salad overload

I hosted a salad swap at my house this past weekend. It was DELICIOUS! I'd had the idea for a while, but just hadn't actually done it. I finally decided to, my friends loved the idea and so it happened. It was only six couples (and kids) and here are all the salads we had . . .

- rice salad (with beef, bacon and chorizo)
- black bean & corn salad
- tomato salad
- taco salad (oddly, with Doritos, but it was sooooo good!)
- potato salad (made with ranch dressing and bacon bits)
- Greek salad
- couscous salad
- pasta salad
- dessert ambrosia salad
- fruit salad

Seriously, I was wishing I had worn elastic pants or something. I had a little of each one and then went back for seconds. Everyone brought a huge bowl, so it was a lot of food. We all loved it and are looking forward to the next swaps: soup, cookies & ornaments, and of course, scary food! Yum! I can't wait.

feeling: I need to put on my glasses
watching: Countdown

me and you

Brianna's teacher has a tickets prize system. Each week, they get a ticket for each day. Extra tickets are given out for good behavior and are removed as penalties. On Fridays, they can enter as many tickets as they'd like for a drawing.
Here's what I love . . . . as of this week, they are being charged a ticket for the misuse of subjective and objective pronouns. I. Love. It. Oh, and not only in their assignments, but in conversation too. Isn't that all kinds of awesome? Now if they'd do the same for double negatives (that don't make a positive) and gratuitous apostrophes, I'd be in grammar heaven.
Since then, Rodrigo and I have been purposely speaking incorrectly. We've said things like, "Me and Dada are going to watch this" or "Come upstairs with Badger and I". I am uber proud to say that Brianna has cringed at each of these instances. My job here is done. (imagine me bowing here).

feeling: I need a cleaning lady
listening to: Ra Ra Riot (Can You Tell) <--- I don't how many times I've heard this song this summer, but I LOVE it!

chez yvett

Yesterday, on the phone, Rodrigo was on his way home.

him: what's for dinner?
me: pot roast
him: mmmmmm. What did you put in it?
me: salt, pepper, garlic and onion, of course. and carrots. and celery. and cumin. and worcestershire sauce. and sage. and thyme . . . and . . .
him: no bacon?
me. BACON? in a pot roast?
him: well, yeah, in anything

I have to tell you. He loves bacon. Who doesn't right, but he LOVES, loves, loves bacon. He loves it so much that for a while now he's been talking about opening a restaurant and calling it Bacon. I tell him it's not a good idea because it sounds really sort of unhealthy. His whole idea is that everything would have bacon in it. Eww. I mean, I like bacon and all, but not in everything.
I have a restaurant idea too. Well, it's not so much a restaurant but a place where people can go prepare their own dinners and cook them at home. I'd have all the ingredients (already prepped), recipes and "cooking" space. Families could choose the dinners (the amount of dinners, the food and the quantity) then assemble it, take it home, freeze it and cook it throughout the week. It's basically cooking without all the prep work and clean-up. I love my idea and think it would be a hit around here. Idea #2 is a mommy cafe sort of establishment. A full coffee house with a play area, play monitors, and a kids' menu. There are a lot of moms around here who want to be able to go hang out at a coffee place for a while and not have super bored kids. Now, if there are any independently wealthy people out there who are just willing to gift some money for business start up costs . . . . . I'm right here! If only.
I think everyone knows how they'd have their own restaurant. Doesn't everyone have their own dream place in mind? Do share. I love hearing everyone's concepts. (Be assured that I won't take it).

feeling: please rain, please rain, please rain, please rain
listening to: Muse (Uprising)

I'm not ready . . .

-sigh- I'm old. My baby is growing up quickly. Although I have to say that a lot of the things that little kids are doing now were unheard of when I was that age. I guess I've finally turned into that "when I was your age" type of person. I'm freaking out. My daughter, age 10, has been invited to a hotel party this weekend. I. Am. Not. Kidding.
The girl having the party is one of Brianna's bestfriendsinthewholewideworldforever (yes, that's one word because they pronounce it in a single breath). You know how that goes. Brianna was very excited when she got the invitation. Then I read it. I fainted, my eyes popped out cartoon style, then I quickly recovered and smiled at Brianna. I must have rapidly blinked about a million times to make sure that I was reading correctly. A hotel party? For 10 year olds? What kind of joke was this?
Once Brianna was in her room later, I called the mom giving the party. I immediately felt better because she went on to explain that her daughter has practically been begging for a slumber party at a hotel because of some show or movie that she saw. The mom finally gave in with certain rules. There are only going to be four girls (including the birthday girl) and the mom and grandmother are going to be with them at all times. I could tell she was struggling with whether or not this was age appropriate. She seemed to apologizing at the same time as explaining that this was her daughter's biggest wish, basically. The girls are going to be swimming and watching movies and basically just hanging out like they always do.

Another thing . . . . . I recently ran into another mom from school who asked me if Brianna and -boy's name- were still dating. WHAT? Dating? They're 10! I sort of laughed and she told me that her son (who is a the same group of friends) and other kids say that Brianna and -boy's name- are dating AND Brianna and -boy's name- know that their friends say that and are fine with it. Now, I don't know what dating as a 10 year old entails but from what I can gather, it's saying that you are, walking together and talking on the phone. In which case, yes, I suppose they are. I told Rodrigo and he sort of laughed and said that they should have lunch dates and -boy's name- should put Brianna's lunch on his tab. Bwah, ha, ha! Again, -boy's name's- parents have been fabulous. Both his mom and dad called, asked permission for their son to be able to call and email Brianna and let me know that I could call them about any concerns. I thanked them and asked them to do the same. His mom even made Brianna a pair of earrings for -boy's name- to give her as an end of year gift this past May. (Brianna and hotel party girl spent much of that afternoon giggling in Brianna room looking at the earrings and talking about -boy's name- and other crushes)

Doesn't this all sound like the kind of stuff we did in middle school and high school? By the conversations I've had with these two sets of parents and others, we all really feel that same way. It's just the kids are really more advanced than we were. I think we all feel like we have to have open communication with them rather than not allow them to do stuff. We all know what happens when we're forbidden to do things. -sigh- Isn't this all too fast? Am I being old fashioned? Tell me something to make me feel better.

feeling: like a bitter old lady
listening to: Phoenix (1901)