Have you ever seen a grown woman do a happy dance over bread?

When I become a rich and famous celebrity I'm only going to do paid endorsements* on products I really like and use regularly. Luckily these two products would fit the bill because I already buy their brand weekly.

So I'm a bit late in saying it but September is Whole Grain Month. For our family it wasn't really a big deal because we eat whole grains throughout the whole year. Our sandwich bread of choice is Oroweat** 100% Whole Wheat bread. When Jack started school two years ago and sandwiches became a major lunch item, I tried out lots of whole grain bread. Most were rough or dry or hard. I went so far as to try and make my own sandwich bread but couldn't get it to slice thin enough. My quest was over after we tried Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat. I buy a loaf every week.

Oroweat has two new products that they sent me to try.

Have you ever seen a grown woman do a happy dance over bread? Yea, it's a little pathetic but here is why I was so excited when I heard about one of their new products. One of our regular dinners is homemade veggie burgers and my consistent problem is what to serve them on. Buns are way too thick and bready for my taste and I hate the fact that my kids are getting way more bread than veggie burger.

So every time I make veggie burgers I cut my sandwich bread (Oroweat 100% Whole Grain) into rounds. I get one round per slice of bread. It's the perfect bread/veggie burger ratio in my mind.

The one problem? I'm left with this:And I hate waste.

But then I found out about Oroweat Sandwich Thins. (Envision me doing the happy dance!) Seriously, it is the perfect solution.

Round? Check!

Not too thick? Check!

100% whole wheat? Check!

No high fructose corn syrup? Check!

I love it when a reoccurring problem gets solved! I haven't made the veggie burgers on them yet but we did give them a test run for grilled cheese sandwiches. YUM! Besides burgers and sandwiches, these would also be great for a paninis.

And I needed a quick and easy dinner tonight and I thought, "Why not use the sandwich thins to make mini pizzas for the boys?" They gobbled them up!

The second new product from Oroweat is their Dutch Country 100% Whole Wheat bread. Quite honestly, I couldn't tell much difference between this bread and the Oroweat bread that I buy weekly...which is a good thing since I obviously like what I usually buy. The Dutch Country smelled and tasted like the standard 100% whole wheat but had a smoother springier texture. In that regard it seemed more like white bread. I'm not a food critic so I'm not sure how best to describe it other than to say that it was good.

I guess we are an Oroweat family because I like their old stuff and their new stuff. I'd definitely recommend them, especially if you don't think you'll like whole grain bread but want to make the switch for health reasons.

Now, who wants to buy me a panini press for Christmas?

*This wasn't a paid endorsement, though I did get some dough...I mean bread. ;)

**West of the Mississippi the brand is called Oroweat. Over the river it's called Arnold.

It's so hard...

All this summer I heard:

You just don't get it! - Jack

Can I have an iPod? - Jack

You ruined my life! - Logan

I'm not your son anymore! - Jack

It's so hard raising teenagers...

Oh, wait...my kids are 4 and 3.

And, yes, I did laugh out loud when my 3 year old informed me that I ruined his life!

The Threes of Me

Alright, so I've majorly slacked off once again. I have excuses though...school and colds. I'm trying to get back in the groove so here is a generic and easy post (taken from Facebook). Hopefully I'll get something original out some time this week...sigh...

The Threes of Me

Three Names I go by:
1. Mama
2. Hey you!
3. Carey

Three Jobs I Have Had in My Life:
1. Butt wiper
2. Booboo kisser
3. Hygiene consultant

Oh, wait...those were just today. Here are my more broad answers:
1. Media Supervisor
2. Restaurant Cashier
3. Gift Wrapper

Three Places I Have Lived:
1. Monterey, CA
2. Fairfax, VA
3. Newport, RI

Three Favorite Drinks:
1. Coke Zero
2. Arnold Palmer
3. Water

Three TV Shows That I Watch:
1. The Gilmore Girls (in ABC Family reruns)
2. The Amazing Race
3. Everything on Noggin

Three Places I Have Been:
1. Morocco
2. Cook Islands
3. Vietnam

Three of My Favorite Foods:
1. Hummus with Pita Chips
2. Chopped Veggie Salad
3. Oatmeal Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips

Three Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. Meeting our daughter in China
2. Showing my kids the world
3. Growing old with Scott

Who's who?

Which little monkey:

• When driving in the car, said "Mama, are you lost again? Did you try to take a longcut?"
• After I explained that because it was the last day of the summer I was going to let him and his brother have ice cream for lunch said, "Mama, you're acting very strange!"
• While on the long drive to his grandparents house, said, in all seriousness, "I wish we were there already! Logan, I have an idea! We should build a giant slingshot and then we could just 'boing' ourselves there!"

Which little love bug:

• Said "I love lizards. They're my friends. If I get one, I'll name him Fuzzbucket."
• Asked his Nana if he could pee in her houseplant (because he is potty training and outside I let him pee in the bushes).
• Wanted to take the chopped peanuts from a McDonald's hot sudge sundae and plant them in the backyard in hopes they would grow watermelons.

You know you are a mom when...

You know you are a mom when...

you get the following fortune in your cookie "You will be showered with good luck tomorrow!" and think to yourself, "I'll just be happy if I get a shower tomorrow!"

_____________________________________

You know you are mom when...

you are in a dressing room trying on clothes and you sit down on the floor to see if they comfortable enough.

_____________________________________

You know you are a mom when...
you need to write down your family's sandwich order and the only thing you can find in the car to write on is a magnadoodle.

You know you are a blom (blogging mom) when...
you take a picture of it!

(And yes, I did take the magnadoodle into the deli to place my order.)

The Country Fair

I live in a big city. Actually, a ginormous city. But I long for a smaller town...with country fairs and wide open spaces. With fresh air and safer neighborhoods. With less traffic and more quiet. With a sense of community where you actually know your neighbors' names and kids can play on their street.

So when I read that Chili Pepper over at Art's Chili is hosting a country fair, I was instantly drawn to the idea.

Starting September 14 (and running through October 7), bloggers can write their own post to participate in a bloggers' country fair.

You photograph your sewing, canning, painting, drawing, photography, baking, building, scrapbooking, needlepoint, knitting, cross stitching, etc...masterpiece and post it on your blog. You can explain your entry with some journaling or just put up your picture.

Then you can link your post on Chili Pepper's blog hop post and head over to other bloggers to see their entries. Everyone who links up will be entered to win prizes.

I have no idea what I'm going to make for the fair. Heck, I've never even been to a fair so I think a little investigative work is in order. But my local fair is out of the question. If you want a good laugh, take a look at these 30 second commercials for the fair where I live. I think you can understand why I might want to move.

And trust me...the commericals are worth seeing. I think they might be the funniest videos I've ever seen because they are supposed to be a parody but are very true to life.

Hope to see you at the bloggers' country fair!

Magic forests and chasing gulls...

Just a couple more pics to finish up the rest of our trip to my parents' house...

Every morning at Nana and Granddad's house starts with a walk down the hill to get the newspaper. Granddad usually has our dog, Marley, and both boys in tow.

Logan running back up the hill.

Jack and Granddad with the reason for their quest.

After our morning at the aquarium, we took a short nature walk.

I thought this oak grove was magical but of course, I couldn't get anyone to pose for a pic there.

However, we did convince the boys that the forest was magical because Granddad pulled coin after coin out of their ears...well, until he ran out of coins in his pocket.

The next day we headed to the river beach for a little rest and relaxation.

The boys tried catching fish in buckets...

And when that didn't work they headed to the other side to chase the seagulls.

All in all a wonderful weekend. And traffic wasn't even bad on the way home!