My toothpaste makes me laugh. Seriously, I giggle every morning and evening. Why? Because the people at Colgate have apparently decided to cut costs in the area of advertising.
Our current tube of basic white paste bears a label that boasts about it's "Great Regular Flavor!" Really? This is how you want to make the sale? By trying to drum up excitement using the word regular? You may as well market it as "Fabulous in it's Lack of Improvement!" or "Our Least Creative Version!"
Seriously, I'd suggest either using the word "Classic" or "Original" as slightly more positive replacements. Or stamp the product simply"Regular Flavor"without the unnecessary enthusiasm. When was the last time you raved to someone about the fantastically regular movie you saw last night, or the delightfully regular dessert at the new restaurant in town?
I'm such a backseat advertiser. I will say, though, that my teeth feel satisfyingly regular after having brushed them with my Colgate toothpaste...
Monday, April 21, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I guess they do have Biblical names...
Maya's been asking me frequently in recent days to act out the story of Noah's Ark with her Fisher Price set. One day, while the animals were in the process of boarding the ark, she requested that I wait to close the boat's door until two extra passengers had a chance to take their places inside...Thomas the tank engine and James the red engine.
"Can Thomas and James go on the ark too, Mama?"
"Um, sure." I answered. After all - if talking, feeling, thinking trains had existed back in the day, I'm sure God would have included a pair among the ark-bound menagerie.
The updated twist on the classic tale grew more involved a few days ago when I was interrupted again, this time in the middle of the Lord's monologue to Noah about the upcoming flood and his related instructions.
"And Noah listened to God, " I was explaining, "and obeyed what he was told about..."
"And THEN, " Maya interjected excitedly, "Noah heard a 'Peep peep!'! Here comes Thomas the Tank Engine!"
That's right - in current repetitions of this story, Thomas and James have developed speaking roles. The new version also involves Thomas carrying all of the animals to the ark. He's sort of a railway assistant to Noah.
It's all good, I suppose. She's taking an interest in Bible stories and exercising her creative muscles at the same time. It does make me wonder what new fusion will show up next. Elmo at the nativity? Boots the Monkey curled up next to Moses in the woven basket floating through Egypt? Only time...and my three-year-old director...will tell.
"Can Thomas and James go on the ark too, Mama?"
"Um, sure." I answered. After all - if talking, feeling, thinking trains had existed back in the day, I'm sure God would have included a pair among the ark-bound menagerie.
The updated twist on the classic tale grew more involved a few days ago when I was interrupted again, this time in the middle of the Lord's monologue to Noah about the upcoming flood and his related instructions.
"And Noah listened to God, " I was explaining, "and obeyed what he was told about..."
"And THEN, " Maya interjected excitedly, "Noah heard a 'Peep peep!'! Here comes Thomas the Tank Engine!"
That's right - in current repetitions of this story, Thomas and James have developed speaking roles. The new version also involves Thomas carrying all of the animals to the ark. He's sort of a railway assistant to Noah.
It's all good, I suppose. She's taking an interest in Bible stories and exercising her creative muscles at the same time. It does make me wonder what new fusion will show up next. Elmo at the nativity? Boots the Monkey curled up next to Moses in the woven basket floating through Egypt? Only time...and my three-year-old director...will tell.
This week in my kitchen (Week of April 14th)
Late edition this week, but here it is!
My featured dinner is one that Mary Ann posted on her blog the other week, and I knew I had to try it! Totally yummy chicken and asparagus dish. I made biscuits to go with it and they were so good with the extra sauce!
Here's the link to Mary Ann's post...
*****
Saucy Chicken & Asparagus Bake
*****
And my baking venture? A spur-of-the-moment decision to whip up something for a playgroup gathering I hosted yesterday resulted in a delightful new favorite...Strawberry Bread! First time I made it, but it won't be the last.
*****
Strawberry Bread
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
3 cups + 2 T. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350. Butter & flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Slice strawberries and place in bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and let sit while preparing the rest. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Mix well. Blend oil and eggs and stir into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Divide batter between pans and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely.
*****
My featured dinner is one that Mary Ann posted on her blog the other week, and I knew I had to try it! Totally yummy chicken and asparagus dish. I made biscuits to go with it and they were so good with the extra sauce!
Here's the link to Mary Ann's post...
*****
Saucy Chicken & Asparagus Bake
*****
And my baking venture? A spur-of-the-moment decision to whip up something for a playgroup gathering I hosted yesterday resulted in a delightful new favorite...Strawberry Bread! First time I made it, but it won't be the last.
*****
Strawberry Bread
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
3 cups + 2 T. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350. Butter & flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Slice strawberries and place in bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and let sit while preparing the rest. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Mix well. Blend oil and eggs and stir into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Divide batter between pans and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely.
*****
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
This week in my kitchen (Week of April 7th)
For dinner last night I made one of my favorite spring/summer time salads. I usually serve it alongside some French bread with olive oil & dipping spices. Mmm...
****
Grilled Chicken Salad
2 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts; grilled, seasoned, & diced
1 - head romaine lettuce, rinsed & chopped
1 - or 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 - yellow pepper, cut into thin slices
1- avocado, diced
shredded cheese
honey mustard dressing (my favorite store-bought brand is Marzetti's, but I'd like to start making my own)
Toss chicken, veggies, & cheese together and top with dressing.
*****
This was my new baking recipe of the week! All I can say is...holy crap. These. Are. Good.
*****
Oatmeal Carmelitas
****
Grilled Chicken Salad
2 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts; grilled, seasoned, & diced
1 - head romaine lettuce, rinsed & chopped
1 - or 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 - yellow pepper, cut into thin slices
1- avocado, diced
shredded cheese
honey mustard dressing (my favorite store-bought brand is Marzetti's, but I'd like to start making my own)
Toss chicken, veggies, & cheese together and top with dressing.
*****
This was my new baking recipe of the week! All I can say is...holy crap. These. Are. Good.
*****
Oatmeal Carmelitas
| Crust | |
| 2 | cups All Purpose or Unbleached Flour |
| 2 | cups quick-cooking rolled oats |
| 1 1/2 | cups firmly packed brown sugar |
| 1 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| 1 1/4 | cups margarine or butter, softened |
Filling | |
| 1 | (12.5-oz.) jar (1 cup) caramel ice cream topping |
| 3 | tablespoons All Purpose or Unbleached Flour |
| 1 | (6-oz.) pkg. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips |
| 1/2 | cup chopped nuts |
DIRECTIONS
| Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix at low speed until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes. | |
| Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Return to oven; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into bars. ***** |
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
This week in my kitchen (Week of March 31st)
Ok, so the two recipes I'm posting today are not health foods, by any means. But boy, are they good ones!
Maya and I baked up these cookies this afternoon...
****
Oatmeal Scotchies
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars gradually, then eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes, then remove to wire rack.
****
And later this week, I'll be serving this awesome macaroni and cheese for dinner. It's a recipe I got from my sister, and it rocks.
****
Macaroni & Cheese
3/4 box elbow macaroni
2 cups sour cream
2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
salt & pepper, to taste
Cook macaroni to package directions. Mix with remaining ingredients and spread in 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with buttered breadcrumbs, if desired. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
****
Maya and I baked up these cookies this afternoon...
****
Oatmeal Scotchies
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars gradually, then eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool on pan for 2 minutes, then remove to wire rack.
****
And later this week, I'll be serving this awesome macaroni and cheese for dinner. It's a recipe I got from my sister, and it rocks.
****
Macaroni & Cheese
3/4 box elbow macaroni
2 cups sour cream
2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
salt & pepper, to taste
Cook macaroni to package directions. Mix with remaining ingredients and spread in 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with buttered breadcrumbs, if desired. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
****
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
This week in my kitchen (Week of March 24th)
Typing quick because the baby's fussy! :)
Made these for the first time this week - really good!
********
Calzones
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. very warm water
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. diced pepperoni
1/2 c. mushrooms, green peppers, or other veggie of your choice
1 tsp. dried basil
1 egg, beaten
marinara sauce for dipping
Dissolve yeast in water; add oil, sugar, salt, and 1 cup flour and mix until smooth. Add remaining flour gradually, forming a soft, workable dough. Knead 5 minutes, until elastic. Place dough in oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in warm place for about 40 minutes, or until doubled.
While dough is rising, mix together cheeses, pepperoni, veggies and basil and chill in refrigerator.
Punch dough down, divide into two portions. Roll out each portion on lightly=floured surface into thin circle. Top each circle with half of the filling mixture and fold in half, pinching to seal edges. Place on baking sheet and brush tops of calzones with egg.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
********
On the baking front, my mom's birthday is this weekend, and as always, I'm making the cake! She's requested a basic white cake with my favorite chocolate butter cream frosting. Here's what I'll use, both out of my Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. The cake is for two layers, but I usually adjust it to make three. I like nice, tall cakes!
********
White Cake Supreme
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 egg whites
Beat shortening at medium speed until creamy, gradually add sugar, beating well.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition, just until blended. Stir in vanilla.
Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold bean egg whites into batter.
Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
Rich Chocolate Buttercream
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Melt chocolates together over low heat, stirring often. Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Add melted chocolate and remaining ingredients. Beat until spreading consistency.
*******
Made these for the first time this week - really good!
********
Calzones
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. very warm water
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. diced pepperoni
1/2 c. mushrooms, green peppers, or other veggie of your choice
1 tsp. dried basil
1 egg, beaten
marinara sauce for dipping
Dissolve yeast in water; add oil, sugar, salt, and 1 cup flour and mix until smooth. Add remaining flour gradually, forming a soft, workable dough. Knead 5 minutes, until elastic. Place dough in oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise in warm place for about 40 minutes, or until doubled.
While dough is rising, mix together cheeses, pepperoni, veggies and basil and chill in refrigerator.
Punch dough down, divide into two portions. Roll out each portion on lightly=floured surface into thin circle. Top each circle with half of the filling mixture and fold in half, pinching to seal edges. Place on baking sheet and brush tops of calzones with egg.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
********
On the baking front, my mom's birthday is this weekend, and as always, I'm making the cake! She's requested a basic white cake with my favorite chocolate butter cream frosting. Here's what I'll use, both out of my Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. The cake is for two layers, but I usually adjust it to make three. I like nice, tall cakes!
********
White Cake Supreme
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 egg whites
Beat shortening at medium speed until creamy, gradually add sugar, beating well.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition, just until blended. Stir in vanilla.
Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold bean egg whites into batter.
Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
Rich Chocolate Buttercream
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Melt chocolates together over low heat, stirring often. Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Add melted chocolate and remaining ingredients. Beat until spreading consistency.
*******
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Balancing the Bunny
She did it again, she did. My mind-twin, Megan, has once again posted a thought-provoking blog entry that has inspired me to write out said thoughts as a way of working through them.
I am so, so guilty of ritualistic consumption. Before the birth of my son a few months ago, a Monday just wasn't a Monday without a trip to Starbucks following a grocery shopping run with my daughter. There are certain times of year or even mood swings that simply seem to require the purchase of something...whether it be a new pair of sandals at the first sign of Spring, or a baked good loaded with chocolate when I need a pick-me-up. It's not something I particularly enjoy about myself, but there you have it.
Holiday seasons, however, most definitely bring the most challenges to my love/hate relationship with "stuff". Easter weekend in my childhood years was full of "things"...a brand-new dress, often paired with hat and gloves...a corsage purchased by my father for each of his daughters and our mother...a basket filled with sweets and goodies and hidden somewhere downstairs for us to gleefully hunt on Sunday morning...great memories. Mark and I negotiated this point a bit when determining how to celebrate the season with our kids, as his Easters in growing-up years contained far less...er...fluff. And because, let's be honest, spending money in any capacity isn't something he jumps up and down about. (Love you, honey.) But he's fine with each of the kids wearing a new outfit on Easter morning, so long as it fits the constraints of our clothing budget, and he relented on the Easter basket debate (we keep them verrrrry basic).
I struggled at times with the question of whether or not these froufrou indulgences would diminish the true meaning of the Easter holiday. But I've determined that this no longer concerns me all that much. Even with all of the Easter extravaganza of long ago times, I still very much knew as a child that what really made the day special was the celebration of Christ's victory over death. And I've decided that it's much more important to ensure that both the birth and resurrection of Jesus be truths that are held close in our hearts and minds as a family year-round. The holiday hoopla, reindeer and rabbits, stockings and baskets, candy canes and jelly beans can be modestly embraced without undue paranoia as festive ways to mark the seasons, but we will do our best (God, help us) to make the deeper meanings a part of daily life.
There is an element in all of this that does cause me some alarm, however. And that is the fear that our kids (mine, and in society in general) will pay the price for our growing obsession with stuff, stuff, STUFF. I took a trip to Target the other day to pick up a couple of small items to put in the kids' baskets, and I was in complete shock standing in the holiday-themed aisles. Not kidding, it looked as though the Easter bunny had fallen into a blender along with Dora the Explorer, the Sesame Street gang, Mr. Potato Head and a box of pastel crayons and then someone had turned said blender on high and removed the lid. And don't get me started on the candy. Every form of sweet confection in existence...now in convenient egg form! So. Much. Stuff. And all of it for one season. I stood there reeling in front of the shelves and shelves of chocolate bunny choices and wondered just how much we're all messing up our kids by buying into this. Because here's the thing: as nauseous as it all made me, it got to me too. I found myself picking up several knick-knacks and thinking, "Ooo, Maya would really like this Elmo/bunny Pez dispenser...", and "Hmm...I could spend a bit more money and get her the chocolate bunny that's twice as big and wearing a dress..."
I had to work hard to restrain myself from those purchases, and then I walked away feeling guilty! Why?!? I mean I know that part of it is because I love my daughter and want to give her things that will bring her delight. But I know a lot of it is this keeping-up-with-the-Joneses thing that I so easily fall into. I was part of a conversation the other day where a friend asked, "So, what are your kids getting for Easter?" Totally threw me. Is this what Easter's becoming now? Another Christmas? Because I struggle then too. The part of me that shudders when I see mounds of gifts under Christmas trees wrestles with the part of me that wants to shower my kids with everything I know they'd enjoy...or at least enjoy for five minutes. And now it's happening with Valentine's Day too. There are some circles in which I feel awkward admitting that I *gasp* didn't get my children anything on February 14th. But seriously, when did that become traditional? Did I miss the memo? What's next - 4th of July buckets filled with red, white, and blue M&Ms and Cookie Monster waving a flag? Chocolate turkeys at each child's place at Thanksgiving?
It frightens me, because mine is the generation that is said to have "entitlement issues". But for all of my daily struggles with addiction to STUFF, I didn't have nearly the amount of things handed to me that I could easily hand to my children. And I worry that I will totally mess them up. Or that they'll hate me when they go to school and find out that the Easter bunny brought the kid at the next desk an egg-shaped Playstation or something.
So yeah, that's where I'm at. I've made my peace with a small amount of holiday "stuff", not wanting to fall into the reaction mode of boycotting it altogether. But I do see the downward spiral looming in front of me...and I fear that one day I'll push my Target cart too close to the edge and find that I've set my kids up for a life where they expect everything and are thankful for nothing. Lord, help me...
I am so, so guilty of ritualistic consumption. Before the birth of my son a few months ago, a Monday just wasn't a Monday without a trip to Starbucks following a grocery shopping run with my daughter. There are certain times of year or even mood swings that simply seem to require the purchase of something...whether it be a new pair of sandals at the first sign of Spring, or a baked good loaded with chocolate when I need a pick-me-up. It's not something I particularly enjoy about myself, but there you have it.
Holiday seasons, however, most definitely bring the most challenges to my love/hate relationship with "stuff". Easter weekend in my childhood years was full of "things"...a brand-new dress, often paired with hat and gloves...a corsage purchased by my father for each of his daughters and our mother...a basket filled with sweets and goodies and hidden somewhere downstairs for us to gleefully hunt on Sunday morning...great memories. Mark and I negotiated this point a bit when determining how to celebrate the season with our kids, as his Easters in growing-up years contained far less...er...fluff. And because, let's be honest, spending money in any capacity isn't something he jumps up and down about. (Love you, honey.) But he's fine with each of the kids wearing a new outfit on Easter morning, so long as it fits the constraints of our clothing budget, and he relented on the Easter basket debate (we keep them verrrrry basic).
I struggled at times with the question of whether or not these froufrou indulgences would diminish the true meaning of the Easter holiday. But I've determined that this no longer concerns me all that much. Even with all of the Easter extravaganza of long ago times, I still very much knew as a child that what really made the day special was the celebration of Christ's victory over death. And I've decided that it's much more important to ensure that both the birth and resurrection of Jesus be truths that are held close in our hearts and minds as a family year-round. The holiday hoopla, reindeer and rabbits, stockings and baskets, candy canes and jelly beans can be modestly embraced without undue paranoia as festive ways to mark the seasons, but we will do our best (God, help us) to make the deeper meanings a part of daily life.
There is an element in all of this that does cause me some alarm, however. And that is the fear that our kids (mine, and in society in general) will pay the price for our growing obsession with stuff, stuff, STUFF. I took a trip to Target the other day to pick up a couple of small items to put in the kids' baskets, and I was in complete shock standing in the holiday-themed aisles. Not kidding, it looked as though the Easter bunny had fallen into a blender along with Dora the Explorer, the Sesame Street gang, Mr. Potato Head and a box of pastel crayons and then someone had turned said blender on high and removed the lid. And don't get me started on the candy. Every form of sweet confection in existence...now in convenient egg form! So. Much. Stuff. And all of it for one season. I stood there reeling in front of the shelves and shelves of chocolate bunny choices and wondered just how much we're all messing up our kids by buying into this. Because here's the thing: as nauseous as it all made me, it got to me too. I found myself picking up several knick-knacks and thinking, "Ooo, Maya would really like this Elmo/bunny Pez dispenser...", and "Hmm...I could spend a bit more money and get her the chocolate bunny that's twice as big and wearing a dress..."
I had to work hard to restrain myself from those purchases, and then I walked away feeling guilty! Why?!? I mean I know that part of it is because I love my daughter and want to give her things that will bring her delight. But I know a lot of it is this keeping-up-with-the-Joneses thing that I so easily fall into. I was part of a conversation the other day where a friend asked, "So, what are your kids getting for Easter?" Totally threw me. Is this what Easter's becoming now? Another Christmas? Because I struggle then too. The part of me that shudders when I see mounds of gifts under Christmas trees wrestles with the part of me that wants to shower my kids with everything I know they'd enjoy...or at least enjoy for five minutes. And now it's happening with Valentine's Day too. There are some circles in which I feel awkward admitting that I *gasp* didn't get my children anything on February 14th. But seriously, when did that become traditional? Did I miss the memo? What's next - 4th of July buckets filled with red, white, and blue M&Ms and Cookie Monster waving a flag? Chocolate turkeys at each child's place at Thanksgiving?
It frightens me, because mine is the generation that is said to have "entitlement issues". But for all of my daily struggles with addiction to STUFF, I didn't have nearly the amount of things handed to me that I could easily hand to my children. And I worry that I will totally mess them up. Or that they'll hate me when they go to school and find out that the Easter bunny brought the kid at the next desk an egg-shaped Playstation or something.
So yeah, that's where I'm at. I've made my peace with a small amount of holiday "stuff", not wanting to fall into the reaction mode of boycotting it altogether. But I do see the downward spiral looming in front of me...and I fear that one day I'll push my Target cart too close to the edge and find that I've set my kids up for a life where they expect everything and are thankful for nothing. Lord, help me...
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