Chrissy Teigen's Granola

My kids ate it. I made her recipe for Peanut Butter Covered Pretzels and Granola with leftover granola. And I effing hate whole stories to go along with recipes so why I'm still typing this crap, I don't know. All you need to know is that the kids ate it all. 

Buy her book, Cravings: Hungry For More and then you'll be able to experience the utter delight of eating homemade granola warm from the oven. 

OBSESSED: Jeggings

Am I really all that fashion forward? No, not at all. The Monkey though, that girl knows how to dress and she's got STYLE.

Me, well, after two kids and weight gain/loss I effing hate wearing pants. Or trying them on. So I generally stick to leggings and yoga pants and jeans that are so old that they're so comfy. So I needed to try something else.

I found "comfort waist band" jeggings at Old Navy. I literally about died laughing at the store. But then I grabbed a pair for myself anyway. They are so comfortable. I have three pairs. I probably shouldn't have three pairs.

But I don't fit into the size medium leggings at Eddie Bauer (THAT'S RIGHT BITCHES, I'M LARGER THAN A MEDIUM ON THE BOTTOM). My hips pretty much hate anything if the pants aren't curvy enough.

So lo and behold...the jeggings come in actual number sizes. THANK GOODNESS BECAUSE I WASN'T ABOUT TO BUY FOUR PAIRS TO FIND OUT THAT THEY JUST FALL OFF MY ASS.

So if you're at Old Navy buying up all the flip flops for next year, pick up a pair of these (but for the love of chocolate, don't buy this pair because LOOK AT THE ANKLES! BUY THE REGULAR ONES!). There, you'll thank me. Or you'll curse me. I'm not sure which. But whatevs, because if you now found a new pair of pants that fits your hips/ass/waist and doesn't need to be hitched up every few minutes, then you rock! Actually, I rock for recommending them.

Happy weekend shopping!!

CSA is Ending Soon

Oh, man. I am going to miss getting fresh eggs and cheese and vegetables on a weekly basis.

I think next year I'm going to sign up for their meat share too. It's so easy and convenient to pick up our food in one spot...then go to Costco once a week. Ha! 

The kids are getting better at eating all the different vegetables and I'm getting better at cooking them how the family likes to eat them. For example, Chewie and I demolished a whole bag of brussel sprouts sauteed with bacon. THAT WAS DELICIOUS. With just a sprinkling of salt. The Monkey eats raw broccoli, I haven't been able to cook ANY of the broccoli because it disappears even before it gets home. The kids eat the tomatoes like apples. I am the only person in the house that likes beets - I like them roasted and then cut like matchsticks and mixed into quinoa bowls (just watch out for pink poop the day after!). The kids need to have their eggs every morning.

Oh, I will be so sad when the deliveries end. 

Book Review: This One Summer

Graphic novels. When I think of graphic novels I think of the old school comic books, where the illustrations are bright, and I'm not quite sure where to move my eyes so the story continues. And when I read I'm not sure if I should pay more attention to the artwork or the words. I've never really been drawn to comic books so I thought I might have to trudge through a graphic novel.

As it turns out, this was AMAZING.

The illustrations are beautiful. I love how I get to see what the authors are thinking and the emotions of the characters.

The story is beautifully written - the teen summer angst is real, the authors capture the selfishness of the teen plus the story of the parents from the teen perspective. It makes me (as a parent) so frustrated and angry but as an adult and remembering my teen years, this graphic novel fits my memories perfectly.

I think that now, as a child of the 80's, reading books by authors who are also children of the 80's makes reading a bit more fun and possibly more interesting. I get to read books that have more of a perspective on life that are a bit closer to my own and it's nice reading books that include that. This particular story never happened to me, but I can see how the teens/preteens are acting.

So, overall, give graphic novels another go. They're fast and easy reads, the illustrations let you see exactly what the author wants you to picture and I love that!

I Need My Caffeine

For the second time (and second coffee-maker!) this year...my coffee-maker broke.

I'm so sad.

I never really liked coffee until I realized that I was making it wrong. And then after I learned NOT to follow the directions to make sludge on the coffee instructions on the bag, I've been really happy with my weak coffee (with coconut creamer!). Two cups and I'm good...well, usually they've been microwaved a few times and the last half I drink around noon. What can I say? It takes me a long time to drink coffee. Busy people have shit to do.

I bought a Hamilton Beach Flex Brew to replace an old (10 year old) Krups. That Krups was AMAZING. It was so simple and easy.

This Hamilton Beach started taking 45 minutes to brew a pot of coffee. Then when I tried cleaning it out last night...and descaling it...it totally stopped working. Except for the single brew serve half. So now I'm stuck with K-cups until Tuesday (I think that's my delivery day). I ordered an old school hotel coffee maker that only makes 4 cups along with a Bodum french press.

I'll have to learn how to make coffee all over again.

AND I'M WHINING ABOUT IT.

Ugh, first world problems.

This Week's Food

Right. So I've got 5 Delicata squash on my counter, 4 Butternut squash, several cherry tomatoes, and it looks like parsley is about to take over my deck. I'm not quite sure what to do.

Last night I roasted Delicata squash (400 degrees for 30 minutes) topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, and ras el hanout seasoning. That was DELISH. I also threw in half a bag of brussel sprouts. They were pretty good too but my favorite way to cook brussel sprouts is in a large pan with BACON. YUM! I'm planning that for tonight. I will probably cut up another Delicata squash and try it mixed in with the brussel sprouts and bacon.

I'm also planning on black bean + butternut squash tacos - there's a recipe in one of my Thug Kitchen cook books but I'm not sure if I have all the ingredients. We don't eat soy so sometimes I have to sub in something else (like...chicken...because we eat meat! HA!).

Wednesday is soccer practice AND The MOnkey is supposed to have a playdate but I'm thinking her sniffles/cold will thwart those efforts for the playdate. We'll see how snotty she is tomorrow morning. On those days, I HAVE to start using the crockpot but I'm just not inspired. At least with the crockpot, the meat is finished and I just have to worry about veggies/starches. So uninspired this week. It's also a New Moon so that means my focus is elsewhere anyway - this moon I'm trying to encourage myself to make time to exercise. I have discovered that I can really only focus on one "extra" at a time because life with kids is ridiculous and their needs come before my own. It is what it is and that's why our house is extra dusty. I don't have time.

This means I'll be scouring Pinterest for good crockpot recipes.

One day will be pizza day.

One day will be soup day.

And chili. I'm craving a HUGE pot of chili with the delicious cheese we got from our CSA this week. Note on our CSA: next year I'm going to sign up for the meat too! All of the food and veggies have been so delicious, it'll be easy to eat more from the farm!

Happy Tuesday!

Just Me & The Kiddos in Duluth!

The first thing we did was see the Lift Bridge. Parking early in the morning is super easy - we got there about 9:45, there were TONS of spots left in the lot. Stores and restaurants also open about 10/11am so it wasn't too crowded. 

This little thingy is right by the Lift Bridge. 

We stopped at the Great Lakes Aquarium. It wasn't exactly the best spot for my children. This is where they learned that I mean business when I tell them directions. And it wasn't very pretty. Both ended up in time out. Several times. Chewie was covered in water. Vacations with kids are not all fun. Sometimes it takes a few "breaks" and time outs to really let kids know that they're not in charge and that poor behavior isn't tolerated. In general my kids are really awesome but the excitement of a new place and being with just me was a bit more than they could take. 

So they learned how to throw rocks. 

Fish at the aquarium.

Kitchi Gammi State Park. This was an awesome place. We spent 2 hours here on the beach - looking for rocks and throwing whatever we could find. 

Scootering on the boardwalk in Duluth.

It's custom to bring a lock for your love for one another. I didn't bring one - I had one with me but it was the second lock that I'd bought in a month for the YMCA. Oh, well! Next time!!

Scootering for hours. That seemed to be the highlight of the weekend.

Looking at a cargo ship in the harbor. Those bitches are HUGE!!

You can walk out to the lighthouse and stand by it watching the ships come in. You can see the Lift Bridge is part-way up in this photo of The Monkey.

So many anchors! The city is filled with old shipping remnants and parts. They're just begging to be climbed on. 

Rock picking.

The city sign over the harbor. 

Chewie's dreams came true. He got to ride a train!

And I mean a real train. The Soo Line engine is right in front of us. We got to watch them hook up the engine to the cars. It was super cool!

Overall - Duluth is great for kids. We did skip going on the Vista Fleet harbor cruise because I didn't want to be stuck on a boat with a screaming 2 year old. but I knew with a train we could move around the train cars and see different areas, plus it was 1.5 hours long, not too long and just enough to entertain! We stayed at the Canal Park Lodge - great location! We walked/scootered everywhere and it was really easy to get to off of I35. 

If you have kids and are looking for an awesome place to explore for a weekend - go! You won't regret it and it's pretty budget friendly too! Happy exploring!

Meal Plan 8/21-8/24

I have none. We were in Duluth. I didn't have time to think of one. HA!!

I do know that I didn't freeze sweet corn in time from last week's CSA so that needs to be composted. I've got a few overripe tomatoes that I can make a small batch of tomato-basil soup.

I also have a bunch of Mint-Basil. I think I'm going to harvest that and freeze it in water so I can mix it into my smoothies in the morning. And I don't like kale in smoothies, I think it tastes weird but I know I have to mix up the greens - to give my body enough variety of minerals and vitamins so I don't get an overload of a single mineral/vitamin.

In the freezer I have both beef AND pork roasts - I also have a lot of Adobo seasoning which is currently the favorite of the kids and mine. I think that would be really good with the pork roast - along with some grilled corn and some sort of tomato/cucumber salad.

The carrots from the CSA this year are AMAZING. I need to shred some up to make some carrot muffins and also for a pasta salad. The princess pasta salad from the Disney cookbook is amazingly delicious and easy - I can make that for dinner on Friday to leave with the sitter (because I GET TO WATCH A BOXING MATCH! I'M SO EXCITED!).

And then we got a new delicious quark cheese in the CSA box too, spread over an english muffin is SO GOOD.

Oh, man. I definitely don't want summer food to end!

Husband Stresses Wife More Than Kids...

After reading this article (which is YEARS old, btw), I have to think...do wives just wait for their husbands to die so they can stop taking care of someone else?

From the article, when wives die first, the husband's health deteriorates whereas when the man dies first, the wife's health drastically improves. So really, are we just waiting for them to die so we can be healthier?

Ironically enough the most stressful thing happened to me yesterday. Bimmer Man got home from his vacation about an hour and a half before the kids and I did. But somehow...he couldn't take 30 seconds out of his time to order a pizza for dinner for the family - but he could browse Instagram which led to me getting frustrated and quite frankly, I didn't fucking make him dinner. He was acting like a child, which totally proves the point of the article. My husband stresses me out more than my children.

I know this has happened to so many women, probably all, and not just once in awhile, every fucking day - and it's because of the patriarchal society. When men think they're better than women, they think that their PARTNER should cater to them. I think that's bullshit. In no way do I want my daughter to marry someone that thinks she should cater to him (or her! Whomever she loves!). So no, I'm not going to make dinner for someone that thinks it's ONLY MY JOB to feed the family. It's his fucking job too.

So this article is seriously still relevant YEARS after it's publishing and I feel like when it was published it seemed to be a running joke. But now I can honestly say...it's true...and that's pretty sad. I'm not sure what it takes to change someone's mind or turn the tide or anything that can change the patriarchal society other than raising boys to be humble as hell. To teach them how to cook, clean, freeze fresh corn, scramble eggs, do laundry, grow flowers, and clean toilets. Chewie will ABSOLUTELY know what his children's clothing and shoe sizes are, he will know how to buy tampons for his partner. I think this is really the only way to change the sexism in America. Both of my children will be sent to college with my recipe cards, know how to do laundry and how to hand wash dishes. They'll get cleaning supplies and I will hold them to high standards. And any roommate of theirs that doesn't know how to do these things...I will fucking teach them because knowing how to live and take care of yourself is basic living and any parent that doesn't teach these things is leaving their child with a disadvantage.

UGH. So I'm leaving you with a photo of my vegetables. Some day Chewie is going to know how to grow some fucking vegetables.

Obsessed

Kinetic Sand. It's entertainment for more than a few minutes in this house!

Find it on Amazon HERE

We have these sand molds.

These construction vehicles.

If you need some kid entertainment, this should certainly help you out to at least go to the bathroom alone for a few minutes!

CSA Meal/Food Planning

This year I've made super random stuff for the fridge and freezer -

I pickled some jalapenos which I thought sugar would take some of the heat out of... NOPE. Still super spicy! Delicious though.

Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles are always a hit.

Tortilla Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

Herb Pesto (made mostly with Sage, Parsley, and a little Basil)

Up next on my list - I planted multiple kinds of Basil so I need a few minutes to myself to gather up all the different Basil leaves, sort them and then make the pesto. I have a Ninja Bullet, so I'm thinking making 4 different pestos in an afternoon will be fairly easy (as long as I don't have to referee children!).

I also need to make another batch of Chimichurri - my jalapeno plant has EXPLODED. I need to find ways to use it up! I was thinking about doing a batch of cornbread with jalapenos too.

My Butternut Squash plants are doing excellent so I'll make a batch of soup and then probably some squash and black bean breakfast burritos too.

I've been going through a phase of getting make-ahead cookbooks from the library but I haven't really been too impressed. One from America's Test Kitchen had mostly meals and dishes that you made 3-4 days in advance and kept in the fridge. I need more freezer meal options - I feel like I need to do this before school starts so I can get back into the swing of things a bit easier. I've found transitions are pretty difficult in this house and everyone takes a few weeks to get used to changes. I do have a freezer meal cookbook, but that calls for bulk items and I'm thinking I just want a few meals instead of 30+ like I usually do. Or now that I type that, maybe I do want to do 30+ meals! That does make dinner and lunch super easy.

My herb plants have held up really well, but I have been consistently watering this year too (which children that love playing with the hose, I can usually bribe them to water!) but my little square foot garden I completely over (or possibly under) estimated - the brussel sprout plants took over and crowded out a yellow pepper and broccoli plants so...now that I know how big those brussel sprout plants get, I'll move those next year to over by the composter and keep the smaller veggies in the square foot garden - the peppers, two tomato plants, a foot of spinach, I'll route a butternut squash plant to go over the rabbit fence, and then I can grow garlic too. That should be a good little easy garden to water, pick weeds, etc...

That's all for now, friends! Have a great rest of your week!

This Summer Sucks

Oh, man. Summer has seriously kicked my ass.

Having two kids home at the same time is crazy. There's always someone talking AT me...not to me. There's always someone crying, screaming my name, or telling me they want a "SNACK." There are days when I threaten to go back to work.

Next year there will be way more summer camps.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my kids but entertaining toddlers versus older children is freaking insane. I can send one kid outside but then the other one wants to follow and the house is a disaster. Summer parenting is absolutely no joke.

To top it all off I found out that I'm anemic, I'm severely deficient in Vitamin D and my Ferritin levels are below normal. So no wonder why I've been freaking exhausted for MONTHS. And I don't mean just tired, I mean 6-week-post-baby-worse-than-tired EXHAUSTED and I haven't had a baby in over two years. This has lasted for MONTHS. Bimmer Man pretty much has been non-existent in this house working on cars that are not in the garage located in our backyard so that means most things around home are left up to me. So I've been feeling pretty much run ragged. It hasn't been easy. It's to the point where I hired a cleaning lady because I just can't do it anymore. The next person on my list is to hire lawn/garden people because I can't even mow the lawn without taking a break, my body is just tired. There, that was a bit of truth for you.

So this summer sucks, much like the summer that Chewie was born.

On the other hand, The MONKEY is riding a fat bike and we've been mountain biking. Chewie has been scootering like a master. My flowers are doing freaking amazing and I've only had to water the pots and random veggies. We took a trip to Colorado that was fun. Bimmer Man and I went to France for 8 days - that was awesome. I'll share pictures at some point.

So not everything has been terrible. It's been fun, but I'm ready for school to get us back into a normal routine and not just me having to come up with ideas for things to do on a daily basis. I can only search Pinterest for so long before I want to stab my eyes out.

Meal Planning 6/21 - 6/25

This week is ridiculously busy. I've changed my mind 12,835 times.

Monday: Leftover Adobo Chicken with Sweet Potato Hash and Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday: Dino Nuggets plus mac and cheese

Wednesday: EARLY DINNER: Grilled Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, Raw cucumbers with hummus

Thursday: Steak and tomato salad with Feta

Friday: Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled sweet potatos and grilled any veggie leftover in the fridge

Saturday: MN United Game

Technology Problems - Photos

Anyone else have them? Especially when you're looking for an app that fits a whole slew of issues. I just can't seem to figure out what might work.

I have so many photos that need to be transferred to something else so they're not on my phone. I don't want them on the computer just in case it dies but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to pay for something like Dropbox yet.

I downloaded Google Photos. That's pretty cool. But it's not always accessible/compatible with other websites to print photobooks and pictures.

So I downloaded Amazon Photos. Meh. At least it reminds you to open the app to back up photos.

I think in the meantime I just need to go back to the external hard drive and then delete all the shit that I don't need...like that photo of a steak that I made 5 years ago. AM I REALLY GOING TO PRINT IT AND PUT IT ON MY WALL??? Probably not.

FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS

2018 Rabbit Strategy For Gardening

I'm trying a new rabbit strategy this year.

I'm drawing them out...to get eaten by the hawks!

Will this work? I HAVE NO IDEA.

But the rabbits ate down a whole pink bush that I absolutely loved last year that I put by our air conditioner to cover up an ugly corner of the yard. I should have put chicken wire around it. It's really my fault for not seeing every single plant as rabbit food.

So today I decided to set out a plate of lettuce and melon. Yep, that's right. I'm going to divert their attention to actual lettuce and greens. I'm going to feed the fucking rabbits too.

A few weeks ago a hawk landed on our fence so I know the predators are out there. I'm hoping to draw out the rabbits to attract the predators and keep the rabbits and squirrels from eating my plants!

Strategy is bold, but at this point, I'm willing to do anything to keep my lovely plants happy and healthy. We'll see if it works!

Book Review: American Gods

This book is freaking awesome.

I'm not much of a science-fiction reader, it's not that I don't like it, I just find that it's hard for me to stay interested in space, aliens, computer stuff, etc... However, with me telling you what I don't like - I DO like more of the fantasy books like The Bear and The Nightengale by Katherine Arden and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

With those things being noted, American Gods weaves old school pagan gods and rituals into modern times. What happens when gods are real but not many people believe in them anymore? Do the gods fade? Do they die? Do they war with each other? What sacrifices have to be made to bring them back? How do the gods get to America in the first place?

Oh, this books brings all of these questions together. The writing is phenomenal, the imagery is amazing, and I feel like all of the places mentioned in the book can be found. Now that it's been made into a tv show, I watched the first episode and it's really good! Now that I've finished the book, I'm going to have to keep up with the show.

Overall - highly recommended! This would make an excellent summer read.

Chewie's Favorite Tortilla Soup

Chewie's Favorite Tortilla Soup AKA A Kid-Friendly Version of Thug Kitchen's Tortilla Soup

2 tbsp veggie, grapeseed, or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped into half moons
2 small jalepenos or 1 large jalepeno, enough for a little kick but not nose-dripping heat
2 small spoonfuls of minced garlic (or like 4 cloves)
2 1/2 tsp each of cumin, oregano, chili powder
1 can of diced tomatoes (I like fire roasted tomatoes in this, Chewie also approves)
1 small can of tomato paste
4 cups of veggie broth (1 whole box)
1 cup water
6-8 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch squares
Bunch of cilantro if you don't think it tastes like soap
Juice of 2 limes or 2 tbsp lime juice
Thug Kitchen calls for chickpeas for topping, but I've never done that :::shrug:::

Heat a stockpot over medium high heat. Toss in the onions, carrots, and jalepenos. Saute for 5 minutes or until soft.

Add in the garlic. Cook for another minute or two.

Add in the spices. Stir it all around until it smells amazing and all the spices have touched the heat.

Add in both types of tomatoes. Make sure the tomato paste is a bit melted and stirable.

Add the broth and the water. If you have 5 cups of broth, do that instead. The Thug Kitchen recipe calls for 5 cups of broth but there's only 4 cups in a box of broth. WTF...

Stir everything together until it's all combined. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Basically enough time to unload/load a dishwasher, rinse out the recycling cans, set the table, etc...

Add in the tortillas. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

At this point, if you like cilantro, add in a handful of cilantro so it can be blended into the soup. Or you can chop and top as a topping instead.

Using your immersion blender, blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in batches in a regular blender (but cover the hole in the lid with a towel to let steam escape).

Add in the lime juice.

Serve.

Baby Chewie likes to ea

Review: Bobby Flay's Salsa Verde Soup

I requested Bobby Flay's Fit cookbook from the library. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting because it's not like Bobby Flay is in the weightloss or fitness genre. I suppose I was expecting more...Bobby Flay???

I thought that the Salsa Verde Chicken soup recipe would be a great easy recipe to try, expecially during Spring Break when I have some extra time to cook. I mean, the children are still wild animal beasts but whatevs...

In any case the soup was straight up chicken, stock, plus salsa verde. There were no other veggies in the soup, no pasta, no rice, no legumes, no beans. Just straight up chicken.

I thought it was bland too. The two jalepenos in the Salsa Verde did not do the soup justice, it was VERY kid-friendly except for the whole no veggie part. I did have to dig the chicken out for Chewie because he couldn't scoop it out with his spoon which meant that he ate his soup on a plate and I needed to serve cut veggies with hummus for a side dish to make up for the lack of veggies in the soup.

I did make another recipe - Quinoa Con Pollo which was EXCELLENT. I have the book for another two weeks, so I'm definitely going to try a few more recipes from Bobby Flay Fit.

Bruschetta & Goat Cheese Sandwich

Bruschetta & Goat Cheese Sandwich

Just add leftover bruschetta to your sandwich instead of mayo or mustard.

Seriously. That's the recipe.

Selfies by The Monkey

Sausage And Kale Soup

Sausage and Kale Soup

2 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 package (approximately 1 pound) mild italian sausage (or spicy, whatever your taste buds like)

1 small-ish onion, chopped

3 larger carrots, diced for small throats (because carrots are choking hazards, weird parent thing)

6 small potatoes, chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic (about 1-2 cloves, depending on size)

4 cups veggie or chicken broth, whatever you have on hand

1 tsp ground basil

1/2 tsp ground marjoram

1 bunch lacinto kale, rinsed and chopped or torn into 1-2 inch pieces

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1-3 ice cubes worth of pesto, parsley for garnish

To serve: crusty bread or pita chips

Heat a stockpot over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the oil, then the italian sausage breaking it into bite size pieces. 

After 3 minutes, add in the onion, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Soften and let them brown up a bit until the sausage is cooked through, maybe 6-10 minutes. 

Add in the basil and marjoram, stir until it smells amazing, about a minute. 

Add in the broth. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. 

Add the kale and chickpeas. Simmer for another 5 minutes or until chickpeas are warmed through and kale is nicely wilted. 

If using pesto, add in 1-2 large tablespoons or 1-3 ice cubes of frozen pesto. I think this is the extra ingredient that makes this soup delicious! I used homemade pesto that I made using CSA ingredients last fall and froze in an ice cube tray. Use homemade OR store bought, whatever is easiest for you.

Add Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pita chips, crusty bread, etc... 

Book Review: Bad Feminist

You know when you're angry and you don't know why? You just can't put words to those words that a man mansplained to you? Well, this is that book. Roxane Gay puts those words in your mouth and makes you do a fist pump for putting words to your feelings.

As a woman in this modern world, it's so freaking exhausting to have to explain over and over again why cat calling is offensive, why touching my shoulder or arm is offensive, why it's not ok to joke about rape. I mean really, if you have to be told to not do these things, you're the one with the problem, not me. At the same token, if I have to pretend to be stupid so I don't offend a man, that's fucked up too. Masculinity is not defined by MY PRETENDING THAT A MAN IS SMARTER THAN ME.

Ugh. This book really gets to me.

Also, I was concurrently reading The Underground Railroad by Colston Whitehead so I was deeply enraged (and still am!) by slavery in America. I was at the YMCA working out at the time that I finished The Underground Railroad on the stationary bike. I looked around at all the black people and I just wanted to cry. Slaves were treated like shit. Then freed. Then treated like shit again. Then were able to vote. Still treated like shit. And still in this modern day, black people are still treated like shit. How on Earth people in America deny systemic racism is beyond me.

Bad Feminist also points out the hypocrisies in Feminism - like not all Feminists are bra-burners, not all Feminists boycott male-centered movies or tv shows or books or whatnot. Women in general still like things that the public might not call Feminist. Or feminist. See? There's a difference when you see Feminist and feminist. Does one of those words look "better" to you? Right. I'm a terrible feminist (Feminist). I stay at home. I rely on my husband for money, but I'm still a feminist; I am raising my children to be respectful, kind, curious, educated, and wonderful people. I'm still a fucking feminist, albeit a Bad Feminist.

This just renewed my irritation for ignorance, misogyny, female-bashing, and other current events that piss me off. I must shake my head twice a day at news that I hear about violence against women, sexual harassment, someone saying women CAN'T do something. WHEN IS THIS GOING TO END???? WHEN CAN WOMEN STOP PRETENDING TO BE STUPID TO MAKE MEN FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES??? When can I walk on the street without carrying my keys like I'm going to stab someone with them?

Overall: if you're still pissed about current events, read this book to keep the fire lit beneath you. If your head is under a rock and you have no idea about FEMINISM, then read this book. It will make you pissed off for women and you'll want to carry a stick around to bash people over the head with it.

62 Mile Ride for Tour de Cure

It's Tour de Cure time.

I've decided to ride 62 miles to raise money for a cure for diabetes. HAVE I LOST MY MIND???? Nope. I'm just doing what I can.

Click here to donate to find a Cure!

Just Chillin'

It's a Baby in a Bush

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

So this actually happened a few months ago. But it's so fucking ridiculous that I have to share. 

The Monkey was in the bathroom for a VERY LONG TIME. 

And this is the reason. I have no idea how on Earth she pulled down the blinds. Kids do weird shit all the time. Really, they do!

Because these blinds suck I went ahead and called a company to give me a quote for cordless blinds because I don't want my children hanging themselves on blinds. It happens. It's a real thing with kids - parents are literally on suicide watch for every moment that their child is awake until the children can make common sense decisions for themselves. I don't actually know when the worry ends, I don't think it does. 

Back to cordless blinds. 

$200 per window. AND THAT WAS WITH A DISCOUNT. 

I just about SHAT MYSELF when I got the quote.

Bimmer Man said no. I still waver back and forth between calling other places too but I'm pretty sure the company that I called is the cheapest in the Twin Cities.

Maybe I'll just wait for them to crash down on Bimmer when he's on the pot. Because those windows on the neighbor's house...those are their living room windows.