Best & Worst of the Week (food and drink)

Best Food of the Week: Lean Pockets 4 cheese

Why: tasty and neat, like a little pizza burrito, only 300 calories and 7 grams of fat, less than a buck apiece, microwave cookable, and now with a handy take along "On-the-Go" crisping sleeve (yes, that last is from their website) but they have the right idea. The breakfast ones can go with you in the car without making too much mess, and my hat is off to whomever created the term "crisping sleeve." I'm a believer! There are gobs of different flavors with similar fat content and I will be trying them. Get yours today!

WORST WORST WORST Drink of the Week: Starbucks Skinny Mocha with sugar free mocha syrup

Why: this was so bitter and saccharine-y I didn't even finish it. To quote Roman, who had a little sip, "It tastes like gas!" If you say this fast, it's even funnier. Anyway, worst $3.84 I have spent in recent memory. Now I'm looking at the on-line literature, and the real mocha with nonfat milk is 2.5 grams of fat/220 calories compared to the skinny mocha, 0 grams of fat/130 calories. I will sooooo be ordering the original mocha and walking the stairs like 6 extra times. Maybe the skinny latte is better, but considering that the menu picture shows it with a piece of marble coffee cake (24 fat grams/490 calories) what are they really trying to sell us? So here's my suggestion: just order your drink with nonfat milk/regular syrup, no cake, and take the stairs?!?!? Your tastebuds and glutes will thank you. Tee hee!

Deep Thoughts by Helen Keller

This is too good not to add here:

"I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do something that I can do." -- Helen Keller

If that doesn't help fortify your new year's resolutions, whatever they are and however they stand, nothing will.
Go Helen!

Whew . . . it's over! Bring on 2008.

We are drowning in toys. And toy packaging. For some reason this seems like the first Christmas where the kids got everything and then some. And I didn't do so bad myself!! But it was a good holiday, in spite of the fact that every one of us had a cold -- Laney topped us all with a triple-double: double ear infection, two trips to the doctor, and two - count them - two different antibiotics. That girl does not mess around!

Anyway, here's a little blast from the 80's past, and a great post Xmas message:

Though I believe, and please by all means comment if I'm wrong, the originals read Frankie SAY Relax. So, fine, they have corrected the grammar. Also, I had the codicil and more subversive social commentary shirt "Frankie Say Arm the Unemployed" -- because that, to a high school kid, is funny. I wore it to a dance where you had to match your date, and there is probably photo evidence somewhere on the property but I don't feel like digging it out. Anyway, hope YOU get to relax in the next few days. Then it's welcome to the new year, so all the best for the last bit of 2007!

Halloween Roundup & Dancin' Girl Bonus Clip

Well the cuteness is in . . . Roman and Delaney made Halloween so fun this year! Roman is still consuming his candy (Mom and Dad begrudgingly mete out pieces in exchange for vegetable eating and tooth brushing) and Laney made it for about 10 whole houses. At that age, it's really just about the costume.





















And the big finish: Laney shows her mad dancing skills (not to be missed):

ComingtoRockStreet.com

Ok, so this huge church behind our neighborhood had a grand opening yesterday. Advertised for weeks in advance as ComingtoGilbert.com -- softpedaling the church part and upselling the EVENT. Food, monster trucks, rock climbing, pedicures, Starbucks -- definitely all things to all people. We're still not sure how the God part fits in but I did read in the paper that the Sunday service will be a live tv feed of their pastor speaking from the North Mesa location. Now I don't know about you, but this seems oddly inefficient. Why should the congregators get dressed and go to church to watch someone on tv? Why don't they just webcast it and everyone can stay at home -- the technology is there to collect the offering via PayPal -- they could even make a little collection plate window that pops up at opportune times! They should hit up the parishioners for whatever they save in gas money! Anyway . . . traffic problems notwithstanding, we did enjoy the big finale from our 'hood -- a 30 minute fireworks show -- and the friends who were over for dinner all agreed that we'd be willing to kick in about $20 for that. We're just hoping they do another blowout for July 4th so we can sit in our driveway and watch and ooh-aah from home! Unless they decide to broadcast it from their other site . . . on tv.

September Already

As promised in my last post, here's a household cleaning secret PLUS the eagerly awaited All Hail the Swiffer write-up! The secret of the week, no, may I say the YEAR is . . . Fabuloso. This very affordable, effective, concentrated, deodorizing miracle alternative to 409 is nothing short of its name. Plus it's fun to say -- c'mon, try it! I think it's about $1.78 for a half-gallon at Target, and the smell alone makes your whole room feel cleaner. It's . . . fabuloso (and arranca la grasa). We like the Ocean Cool "flavor" but certainly, try the Lavender if you're adventurous!

And may I, once again, bow down to the marketing gurus at Swiffer, because those commercials WORK! Maybe it's subliminal visuals, maybe it's backmasking, but hats off to any company that can motivate a 4-year-old boy to actually dust! And think it's fun. Check it out . . . (and observe the TV in its rarely-used OFF position).

Delaney #1!

Wow -- what a year. Our daughter is walking, climbing, sippy cupping, and . . . what? Carrying a purse?!? She loves to put anything with a strap over her shoulder. So . . . out with the formula (here is our last and final can memorialized here and not to be missed!) and in with the whole milk -- YESSSSS!

Here Laney demonstrates her brilliant walking/drinking technique!

And brilliant carrying-things-like-a-purse technique.

Daddy went all out on her cake: and it showed! Those folks at Tammy Coe sure know how to make a cake!

Of course, Roman helped with candle blowing and wish making. He is a great big brother! Laney was a great sport and even tried the fondant . . .

Stay tuned for the next post with more on my secret house cleaning weapons . . . including The Swiffer! All hail the Swiffer!