Thursday, November 29, 2007

Lowest Calorie Cake Ever!


I'm not much of a craft person and my brother got the creativity genes of the family. However, I do pride myself in being able to make one thing that a lot of people don't know how to make… a calorie free cake.

It's not exactly the kind of cake you eat though. In fact, it's quite the opposite because it's comprised of over 100 diapers. Very seldom do I get the opportunity to make one of these, but it's always fun when I do. The look on the mother-to-be's face when she sees it is priceless and the comments from the guests are always complimentary. That totally makes it worth the time and expense to put together. The one pictured here was a gift that I made last year for a relative.

The other day, when a friend said she needed to find a baby shower gift for her son's teacher, I quickly volunteered… "I can help you make a diaper cake, if you like." She thought it sounded cool, so that was my project for today. She came over and helped put it together and I gave her pointers on how to make one herself in the future. I'm anxious for her to give feedback from the shower but it isn't for a few more weeks!

I've been lazy lately about doing my blog, my BzzAgent reports and my Christmas stuff… but I found time to 'bake' a cake!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Stuff the Ballot Box... Pleeaaase!


My brother doesn't ask much of me and I certainly don't do much for him - but this is a good opportunity for me to help him out. He has a replica Austin-Healey that has been selected as a finalist for a local calendar sponsored by a local radio station. The twelve with the most votes will be featured in the Dwyer & Michaels Budweiser Class Car Calendar.

Please go to this page: http://www.2dorks.com/junk/20071120-carcalendar/index.shtml and cast a vote for him. (The first car in the forth row - find the one that looks like this photo.) Don't worry about wasting time finding 12 - you can just pick his and hit the "vote" button!

Thanks! As soon as I hear whether he's been selected, I'll post it!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Caller ID Scam Blocker


We've all had those phishing emails come in asking us to verify our PayPal, eBay or Bank accounts. "Just click here" on the link in the email. Most spam filters catch those so we don't need to worry about it... on our email.

DH sent me this Digg post about scammers using an automated calling service for phishing. Too bad the local phone company was a step ahead of them and used caller ID to their advantage.

Check out the Digg post for more details and a photo of the caller ID!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Blog Tag


Someone picked me! I feel so loved! In the giant blog world, someone actually picked me! It's fun to read other people's blogs and it's especially cool when they read yours too. In this internet version of the popular hit-and-run childhood game, you tag 5 other people in the hopes that they don't sit against the wall and pout.

Tagged

Here are THE RULES:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as their links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My five random facts are:

1. DH and I met at a Cubs vs Cardinals game in St. Louis while attending different colleges, neither of which was in St. Louis.
2. I can't swim.
3. I share a birthday with one of my brothers… but we're not twins. Although I've been told he's my Irish Twin. Either way, it's pretty cool!
4. I love jigsaw puzzles but I go nuts if someone puts the edges together before I'm done with the middle.
5. When I was a kid, a tick crawled into my ear and attempts to get him out just made him crawl further in!

I've linked to:
The Roarrrrrrrrring Forties
Being Born Baltz
Don't Make Me Get the Flying Monkeys
War is Love
Fulcher Family

These are people whose blogs I like to read or who have inspired parts of my blog. I hope everyone enjoys reading!

Tag. You're IT!

Monday, November 19, 2007

One Beanie too few… or too many?


Good grief… I have entered beanie Hell.

Back when Beanie babies were all the craze, I swore I wouldn't buy one. It drove me crazy that people would spend hundreds of dollars for a stuffed toy that a kid couldn't even think about playing with. Mind you, I have my collections of stuff that I don't let the kids play with, but most aren't kid things.

I understood the fascination with wanting to have the rare ones and make sure they stayed in mint condition. That's natural with any kind of collectable. I understood how people spent a lot of money on Cabbage Patch dolls back in the day and Tickle Me Elmo when he came along. Parents were spending big bucks so their kid could have the toy they really wanted; purchased with the knowledge that it was going to get played with. But beanie babies were stuffed toys that adults spent buku bucks on - that kids didn't get to play with. I just didn't get it or the madness surrounding it.

When I had children, I insisted we not purchase beanies for them. I insisted that other people not purchase beanies for them. I was dead set on never having them in our home. I just didn't like what they stood for.

Then my daughter had an appointment at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. It was their practice to give each child a welcome gift on their first visit. Yeah, bribe them into thinking they'll enjoy the visit. She was given a white beanie kitty cat. I'll admit it, it was nice to see how happy that cat made her. She loved it so much that it was difficult to smuggle it away long enough to wash it.

So one day, on a trip to Frank & Sons, when I saw another white kitten, I… I can't believe I'm admitting this… I told DH we had to get it. Frank & Sons is a warehouse in the City of Industry, CA that was used twice per week as a giant collector show and we went there fairly often while living in the LA area. By the time my daughter received her beanie cat, they were no longer a hot collectable and vendors were dumping them at whatever price they could get. I decided that the price justified purchasing a backup for her so I would not have to stress out to clean the original. DH says everyone has a price for which anything becomes an option – apparently dirt cheap is my breaking point with respect to beanies.

We picked up a few additional white kittens on subsequent trips to Frank & Sons. Later, we purchased an entire basket of beanies during the neighborhood yard sale. When DH found some mini ones for a dime each at a yard sale, I said "Go ahead and get them, it's only a dime." Our girls' eyes gleamed whenever we added to their stockpile. There were plenty to go around, duplicates of some and a ton of variety. Tags are missing from all of them now. They are well loved. They are toys and it's perfect.

Fast forward to naptime today. The girls were fighting over whose dog this one was; both crying when I tried to act as mediator. I finally had to say "Miss M, you had it at bedtime last night so Miss K gets it for nap. You can have it back at bedtime." Both were in agreement. Whew. Crisis averted for now.

Now I'm trying to figure out if we have one too few beanies or one too many. If only I hadn't caved and bought that backup kitten, we wouldn't be in this mess.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Saving at Christmas – Part III


I'm still bouncing around a few ideas about which subject to cover next… ah, so much to say…
November 6, 2007 Tip: Cash Back or Rebate Websites
November 8, 2007 Tip: Price Guarantees and Price Protection

Today's Tip: Retailer Loyalty Programs

I hate it when I'm trying to check out at a store and they ask me if I'm interested in opening a store credit card account. If I wanted to open a credit card account with the store, I would have grabbed one of the flyers sitting by the register. Pfft. But every so often, a retailer catches me off guard with the "Apply today and take an extra 10% off your order." Depending on how much I'm spending, that can be tempting. If you plan to spend a hefty amount at any store, be sure to look into their credit card and loyalty programs ahead of time. While I'm not a fan of opening credit card accounts on a whim, I do find great value in loyalty programs.

You already have a lot of exposure to loyalty programs… Airline frequent flyer miles are an example of a type of reward program. As are supermarket/drugstore cards, casino club cards and hotel priority club cards. This is a tool that many retailers utilize to reward their frequent shoppers.

How it works: Typically, a customer earns points for each dollar spent at the store. Points are accumulated and later cashed in for gift certificates to the store. In some cases (like grocery or drugstore), it requires membership to take advantage of a special price. Member-only coupons are often sent out as well. One of my favorite loyalty programs is the Best Buy Reward Zone. I receive coupons in the mail from Best Buy so if I'm in the market for something, I factor that in when determining the best place to purchase the item. For each purchase made, points are accumulated which ultimately translate into gift certificates. Sometimes there are promotions offering double points on specific products; making the trip to your gift certificate goal much shorter. There are tons of free programs out there covering a wide variety of retail sectors - like Staples, Borders, Dick's Sporting Goods and American Eagle. If you shop somewhere often, even if it's just a local merchant, ask if they have a loyalty program.

Some of the programs are stand alone but others are tied to a credit card. I have no problem applying for a free card as long as is unassociated with applying for credit. Never apply for a credit card just because you think you'll reap the benefits of the reward program – make sure you really want their credit card! If it's somewhere you shop often and would have opened a credit card anyway, then the loyalty program that comes along with it is a bonus.

Everyone hates spam, but if a store regularly emails coupons, it's worth wading through some junk. Check out the email signups with your favorite retailer - sometimes just providing your email will land you some coupons that you wouldn't otherwise have. I have an email account set up specifically for these types of registrations so I have some control over the spam landing in my in box.

While these reward programs won't necessarily help you in your quest to save money before Christmas, the points will add up and provide some opportunities for later savings. Just think – you'll be able to use those gift certificates for birthday gifts in the new year or even a little something for yourself.

The Mint Chocolate Milk Mustache


I totally expect to see Eggnog showing up in the grocery store around the holidays each year. It's just a sign that Christmas is coming. But the other day I found chocolate mint milk and chocolate cherry milk. Seeing as I have a total weakness for mint/chocolate anything, I just didn't have the willpower to resist spending $2 on a quart of Swiss Valley Mint Chocolate Milk. For anyone who has tried a grasshopper (you know, crème de menthe, crème de cacao, ice cream) – that's what this tasted like. It was delicious. The grocer said the Swiss Valley Cherry Chocolate one tastes like a melted chocolate covered cherry… that's pretty tempting too since one of my favorite milk shakes is Cherry Bon Bon.

DH let Miss K give it a try and her response was "It tastes like mommy's Pop Tart!" Yes, I often stash mint chocolate chip Pop Tarts in the freezer. It's a weakness, I tell you. Anyway… Until the quart was gone, each time we asked Miss K what she wanted to drink, she said "Mommy's favorite milk." Between the two of us, the quart had a shelf life of exactly two days.

In this morning's coupon section of the paper, I noticed Prairie Farms offering the same two varieties, along with Pumpkin Spice. How many years have these been around that I've totally missed out?!!! I need to get rid of that rock that I've been under!

Joining the Technorati Community


I've decided to join the technorati community. In order to do so, they need to verify my blog and a new post with their link is the first step.

Technorati Profile

It will allow me to get indexed better and more people find me (I hope!). So - sorry for the nonsensical post, but that's just how it works. :)

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Saving at Christmas – Part II


Ever since I started typing up Part I of the Saving Money at Christmas series of posts, my head has been spinning with ideas. What should I write about next? Wow, so many ideas…
November 6, 2007 Tip: Cash Back or Rebate Websites

Today's Tip: Price Guarantees and Price Matches

Have you ever gone out shopping, found the perfect item and made the purchase only to find it on sale elsewhere or at the same store...a week later? If you're like me, you get frustrated for not being better prepared. What do you do - kick yourself for buying it early? Return it and repurchase it at the discounted price? Or do you just stop looking at the advertisements once you make the purchase because once it's done you just don't care?

If you are stretching your dollars, you have as much work to do after the purchase as you did (or should have done) before. A price guarantee (aka price protection) means that the retailer will refund you the difference if the item goes on sale within their designated period. Most retailers have price guarantees to ensure that you get the best price available. Essentially, they save you the trouble of returning the item and buying it back at the sale price. You know... less paperwork for them with happier money-saving customers to boot. Better yet, a price match is when the retailer will honor competitor advertisements on identical items. While some retailers price match competitor sales, others only honor their own. If you can work the two policies together, you could end up with some unexpected savings. Do your homework and keep an eye on the advertisements for all stores. Most places price match competitor ads if you ask!

If you're planning a big ticket purchase, it would behoove you to find out what the retailers' policies are. Consider making your purchase at the retailer that has the best price match and price guarantee policies so you can take advantage of additional promotions and sales prices as long as possible after your purchase. As an example, some retailers have price guarantees as long as 90 days with others are as short as one week. Some offer just the money back for a price match while others give an additional 10% of the difference.

I recall years ago my mom purchasing bread machines for each of us for Christmas. She bought them extremely early and watched as the price continued to drop as Christmas approached. With each drop, she ventured back to the store for a refund. I'm not positive, but I believe she went back a total of three times! So don't think that once you get a matched price, you're done. You're not. Until the time limit is up (varies by store but is usually 30 days), you can continue to work the discounts.

Afraid you'll miss out on catching the price guarantee? Subscribe to a free service like Price Protectr. I can't really say "like priceprotectr" because that's the only one I'm aware of that offers such a service for multiple retailers. RefundPlease currently offers this type of service only for Amazon purchases and AmazingRefund provides this service for Amazon purchases you make through their website. I only recently found out about priceprotectr and have not had an opportunity to utilize it yet. Yet. With priceprotectr, you log on and provide details on the item you purchased. They notify you when the price of that item drops and provide details on how you can get the refund. They used to only do online purchases, but they have extended it to store purchases also for some of their retailers. The only downside is that it currently only watches for the item to go on sale at the same place you purchased it – you'll still need to check competitor ads to take advantage of price match programs.

Basically, to get the most bang for your buck, you need to do your homework before the purchase. Then you need to continue to monitor it afterwards to take advantage of any price guarantees or price matches that the retailer offers! Incorporating the price guarantees and price matches into your shopping plans also allows you to get your shopping done a little earlier before the items are gone from the shelves! Good luck and happy shopping!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Junk Mail at its Best


Thanks to all the free samples of stuff I send away for, I have my name on more than just a few mailing lists. Sometimes, if the kids help me get the mail, I let them claim the USPS spam as their own. Since Miss K ran to the mailbox with me today, she received two pieces of mail for her. One was just a magazine renewal form, she opened it then "read it" and was quickly bored with it. The second piece was from some organization providing doctor services to the world. I'm sure somewhere in the literature I could find the words "all for the cost of a cup of coffee a day." Upon opening it, she squealed with delight at finding a treasure map. She proclaimed "X marks the spot" as she held it up to show me. Sure enough, it was a treasure map – a map of the world that we placed on the floor. I pointed out a few highlights like where we live and our often discussed Hawaii. We left it alone in anticipation of Miss M's arrival from school shortly.

So Miss M isn't home very long before Miss K proudly points out her new treasure map. Before heading off for naps, we spent a great deal of time sailing around it. We had a Playskool type ship filled with a hodge podge crew of Snow White, a few dwarves, a few different Doras, and Ariel… and a stowaway horse from one of the ports of call. I would say "This is Antarctica. It's always very cold here." Then the girls would sail the boat to Antarctica and start to disembark. I warned "It's very cold; don't forget hats, mittens, jackets… all of it!" One by one, the crew confirmed their proper attire and jumped ship to explore. We went to Africa to find elephants and giraffe (and that's as much as I was able to say before I heard "Let's go find the elephants!" and the ship was en route to Africa. We explored the desert where we found camels, desert fox and lizards. We checked out the kangaroo and koala bears in Australia before finally heading back home to take our nap. The map is currently laying on the floor in the living room with its entire crew asleep on North America. The captains are upstairs in their beds, resting.

I can honestly say that I have never had so much fun with a piece of junk mail.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Saving Money on Christmas Shopping


With Christmas just around the corner and Christmas shopping getting underway, I thought I might share some of my favorite money saving tips. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but since trolling freebie forums and deal websites is a daily hobby of mine, I feel that I have something to offer. Even if only one person manages to make use of information from my blog, I'll consider it a success. All I ask is that you post a comment letting me know if you were able to utilize any of it!

Today's Tip: Cash Back or Rebate websites.

There are a lot of different ways to be savvy when you're shopping. In this post, I'll be focusing on rebates from online purchases. I'm certain I lost some people with the word 'rebate' because the first thought that comes to mind is clipping UPCs and mailing them in. There will be no clipping involved in these rebate programs.

As many people are aware, several credit card companies, such as Discover, offer cash back programs. What a lot of people don't realize is that if you click thru the credit card's website, you can get additional cash back bonuses. As an example, online purchases with Barnes & Noble get a 10% Cash back Bonus when the purchase is initiated through Discover's website. Depending on what level of cash back your card offers, clicking through the website could mean substantial savings above what you would typically receive for the purchase alone.

As an alternative, if you're planning on doing a lot of online shopping, it might be worth it to check out
Ebates. There are several online retailers listed (upwards of 800 at the moment) – each with a designated Ebate Cash Back percentage along with coupon codes for additional discounts. Starting at Ebates, click through their link to a designated retailer. Once on the retailer's website, purchases are made in the exact same manner as if you went directly to the retailer's website. The only difference is that there is a trackback on your purchase. Ebates credits your account for the qualifying purchase and you can request your rebate payment via check or Paypal. Back to the Barnes & Noble example, you can click through Ebates to earn 4% Cash Back plus find coupons for things like free shipping. As a bonus, each day the folks at Ebates double the Cash Back percentage on one of their top sites (like Target.com as it happens to be as I write this post). Keep in mind that these rebates are in addition to cash back bonuses offered by your credit card. There are a variety of websites offering these types of rebate programs, Ebates and FatWallet are the two I am most familiar with. As a heads-up, Ebates is running a referral promotion where if you sign up through the link I provided, you'll receive $5 in Cash Back.

When I'm ready to make a purchase, what I typically do is go directly to a site to determine what kind of promotion I can get and what my final purchase price would be. Then I go thru one a few different online rebate sites or my credit card site to figure out the final price and calculate what the rebate would be. I also check out other coupon websites to see if there are possibly better coupons available, but that's a subject for another post. Whichever site offers the most benefit gets my click-thru for the purchase. I'm loyal to a few different programs, but am not afraid to jump between sites to find the best offer on a case by case basis. It might not be a huge savings, but as I have said before - Every penny counts in my book and the savings add up.

Monday, November 5, 2007

New Exercise Gadget – A Must Have?


DH and I have been watching Everyday Edisons on PBS recently. It's similar to the American Inventor show created by the American Idol people, but it follows the story beyond just selecting a winner. There are a handful of inventors that bring concepts forward and the folks at Everyday Edisons retool them, rename them, perfect them – and bring them to market.

On a recent episode, we watched the story of the Workout 180 Exercise System. Essentially, it's a balance unit that clips into a base to convert it to a step unit. There are different bands built into it for use in strength training and Pilates. In my workout regimen (if we want to call it that), I do cardio and strength two days per week, toning two days per week and one day of step. The diversity of the three instructors provides for a good variety of workout methods including step, band, stability ball, weights and occasionally Bosu. Having a class utilizing the Workout 180 might be a fun new way to incorporate the same types of equipment. Even having one in a home gym might be pretty cool, not that I have a home gym. Anyway, mentioned the gadget to one of my instructors today and joked that I would probably topple the thing over since balance really isn't my thing. She just smiled and said "Maybe that's what you need then." Hmmm.

Unfortunately, my Google searches have come up empty – with the exception of the PBS Everyday Edisons website and the following YouTube demonstration video.


I kicked an email off to inventor Jen Holloway in hopes of getting additional information. I'll be sure to post and update if I hear anything more. In the meantime, be sure to check out the new inventions that premiered on Everyday Edisons. They cover a great range including a stroller, teacher grading pen, drywall T-Square, cutting board and several others items.

EDIT: Wow. I asked for more information and received emails from both Andy at Everyday Edisons and the 180's inventor, Jen Holloway. Looks like it won't be available for purchase until after Christmas, so guess we'll have to put it on our post-Christmas wish-list. Guess that's the best time to get it anyway since we'll be working out to ditch the holiday pounds! I'll post more information (like the website) once it's live. Thanks Jen and Andy for your quick responses!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Does Your Man Do Housework?


Yup, mine does and yup, all the good ones are taken.

This morning, DH ventured into the unknown to clean the master bathroom. Since we have separate vanities, he typically just goes all out on his but leaves my space alone. That's pretty safe because I'm happy that he does his so I don't complain that he doesn't do mine too. Besides, I'm not wild about having to confront things that I've been avoiding and my vanity falls into that category. You could easily win one of those "purse bingo" contests by standing in my section of the master bath. In addition to the myriad of makeup and beauty products, you could find extra buttons, safety pins, scissors, vacation souvenirs, magazines and loose change. That's the short list. He had pretty much hit his tolerable limit of the black hole on my counter. When I returned to the bathroom, there was a stack of my stuff that needed to be sorted, discarded, put away or at least organized. He cleared it all off, scrubbed the counter and sink, cleaned the mirror and polished the faucet. I think he even restocked my Q-tip holder. Then he even asked me if I was upset with him. Pfft. All I can say is thank goodness he doesn't have a blog of his own to show before and after pictures. It looks great now.

It's kind of a bittersweet thing for me that he's so helpful. I love the fact that he is willing to chip-in, but it makes me feel like I'm not able to be supermom like moms are supposed to be. I'm not one to ask for help. So when DH goes to help with the laundry and asks "Which load of laundry do you want to do next," I pick out the "you" and get up to do it myself. What he is really trying to ask is which load do I consider the priority so he can get it started. I realize that, but I still feel guilty when he is helping.

Everyone that knows me realizes that I'm not an impeccable housewife. SAHM stands for stay-at-home-mom, not a stay-at-home-maid. I don't claim to be the best at housekeeping, but I do what I can. I should say that I do what I can when I feel like it. Just the other day I mopped the entire kitchen and dining room. But more often than not, I just don't feel like it. When it comes to chores, my focus is always on the dishes and the laundry because I have to do those daily or I end up falling behind. I run the dishwasher daily and hate it when dishes pile up on the countertop. The rest of the house can be a disaster, but one plate and glass on the counter will set me off. We have dogs that shed, so I vacuum a few times a week. That's not including the stairs which I get around to doing much less often. But even at a few times a week with the vacuum along with dusting once per week, you can't really tell. The chaos left from the kids makes it always look messy. When the PJ drawer in Miss K's room would no longer close properly, I spent a bunch of time reorganizing and refolding everything. That evening, she pulled everything out of the drawer in an attempt to locate a particular item, then shoved it all back in. Sigh. What a waste of time that turned out to be because the drawer doesn't close again.

So… dishes, laundry, some vacuuming/dusting - Everything else takes a backseat. We're talking waaay back as in backwards-facing-seat-in-the-station-wagon backseat. I'm looking forward to eventually having a playroom for the kids so that the toys will have one place to congregate. I will easily be able to pack up all misplaced kid stuff and return it to its home in the playroom. The girls are getting to the age where they help unload the dishwasher and sometimes help with the laundry. At least that's progress.

In the meantime, thank goodness that DH pitches in to keep us spic and span!

Yup, all the good ones are taken and I'm glad this ones mine.

Don’t Knock it Until You Try It


In recent days, I've found myself being educated by children on keeping an open mind. Specifically, my preconceived notions of which foods would taste good.

As an example, we took my niece and nephew to lunch last weekend. Nothing fancy, just McDonald's on the way to an event being held at the local fairgrounds. As suspected, the kids each ordered a Happy Meal complete with fountain drink. Being at McD's at lunchtime is hectic enough, add four kids to the mix and it is worse. DH waited at the counter for our order while I escorted the kids to the beverage center then off to find a table. I was filling drinks for my girls, but my niece and nephew are old enough to select their own and big enough to reach it. Part way through our meal, my niece needed a drink refill, so I took her back over to the beverage center. The odd thing was that she didn't select just one drink. She picked them all – and proceeded to add small amounts of each beverage to her glass. From what I recall, it was Coke, Diet Coke, Mello Yello, Pibb, Sprite, Hi-C, Powerade and a spritz of soda water. All I could think was "Ick." I must have said it out loud because she politely asked if I wanted to try it proclaiming "It's really good." My immediate response was "No thanks." Then I stopped and looked her in the face. She was gleaming with pride at her concoction. Knowing I would regret it, I said "Sure, I'll try it." To my surprise, it wasn't horrible. What it tasted like was a mouthful of sweet-tarts. As I walked away, I commented to a woman witnessing the event "I can't bug my kids about trying broccoli unless I try stuff too."

How lax my short term memory must be though because just a few days later I was faced with a similar situation. After getting Miss M headed off to school, Miss K and I set out for the gym. Afterwards, I needed to pick something up at CVS so I told Miss K that if she behaved, I would surprise her with something. Just a few doors down from the CVS is the Bread Basket bakery. It always smells so nice and I like having an excuse to stop in. I figured she would be more than open to the idea of a cookie. To my surprise, she pointed at a cinnamon roll claiming "I want that one." Well, it wasn't really a surprise because she has a fierce sweet tooth… how could she not want a cinnamon roll once she saw all that frosting on top. When I asked the guy behind the counter about it, he pointed out that it was a pumpkin roll. A portion of the dough had been replaced with pumpkin and the cinnamon spread was replaced with a nutmeg spread. Kneeling down next to Miss K, I pointed at the display and said "You won't like that one, honey. Pick something else." Nope. No Way. No How. She had picked the pumpkin roll and was sticking to it. I asked him if he would mind cutting a small piece for her to try before I bought it. After tasting it, I asked if she still wanted it or something else and she confirmed that she wanted that one. Not only was I shocked that she liked it, but I was equally shocked that I did.

Miss K has been into the mix-and-match food thing ever since we went to see Ratatouille. She totally got the "two independent foods create an entirely different flavor when combined" thing. I guess I need to quit turning up my nose when she makes those funky mixtures. I will, however, not budge on DH's kool-aid flavored bread and butter pickles. The smell of bread and butter pickles makes my stomach turn so making them red isn't going to make them any more enticing. I'll stand my ground there.

But the next time the girls don't want to try something, I'll be a little less forgiving.

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