JustJessie

Fruit salad, yummy yummy

This was definitely the weekend of food.  Almost everything we did revolved around or somehow involved eating.  It all started Saturday afternoon, when I decided to let my boys make some fruit salad.  Grayson loves to make it because I always let him cut up the strawberries with a butterknife.  This time, Grant got to help by putting the grapes in the bowl.  Basically that means there were quite a few stems and half-eaten grapes in the bowl, but he felt very big for getting to help. 

So then Saturday night I got whisked away for a girls night out (the first one since Grant was born).  We went out for sushi and martinis (how trendy are we?) and just enjoyed the break from all things testosterone. 

My cousin, who also happens to be one of my best girlfriends, introduced me to my new favorite drink... the Pomegranate Martini.  And you know what else?  Lucky me has a husband who used to be a bartender, so now he can make them for me at home!  Sometimes it's good to be me.

Then Sunday we celebrated my sis-in-law's birthday with a Low Country Boil at my in-laws house.  Crab, shrimp, corn, potatoes, sausage... need I say more?  We ate like the little piggies that we are.

That picture doesn't do it justice, but maybe this one will...

So, basically, I ate all weekend long, but as far as I know the food was healthy.  Healthy or not, though, it was yummy, and best of all?  I DIDN'T HAVE TO COOK IT!!  And that is this stay-at-home-mom's dream come true.

It was only HALF the pan of brownies!

A friend of mine told me a great way to get rid of the excess holiday candy in the house.  She said she always adds a bunch of her kids’ candy to a batch of brownies and that way it gets gone a lot quicker.  What a great idea…  UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO BE A CHOCOHOLIC!!!! 

Grayson and I got in the kitchen last night to make these brownies, and the first thing I did was dig all those irresistible little kisses out of the basket.  The first thing Grayson did was complain about me stealing his best chocolate (a boy after my own heart, obviously).  He kept trying to weasel me out of a piece here and there, and I had to keep reminding him that there were going to be some very yummy brownies to eat soon.

Well, let me tell you, I love baking with Grayson.  That is something we have done together since he was about 18 months old and could barely hold the spoon to help stir.  He loves to help and is delighted when I trust him with a new job.  Last night I let him crack the eggs, and he did it perfectly.  Really, he did almost all of it by himself.  Sometimes I am so impressed with him.

But back to those brownies!  Grayson did a great job and they were soooo yummy.  I started out pretty well; just one brownie, albeit a big one, on my plate.  Then started the justification process.  Well, thought me, we usually have ice cream with our brownies, but since we didn’t tonight… one more won’t hurt.  Then, you know we also usually have hot fudge and whipped cream, so…  You get the idea?  I absolutely refuse to tell you that I ate almost half a pan of brownies single-handedly.

The moral of this little story?  NEVER TAKE FOOD ADVICE FROM SKINNY FRIENDS!!  They are small because they have the self control that I do not.  Therefore, just because said friend can make a pan of candy-brownie-heaven, eat just one, and put the rest in her children’s lunchboxes through the week, does not mean I can.  The best advice for me is to find a way to show love to my children other than baking, or at least not by baking chocolate things.  Maybe if I stick to things with raisins, or coconut, or sweets with “carrot” in the name…

I'm not entirely sure Grant would approve.  Is he threatening me?

Mmmm... chocolate babies!

Yes, we are still surviving mostly on chocolate at the Keith home.  I managed to get a bit of protein and fruit in the kids tummies before they remembered the tons of candy this morning, but alas, remember they did.  I really don't know what we are going to do about it all.  I have been sworn off sweets for about a month now, but really!  Who can resist a basket full of chocolaty-marshmallowy-peanut-buttery-yumminess for very long?  I am only human, and a chocoholic human at that!   So I have been delving into that sinful basket every night after the kids are in bed, and I know if I keep it up, my waist will tell on me soon.

So I've made a decision today.  Since the only thing sweeter than chocolate is my boys, I will indulge in them instead.  I will not torture myself with thoughts of the yummies I am missing.  Instead I will dig my nose down into their little necks and inhale the sweet smell of boys.  I will eat up their kisses instead of stealing their Hershey's ones and the reward will be much better for the lack of guilt.  I will relish their excitement as they reach into the goody basket and drink in their wonder over what they find. 

I don't want my boys growing up watching a mommy who can't control herself in some area of her life.  I want to be a good example for them.  I don't want them to think it's ok to be overweight and lazy.  Unfortunately, for most of their lives, that's what they have seen.  I am trying quite hard to change that, but... but... THAT BASKET!!!!  Well, maybe now that I've written this here I will have the motivation I need to get back on the straight and narrow.  Only time will tell (well, time and my jeans)!