread the tuna salad on top.  I rolled the tortilla and sliced it like a sushi roll.  I added some cheese cubes, grapes, grape tomatoes, snow peas, and broccoli as sides.

Friday: Rainbow Bento

   
     I thought that this bright, colorful box was just the thing to help Monkey end her week at school on a high note.  The bottom of the box held grape tomatoes, a bit of corn, sliced carrots, broccoli, and black grapes.  The top layer held colorful goldfish, an eggs dotted with food markers, and ham and cheese on an English muffin with a fun rainbow drawn on top by yours truly.

     When I'm not packing lunches or attempting to repair the damage to my child's psyche caused by her father's frankness, I'm usually trying to come up with meals for my family.  I like to do one meal each week without meat to cut down on the grocery bill, but since J is such a carnivore, it's not always easy to find things that he'll truly enjoy.  Tonight, I think I succeeded, since he ate 3 servings, and then fussed at me for putting the rest in the refrigerator for later.

Penne with Roasted Marsala Mushrooms
From "Quick from Scratch Pasta"
Serves 4-6

1 lb mushrooms, cut in halves or quarters depending on size (I used baby bella mushrooms) 
2 TBS cooking oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry Marsala
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 TBS tomato paste
1 TBS butter
3/4 lb penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a roasting pan or dutch oven, toss the mushrooms with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.  Roast for 15 minutes; some liquid will remain in the pan.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add penne, and cook until just done, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the mushrooms from the oven, and transfer them to a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-low heat.  Stir in garlic and Marsala.  Simmer until liquid is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes.  Add the broth and tomato paste and simmer until about 1/4 cup of liquid remains, about 2 minutes longer.  Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the butter and remove from heat.

Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce and parsley.

Enjoy!

Why I Took The Challenge

     By now most everyone has heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  If not, it basically started as a challenge for people to either donate money to the ALS Association or dump a bucket of ice cold water on their heads.  It has since evolved into more of donate money to ALS and dump a bucket of ice cold water over your head to raise awareness for the cause.  Now, usually I don't participate in what's trending or even pay attention to it, but then I happened to click on the video of George W. Bush's Ice Bucket Challenge, and I decided to google ALS.  I had never heard of ALS, but I have heard of Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is the same thing.  This is a horrible disease in which the patient slowly and progressively loses motor neurons and with it, the ability to move parts of their bodies.  There is no cure right now, and according to the ALS website, alsa.org, there is only one drug  that has been approved by the FDA to slow the progression of this disease.  The whole reason behind raising awareness and donating to this foundation is to raise the funds for further research so that maybe one day there will be a drug that slows the progression enough to extend these individuals' life by years instead of months.  Or maybe one day we will even be able to find a cure for this degenerative, debilitating disease.

     Since this challenge's main way of spreading has been social media, it's almost expected that there would be negativity.  There's always someone out there who doesn't get it, or doesn't know all the facts, and wants to make a mockery of a cause.  This is just a sad fact of our society today.  And yeah, there are those out there who have taken the Ice Bucket Challenge without a clue as to what it's about or why they're throwing a bucket of ice over each other's heads, but I truly believe those types of people are in the minority.  The more videos of these challenges that get posted, the more likely someone is going to think, "What is this all about?" and head over to Google to find out what ALS is, and why they should donate.  I did, and maybe others will too.  And to those who say that you don't have to pour a bucket of ice water over your head to donate to charity, that's not the point.  You also don't have to dress all in pink and run a 5K.  There's no need to walk/run 5 km along a path marked with names of family, friends, and strangers who can no longer remember who you are or who they are.  You also don't have to wear wristbands with the emblem of a soldier carrying his wounded buddy to safety.  But if you do, if you dress in pink to run, or make note of all those names that line that 5K, or show off your Wounded Warrior Project bracelet, or even dump a bucket of cold ice water over your head, someone is going to want to know why.  They're going to ask, "What's that all about?", and that's the point.  That's what this is all about: bringing awareness to a plight that had once been in the shadows, and that is now in the limelight, getting the recognition and the funds they need to do something about it.

 

And for Dessert: Diabetes!

     It's no secret that my husband drives me insane.  I mean, I've given y'all several examples on this blog alone of how much he makes me question the reason I agreed to let him annoy me for the rest of my life.  But I think it's also fair to say that I would do anything for that crazy, slightly annoying husband of mine.  And apparently that's a fact he's not only discovered but has decided to exploit.  For example, today is his birthday.  A few weeks ago while I was writing up my grocery list, I asked him and Monkey to flip through my "Taste of Home: Fun Food" magazine to come up with ideas for her school lunches.  While flipping through the pages, she and J came across a rather elaborate picture of a cake decorated to look like the classic game, CandyLand.  J excitedly pointed the picture out to me and requested that I make it for him for his birthday.  I laughed, thinking he was joking, and said something witty that amounted to "no".  But then something happened.  He kept bringing up the cool CandyLand cake, and mentioning how much he liked it, and he'd throw in the fact that his birthday was coming up after all.  So what did I do?

     I made the darn cake for him!  I'll get to how to make your own in a minute, but in the mean time let me tell you what my sweet, but oh-so-chokable husband tells me as I'm buying the last bit of candy to make his dearest birthday wish complete.

Me:  "Hey baby, do you see any rock candy?"
J:  "No; you don't need that"
Me: "It's for your cake.  I wanted to include the Ice Palace, so I was going to use blue rock candy"
J:  "I don't know why you're even doing this"
Me:  "What do you mean?  This is the cake you've been asking for."
J:  "Yeah, I was just messing with you.  Then you ran with it, so I figured I'd let you."
Me: .......................................You can't strangle him in Walmart.  You can't strangle him in Walmart.  You can't strangle him in Walmart!

    Well, regardless of how he finagled me into making the cake, it's made now, so I might as well share a quick how-to with y'all.  Here's what you'll need:

Cake mix (can be any flavor; I used a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for a White cake)
White icing
Green food coloring
Starbursts
Peppermints
Mini marshmallows
Rock candy (or Jolly Ranchers, crushed)
Lollipops
Chocolate cupcake, iced
2 mini snickers
4 ice cream cones (cut the tops off of 2 of them)
Blue cookie icing
Purple cookie icing
Black cookie icing
Multicolored sprinkles
Chocolate sprinkles
Cinnamon sprinkles
Sour Patch Kids (I used 4, one in each color as the "players")

    Bake your cake mix according to directions on back of the box for a 9x13 cake.  Let cool completely before icing.  Mix white icing and green food coloring in a medium sized bowl, use this to ice the cake.  Top cake with Starbursts, making sure to keep a pattern so no two colors are next to each other.  For "Mr. Mint"'s corner, arrange peppermints (or peppermint candy canes, if they're in season) in a cute pattern, and sprinkle cinnamon sprinkles around them.  Add an area for "Princess Lolly" by using a few crushed Jolly Ranchers to mark the spot.  Next add the lollipops or various sizes (I used 2 Dumdums, and 1 Blow Pop).  Next I added the chocolate cupcake (complete with chocolate fudge frosting and chocolate sprinkles) for "Chocolate Mountain".  I set a pair of mini Snickers next to the cupcake, one on each side, and sprinkled a few extra chocolate sprinkles around the base of the "Mountain".  Next I added a mini-marshmallow "bridge" between two of the rows of Starbursts.  Finally I erected the "CandyLand Castle" by inverting the 2 whole ice cream cones side-by-side, and then I placed one of the halved ones in front and one in the back, upside-down.  Next I added the windows and doors by using purple cookie icing.  Then I topped the castle off with blue cookie icing roofs.  I spread a rainbow of various-colored crushed Jolly Ranchers around the base of the "castle". Next I piped out the "Happy Birthday" on the Starbursts using black cookie icing.  Finally I sprinkled the entire cake with multi-colored sprinkles for good measure.

    There were two big bonuses for this cake: 1)  There really isn't a "right way" to decorate it.  If you look at the way CandyLand has changed over the years, you can really throw any type of candy on a cake and call it good.  2) Monkey was able to help, and we both enjoyed that. :-)

   
     To top it all off, J really enjoyed his Diabetes-inducing CandyLand Cake.  And I discovered that my husband turns into a Disney Princess when he makes his birthday wish before blowing out the candles.

     Anyone else see it?  Anyone?  No?  It's just me?  Fine!  Keep wishing, Babe.  Maybe one day your prince will come (but he probably won't make you awesome cakes).

What's for Lunch?

      One of my new favorite things is packing Monkey's school lunches.  I know, I need a life, but I just get a kick out of all the cute ideas I see floating around on Pinterest.  I also love when Monkey comes home and tells me things like, "Mommy, there were snails in my lunchbox".  It makes me feel good to know she's not only eating healthy, but that she's enjoying it too.  I will try to post each week's lunches on here to give other moms ideas.  So here is one week of fun lunches:

Monday: Ham and Cheese Kabobs

I actually already mention this one, but you're seeing it again.  Monkey's only been in school for a week or so, so I'm working with limited material here.  Anyway, pictured above are her Ham and Cheese kabobs, made up of cubed ham I had leftover from making Green Eggs and Ham, cubed Mozzarella, and grape tomatoes.  I added Veggie Chips, sugar snap peas, half a banana, and cucumbers cut into stars for her sides.  Plus a small container of Ranch for dipping, and she was all set. 

Tuesday: DIY Lunchables

This one is actually something I make for her rather often, even on the weekends (hence the lack of lunch box).  Instead of wasting money on those pre-packaged, preservative-filled boxes in the store, I make my own for Monkey.  She doesn't seem to mind.  This one used bologna, but you can use any deli meat, any type of cheese, any type of cracker, and you can even cut out fun little shapes if you're feeling creative.  Diversity!  That's the name of this game.  And of course I threw in a fruit and a veggie to go along with it.  

Wednesday: DIY Pizzas

I brought out the big guns early last week.  This one was by far Monkey's favorite!  I used one of those homemade English Muffins sliced in half for the two "pizza crusts".  I added a bit of pizza sauce to one of her containers.  Then I shredded some mozzarella for Monkey to put on top.  I used Turkey pepperoni to cut out little hearts for her to add to her mini pizzas.  Then I filled in the remaining containers with cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and cucumbers cut into hearts.  When she came home with this one, there was nothing left in the box!  

Thursday: Hello Kitty Sandwiches

This one was another hit.  Using these awesome sandwich cutter/stamps, I cut kitty faces from bologna and cheese to make these two open-faced sandwiches.  Again, I used an English muffin halved for the base of the sandwich.  I threw in some sugar snap peas, half of a banana, and cucumbers and halved cherry tomatoes tossed with Italian dressing.  

Friday: Ham Sandwiches

Okay, I got a little cheesy with this one.  I don't know if you can see it very well, but these ham sandwiches have little piggy faces (curtesy of those cute stamps I mentioned earlier).  I thought it was too funny not to resist, but J told me I was corny.  I think it's cute.  Anywho, these little piggy sandwiches are made up of two English muffins topped with tomato, lettuce, ham, and cheese.  For sides, Monkey enjoyed sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and grapes.  

     As you can see, I'm having a lot of fun with these things.  My sister asked me the other day what I was going to do when I go back to school, but I'm in denial.  I'm sure I'll come up with something.  Y'all just may not hear about it until my next break ;-)

Six Years Down, How Many More to Go?!

   Marriage is a crazy concept if you think  about it.  You're taking two people, who each have different life experiences, different perspectives, and different opinions, and basically telling them to put up with each other for the next 50-70 years.  The craziest part is that these two different people enter into this crazy pact by choice!  Although I wanted to be with J for the rest of my life, at 19 I don't think I really knew what I was getting into.  Then again, I don't think anyone does, regardless of their age on their wedding day.  It's just one of those things you don't know until you do it.  Well, six years ago today, I entered into the crazy commitment with J, and it's been a wild ride.  Ups and downs, forward and backward, we've moved all over the spectrum together.  And although there were days I wanted to just throw my hands up and call it quits, I'm so thankful to be married to this man.  He drives me nuts (on purpose).  He pushes my buttons (on purpose).  He causes me to rethink my beliefs, my standards, and my goals.  He challenges me to be a better me.  He supports me in my ventures.  He's my biggest fan, and my worst critic.  He loves me in his way that is totally different from my own, and he causes me to questions what the Hell I was thinking the day I said, "I do", but more than anything, he shares my life.  He's the first person I want to call when I have a great day at clinical.  When I failed my first test in Nursing school, he was the one I wanted to talk to.  When Monkey is having one of her days where I just can't win, I know he's there to pick up my slack.  As cliche as it may sound, there's no one else I'd rather travel through this world with.  So here's to you, Love!  Happy Anniversary :-)

     

     Now for the rest of you, I guess I owe you something for being such a good sport and sitting through my cheesiness. How about a recipe?  Here's one I made for J the other night that he loved!  

Paula Deen's Quick Italian Meatballs with Spaghetti

Makes 4-6 servings

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

2 lbs ground beef

36 pepperoni slices, finely chopped

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Quick Spaghetti and Sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place a wire rack over baking sheet, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Set aside to cool. IN a large bowl, combine cooked vegetables, ground beef, pepperoni, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt.  Shape mixture into 2 inch balls.  Place on prepared rack, and bake for 15 minutes or until no longer pink.  

Paula Deen's Quick Spaghetti and Sauce

1 (25 oz) jar pasta sauce

6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 (16 oz) package spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

To thinly slice the basil, stack several fresh basil leaves, and roll them up tightly.  Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the bundle, and watch it cascade into tiny ribbons.  

In a large saucepan, combine pasta sauce, basil, oregano, and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat until safe is warmed through.  Add cooked pasta and meatballs.  Toss gently to coat.  

Enjoy!

I can be Lazy and Productive

      I have a problem.  I've been on break from nursing school for about a week now, and I feel like I've accomplished nothing.  And I'm okay with that.  I've been super lazy; spending my days relaxing with my husband.  Okay, maybe I haven't been completely lazy.  I have been bringing Monkey to Kindergarten.  Joel has me on a new workout schedule that's left me sore every day.  And I've been trying to be creative in the kitchen.  Today I'm making English Muffins.  They're currently rising, so I'll let y'all know how they turn out.  I'm hoping they're good.  I've also been trying to make Monkey's lunches more fun by packing colorful, cute food that make her want to eat healthy.  Today's lunch was no exception.

     Today for lunch I packed her three kabobs, made up of cubed ham, cubed mozzarella cheese, and cherry tomatoes.  To that I added a bit of Veggie Chips, half of a banana, green beans, cucumbers cut into stars, and a bit of Ranch for dipping.   I'm always worried she's not getting enough to eat, even though she typically comes home with a lunchbox that is rarely empty.  

     Well the English muffins are officially finished.  The verdict is in, and they are good!  J has already chowed down on a few.  The batch made 27, though, so they should hold him over for a bit.  (Hopefully.)  I got the recipe from AllRecipes, and there were a few commentors who claimed these weren't "real" English muffins, whatever that means.  But they're good, whatever they are, so I'll share the recipe anyway.

English Muffins

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted shortening

2 TBS white sugar

6 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast OR 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

Cornmeal for sprinkling

Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it starts to bubble, but don't let it boil.  Remove it from heat. Whisk in sugar until dissolved, and set aside. Let cool to lukewarm.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water.  let stand about 10 minutes, or until creamy.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of your KitchenAid if you have one) combine the milk mixture, yeast mixture, melted shortening, and 3 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.  Add salt and remaining 3 cups of flour.  Knead (or if you're using your KitchenAid simply change out the mixing paddle for you dough hook).  Place in a grease bowl, and let rise about 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size. 

Sprinkle a fine layer of flour over your work surface, and turn out dough.  Roll out until about 1/2" thick.  Line a baking sheet with waxed paper, and sprinkle with cornmeal.  Using a cup or a round cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough.  

Set them on the wax paper, and sprinkle the tops with cornmeal.  Continue until all the dough is used up.  Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Grease your griddle, and heat to about 300 degrees.  Cook 5-10 minutes per side, or until light brown per side.  Allow to cool, and place in plastic bags for storage.  To use, slice in half, and toast.  Serve with butter, jam and cream cheese, etc.  There are so many options for these yummy little things!  

I'm Diagnosing Myself

      What can I say about the last two months?  They have been one Hell of a ride to say the least.  I never thought I could go through so many emotions in such a short time span.  Adult Health I (Med Surg) was almost more than I could handle.  Almost.  It was rough, and I wasn't always sure I'd make it to the other side, but here I am.  Thank God!  And thanks to my wonderfully supportive family who put up with me going from completely neglecting them to wanting to do nothing but cuddle and cry all day and talk about how much we love each other.  Yeah, they've been troopers.  Also to my fellow classmates, we're not out of the woods yet, but I'm definitely starting to see some thinning of the trees.  At any rate, I've missed blogging, and I hope y'all missed me too.  Either way I'm back ;-)  Until Adult Health II, that is.

     Now that this semester is over and I get a little break I plan on catching up with everything else in my life.  Let's start with this blog.  Since I've been neglecting my wonderful readers, let me share an awesome recipe with y'all to make amends.  This recipe comes from Cuisine at Home magazine, which I picked up on vacation last year to idly flip through while we had some down time in the hotel.  It has since become well worn from overuse.  My favorite recipe in this magazine is the one I'm about to share.

Buffalo Chicken Fries
(Makes 4 servings)

1/3 hot sauce (I like Texas Pete, but you can use any)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 TBS honey
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

Slice chicken length-wise into 1/2 inch strips, and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together hot sauce, butter, and honey in a large bowl.

Pour flour into a large Ziploc bag.  Add chicken, seal bag, and toss until chicken is coated.  Shake off excess flour.

Heat 2 TBS oil in large sauté pan over medium-high heat; add half the chicken strips, sauté until browned, about 2 minutes per side, then transfer to hot sauce mixture and toss to coat.  Repeat with remaining oil and chicken strips.

     These little chicken fries with a kick are paired perfectly with some of my end-of-the-season finds from the garden.  I managed to get just enough pole beans off of my dying plants to cook some up as a side.  There's really nothing like some home grown veggies!  Now that I've got a bit of a break from school, I'll be tearing up my summer plants and planting my Fall/Winter garden.

     Another thing I'm looking forward to is packing Monkey's lunches for school.  I know I probably sound crazy, but ever since I discovered Everyday Bento, I can't wait to pack her lunch each morning.  I just love all the cutsie ideas that make eating healthy fun for my baby girl.  Plus I feel better knowing exactly what she's putting in her belly each day at school.  That's right; I said "school".  My baby girl is officially a Kindergartener!  How crazy is that?!  So in order to keep my mind off of that fact in hopes that I'll eventually stop crying, I'm trying to keep busy by planning out her fun lunches.  Here's an example on one I made last week.  I wanted her to practice opening all her containers in her lunchbox, since I won't be there to help her.  So I went ahead and made this practice Bento box:

Bugs Bento Box Lunch

The bottom layer of Monkey's Bento box held these crawly critters

 For these snails you'll need:
1 tortilla
a few slices of deli meat
a few thin slices of cheese
Spinach leaves
Baby dill pickles, sliced in half at an angle
Toothpicks

Simply place your meat, cheese, and and spinach leaves on the tortilla, roll up, and slice into pinwheels, and then assemble as seen above.

The top layer of Monkey's bento box

  Using this awesome veggie/fruit cutter I cut butterflies out of one of our homegrown cucumbers.  Then I filled the other containers with grapes and yogurt (or magic fruit dip, as Monkey calls it).

     Well that's it for now, y'all.  I have a ton of housework to catch up on, which will (hopefully) keep me busy until Monkey gets home from school this afternoon.