Sport Parents

Oldest Kiddo and Middle Kiddo are playing basketball.  They are loving it.  This is their first time playing hoops with a team.  I've been attempting to teach them the basics since they were born so they aren't too bad.  All in all, they are having fun.

Did you catch that last part?  They are having fun!  That's what playing sports at this age is all about.  (Well, learning the basics is part of it as well, but fun is the number one priority in my opinion.)  Apparently, I am in the minority on this one.  I am continually appalled at how parents behave during games and practices.

Here's the deal.  I signed my kids up to play a sport.  I did not sign up to coach.  Therefore, I assume that the guy (or gal) that introduced himself (or herself) as Coach So-and-So has it all under control.  They don't need my help from the bleachers.  In fact, the coach will probably have better luck with my kids if I am quiet.  During practice, I am invisible.  The reality of it is that I'm only there in case my kid gets hurt.  (Don't get me wrong, I watch my kids but I do not do anything to attract their attention.)  During games, I am nothing more than a cheerleader.  If my kid does something awesome, I cheer.  Otherwise, I sit and watch the game.

I am so sick of seeing and hearing parents yelling at their kids from the stands.  I had to remind one guy last week that our kids' game was a family friendly environment so his yelling at his daughter to grab the "damned ball" was unacceptable.  It's just ridiculous.  If I were a kid of parents like that, I'd be embarrassed.  I hold my kids a pretty high standard when it comes to their behavior in public.  I've always felt that in order for them to meet that standard I have to set the example.  (Monkey see, monkey do)  

So, what do you guys think?  When did parents behaving poorly at 6 year old's games become ok?  Why do parents do this sort of stuff?  Obviously, the 5 minute "Parents you need to behave" class they make us take before allowing our kids to participate isn't working.  So, how do we stop this trend?

How I Plan to Gain 10 Pounds...or Brownies with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

After indulging in a yummy little treat at a certain coffee place recently, I decided that I could make it for cheaper at home.  (Which is just fabulous because I really need to gain an extra 10 pounds...not.)  Anyhoo, I thought other people might want to share in the yumminess so here it is...

Brownies with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

Brownies

Whatever your favorite boxed mix is or if you are talented enough to make them at home that works too.

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp Peppermint extract
2-2 1/4 cups Powdered sugar

Using an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together.  Mix in the peppermint extract.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar a little at a time.  You absolutely must stick your finger in and taste it along the way until you get the consistency and flavor you desire.

After the brownies have cooled, spread the frosting on them.  Sprinkle with some of those cute peppermint cake sprinkles.  Enjoy!

**This recipe for the frosting made more than enough for my 8x8 pan of brownies.  It would probably be enough for a 13x9 pan as well, but if you like lots of frosting then double the recipe.

***I would have included pictures but we kinda ate them all already.  Sorry.

Crock Pot Love

I know I've been out of the loop for a while.  So, I will take a moment to remind you all of something very important about me.

I. Love. My. CrockPot.

Yep, it's probably a sickness.  If I even think I can, I make it in the CrockPot.  I've had some not-so-successful meals.  But I've had lots of really awesome stuff too.  (Plus, I'm still working on those other recipes.)  Anyways, here is my most recent triumph...

Spectacular Spaghetti Sauce

2 lb ground meat (I prefer 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb Italian sausage but use whatever makes you happy)
Large onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 (15oz) cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1.2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves

Place meat and chopped onion in a skillet over med-high heat.  Cook until meat is browned.  Mix meat and remaining ingredients in CrockPot.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours. 

This sauce is freakin' amazing.  Plus, as you can see, it makes a lot.  This actually is enough for three meals in our family.  While we are eating, I portion the remaining sauce into freezer containers and let it cool.  When the sauce is cooled, place it in the freezer to enjoy later.

Long Time, No See

Um, wow.  I'm not sure how two months went by without me noticing.  I have been very lazy about blogging this year.  Sorry.  I'll try to do better.  Over the next few days, I will be cleaning up around here.  There are some random posts that can go and things that need to be categorized.  I am going to try to get back into the habit of posting regularly.  I've got tons of new recipes and kitcheny kind of stuff to share.  Plus the kiddos are as hilarious as ever so I have tons of funny kid stuff to share.  Oh yeah, and I've read a whole bunch of books that I just have to tell you about :)

But all that must wait because the little one is awake.

One of These Days...

I swear that one of these days I'm gonna get it together and remember to blog more regularly.  I totally didn't realize that it had been a week since I lasted blogged.  Well, at least I remembered right in time for our favorite day of the week...

So, let the random begin...

**Sometimes I'm pretty sure hubby sets me up...you know, like putting Baby Girl to bed with ketchup on her face and in her hair.  You moms out there know what happens to ketchup when it is left on a child...the same thing that happens to anything left on a child...it becomes sticky and impossible to remove unless you throw them in the bath.  So yeah, I had to give Baby Girl a bath this morning to get the ketchup out of her hair.

**I need to go buy Band-Aids (because, well, I have kids and they are pretty much walking disasters) but that would require that I get out of my comfy yoga pants.

**Recently, I have been contemplating running.  I get this thought that I should start running.  Don't worry, these moments of insanity are short-lived.

**Football is back!!  Yay!!

**I packed three boxes this weekend.  Oh yeah, I'm totally on a roll.

**I'm currently reading Food, Inc.  Oh wow!  I've read Fast Food Nation, so I figured this book was along the sames lines.  It is.  But still, the disgustingness of food these days is fairly shocking.

**I want a maid, a nanny, a hair stylist and a masseuse...Honestly, I don't ask for much.

Well, I don't see that maid thing happening for me so I'm off to clean the hacienda.  Enjoy this fab Tuesday!

Weekly Dose of Random

Welcome to the brain dump that is RTT!

**It's been quite the hectic week around our house.

**We are moving to a different house at the end of this month.  It is on-post housing so we will be closer to everything which is awesome.  Sucky part is that the kiddos are going to have to change schools again.  They'll be fine.

**Our new nephew arrived last Wednesday afternoon.  He is totally beautiful.  Everyone is healthy and home.

**I'm currently watching a show on the History Channel called "Jefferson".  It is pretty interesting.

**I was going to cancel our DVR service but Hubby won't watch Real Housewives of NJ with me, so I'm keeping the DVR...

**The boys are especially loud this afternoon.  I have no idea why.

**Baby Girl is starting to pull her pants up by herself (well, at least trying)...you know what that means?!  It means that we are quickly approaching her potty training days!!

**I really ought to be working on my resume' and letter of intent for a job application but telling you guys about the random stuff in my head is more fun.

**Umm, the boys are now engaged in a pillow fight with the couch pillows.  I probably should put a stop to that...oh wait, they are now distracted by the ice cream truck...not that they ever get ice cream from the truck (I'm much too cheap for that) but they have dreams...

Yeah, so I have to go do the mom thing now.  Have a great Tuesday evening!

Fast, Warm Breakfast

My kiddos aren't exactly patient.  I am not exactly one of those people who enjoy getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to make a hot breakfast.  I do, however, like to send my kiddos off to school with a warm breakfast.  I feel totally guilty if they eat cold cereal for too many mornings in a row.

Earlier this week, I came across the idea of scrambled eggs in the microwave.  Hubby thought it sounded gross.  But, quite frankly, I think hot dogs sound gross but that doesn't stop the kids from eating those.  So, we have been trying the microwaved scrambled eggs this week.  Both boys said they were pretty yummy.  Baby Girl ate them without spitting them out which in my book means success.

So, here's the method...crack two eggs into a microwave-safe bowl.  Scramble them up and add any seasonings you like.  (My kiddos are fans of seasoned salt in their eggs.)  Then microwave for 35-45 seconds.  (This takes a little trial-and-error to find out what works best with your particular microwave.)  Give the eggs a stir and microwave for another 35-45 seconds.  Remove from microwave and give them a stir.  If you like cheese on your eggs, add it at this point.  Cool for a minute and eat.

All Sorts of Random Stuff

Yo peeps :)  It's Tuesday and you know what that means...it is my day to get totally random!!

**We might move...again...this time it is only across town to a different house.  I'm so hoping it works out!  We got offered an on-post house.  Being on-post would be so much better in a lot of ways.

**This morning on the way home from the store, I saw a guy mowing his lawn.  Dude was wearing pointy-toed cowboy boots and smoking a cigarette.  He was also about 900 years old.  It was an odd sight.

**Anyone else notice that pretty much all Rascal Flats songs for like the last 5 years sound exactly the same?

**Heard that "Little White Church" song?  Baby Girl loves to dance to that song.  It is pretty freakin' adorable.

**A tropical vacation sounds really good.

**I love that football season is almost here.  Yay football!

**Whoever is holding the laundry fairy hostage needs to release her!  I did 6 freakin' loads of laundry yesterday and it exhausted me.

Well, that's all the random for today.  Hope ya'll had a great Tuesday!

Interesting Insects

Over the summer, we made a trip to Arkansas to visit the fam.  Of course, my totally awesome camera went along with us.  One night while we were at my parents house, all five of the kiddos were running around outside.  I had my camera out and was catching all the fabulous moments.

Amid all of the chaos, somehow, this little guy caught my eye...

I was so excited about having caught this image that I quickly became obsessed with finding kept my eyes open for other cool insects to photograph.  Here's what else I managed to find...

Taking these pictures was so much fun.  The kiddos had fun finding stuff for me to take pictures of too.

Mini Meatloaves

I make some awesome meatloaf.  I'm also very modest.  When I first started learning to cook, early in my marriage, I hated making meatloaf because it takes forever to cook.  The answer to my meatloaf dilema arrived one day on some cooking show I was watching.  Make them mini.  I started making my meatloaf in a muffin pan.  This cut the cooking time down to 20-30 minutes.  Since then, however, I have struggled with what to call them.  Obviously, they aren't technically a loaf.  And, meat muffins sounds odd and disturbing to me.  For now, I've settled on mini meatloaves.  Anyhoo, here is the recipe...

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 pkg Chicken flavored stuffing mix
1/3 cup barbeque sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix all ingredients.  Use your hands.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Divide the meat mixture into even amounts in the muffin tin. 

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes.  (The ones in the picture about took about 30 minutes because they are a little thicker.  Usually I stretch this recipe into 10, and those cook for about 20 minutes.)

I usually make some oven roasted potatoes and green beans to go along with these little morsels of deliciousness.  Also, keep in mind that you can totally personalize this recipe.  I've used ground bison.  I've used lots of different flavors of barbeque sauce.  I haven't ever tried any other stuffing flavors.  If you give that a whirl, let me know how it turns out.  Also, you could sprinkle some cheese on top of these.  This recipe is also super easy to double.  See, there are a million different ways to make this recipe your own.  Enjoy it!

The Return of Randomness

I am so excited to be back in the blogging routine.  And, I know, that you guys are super excited for my return to Random Tuesday Thoughts!  If you are new here, RTT is a post where I spit out completely random stuff and call it a post.  Sounds fun, right?  Well then, let's get to it...

**Baby Girl is now 16 months old and is completely obsessed with a Rolie Polie Olie book.  Yes, there are worse things, but I've read Rolie Polie Olie about 5,342 times today and it's starting to wear on me.

**I have a kid in 3rd grade.  Um, wow.

**We go through approximately 5 gallons of milk each week in our house.  I can't figure out if this is normal.

**Hubby and I are expecting a new nephew any day now.  Middle Kiddo is hoping that they will name the kid "Curious the George".  It's probably better than what hubby and I have been calling him...Gomer.  Yeah, Curious the George is totally the way to go if those are the options.

**Hubby's birthday is Sunday.  Our niece's birthday is also on Sunday.  Wouldn't it be nice and easy to remember if new nephew would show up then?!

**This morning I was watching Sesame Street and they actually used the phrase "Drop it like it's hot".  It made my day.

**I'm thinking I need more creative bloggy names for the kiddos and hubby.  Any suggestions?

Alrighty, well, I'm gonna have to cut off the random there because I'm being attacked with that danged Rolie Polie Olie book again.  Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!  And if you need more random in your life visit The UnMom.

What I Did This Summer

I had a spectacular summer!  The boys didn't actually have a lot of time off from school, but we managed to make the best of it and fit in a lot of fun.  Kiddos grow up so fast.  There are days that they drove me absolutely crazy (which is actually a pretty short drive) but I also realize that someday all too soon they will be grown up.  Then I will miss these days.  So, without further sappy ado, I spent this summer...

...taking the kiddos to the park for free lunch.  Um, hello!  Free lunch rocks my world.  Plus the whole park thing was a great way to get out of the house.

...coming to grips with the fact that I am now only 2 years away from 30.  Yep, I turned 28 this summer.  I had a fantastic birthday.  The boys made me the cutest little coupon booklets.  I am entitled to backrubs and car washes for the rest of my life.

...traveling to Arkansas.  We took a trip home to visit family.  I have to say it was the best trip yet.  We had such a wonderful time.  On one hand, I hated to leave.  But I was also super excited to get back to my own bed.

...kind of looking for a job.  I still haven't found a job.  Honestly, I'm getting a little panicked about it.  But I'm sure something will come along soon.

...reading.  I read a few books.  I'll tell you about those in an upcoming post.

...cooking and baking.  I taught myself to make some kick-butt pies.  I'll share those recipes and tips soon.  I also made some great dinner dishes.  Again, I have plans of sharing those too.

So, that was my big exciting summer.  I loved every minute of it.  I did miss you, my bloggy friends.  But I made some awesome memories with my kiddos and that's what it's all about :)

Probably Should've Mentioned This Earlier...

I kind of decided to take the summer off.  I have been enjoying some awesome times with the fam.  The boys have returned to school so I now have more time.  I will be back with regularly scheduled blogging in the next few days.  Sorry for being MIA so long, but it was totally worth it :)

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Aren't these just about the cutest little firecrackers you've seen lately?!

We don't have big plans for the weekend.  We're going to visit family in a few weeks, so we're saving our money for that trip.  We'll throw some burgers and hot dogs on the grill.  I'll make a pie or two.  And we'll just enjoy our time together.

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!

The Pottery Anniversary

Did you know that the traditional gift for the 9th anniversary is pottery? Yeah, I didn't until a few minutes ago.  Good God, I hope my husband doesn't bring home pottery...well, unless it's a really pretty pottery vase filled with flowers....

Anyways, it's our ninth anniversary!!  Nine years ago, we were 18!  We stood in front of of family and friends and promised to love each other forever.  Some of those watching us didn't believe we'd make it to our first anniversary, let alone our 9th.  But, whatever, we really couldn't have cared less.

Here we are 9 years ago...

Yep, we were (and still are) pretty freakin' adorable.

Nine years later, I love this man more than ever.  He makes me happy.  He's not perfect but neither am I.  We don't always agree on everything, but at the end of the day we love each other and that trumps everything else.  When we got married, I told him that we were going to be married for 80 years.  So, here's to a fabulous first 9 years and an even more fabulous 71 in front of us :)

Oh wow, it's been a while...

Wow, it's been forever since I posted.  The last couple of weeks have been quite hectic.

The boys finished up school.  I'm now the proud mommy of a 1st grader and a 3rd grader.  Not surew how we got here so quickly, though.  Along with the end of the school year came all the awards ceremonies and such.  Both boys got Excellence in Reading awards.  Of course, Mama is awfully proud of that!

Baby Girl is a handful.  She had her shots last week.  That sucked.  She is in to everything and completely ignores the word "no".  Her daddy and brothers have spoiled her rotten and mom gets to deal with it.  Yay, me!

Hubby got a new chair.  It takes up my lovely open space in the living room.  More annoying than that is the box it came in.  It's huge.  The boys immediately made it into a toy.  I was ok with that...until about 10 minutes ago when they drew pictures on it and starting using it as a punching box.  For some reason, the sound of them hitting and kicking that box is making me want to pull my hair out.

My awesome cousin from my daddy's side came to visit over Memorial Day weekend.  I hadn't seen her in about 4 years so it was great to catch up.  And look, aren't we pretty?!

And in the category of news that shares too much information but I'm gonna share it anyways...my IUD came out last week.  I can't get in to have it replaced until the 16th.  Perfect timing.  Our anniversary is on Wednesday and I was hoping to celebrate it without being totally freaked out that I was gonna end up knocked up again.  Told you, too much info.  Sorry.

I'm reading The Green Mile.  If you haven't read it, you totally should.  It isn't a whole lot different than the movie.  (Of course, they really had to stick with the book in order to preserve the story...plus I think Stephen King is really involved when his books are made into movies in order to keep them from becoming those horrible movies that are nothing like the book....you know, like Where the Heart Is...)  However, King has an amazing way with words.

Thinking about a trip home in July...not totally sure yet, so don't tell anyone :)

And that about wraps up news on this end.  How have you peeps been?

I Love Quotes

I had several things that I really wanted to rant about, but then I decided that ranting isn't a great way to start the weekend.  So, instead of ranting, I'm gonna share some of my favorite quotes that I have come across lately.

• "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." ~Mark Twain
• "Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious." ~Bill Meyer
• Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow they may make it illegal.
• "Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."  ~George Bernard Shaw
• "I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

I love quotes.  These brought a little smile to my face and hope they amused you more than (or at least as much) as my ranting would have.  Have a great weekend!!

 

 

What's For Dinner?

For years, I participated in the whole what's for dinner dilema.  However, a couple years ago, I sat down and started planning our dinner menu on a weekly basis.  I believe it has saved us money and I know it has saved us time.

When I first started planning our menus, I created a blank menu that I would print off each week and fill in.  These days, in the name of being more green, I have a dry erase board that I use. 

Both methods have their pros and cons.  For instance, I kind of miss being able to print out multiple pages and planning for more than one week at a time. 

So, here's how I go about planning our menu each week:

I glance through the ad from the store where I shop to see what is on sale.  I flip through my coupons to refresh my memory on what I've got.  Also, I pull out any recipes I've found that I want to try out.  Then I figure out the main dishes for each day.  Fridays are easy because we have pizza every Friday night.  (Middle kiddo has a meltdown if any other food is suggested for Friday nights.  He's very serious about his weekly pizza intake.)  During warm months, I give Saturday nights to the hubby for grilling.  That leaves me with four nights to fill in.  After I figure out a main dish, I add a vegetable and a starch for each night.  We eat a lot of potatoes and rice for our starches.  But I like to throw in mac-n-cheese every now and then too.  If I add a casserole to the menu, it usually has the starch and vegetable thrown in so total score for me on those nights.

And, there you have it...my method of avoiding that daily what's for dinner dilema.  Menu planning also makes grocery shopping a breeze because I create the list directly from the menu and avoid buying anything that'll end up going to waste.  As you can see, I don't add dessert to our menu.  If the kiddos finish their dinner, we always have some fruit or yogurt that we let them have as a sweet treat after dinner.  Sometimes I'll have some cookies or brownies or something like that.  But, honestly, my kiddos just aren't huge sweets eaters (please don't hate me).

I hope this helps you out if you've been struggling with meal planning.  I really believe everyone should give it a try.  Find a method that works for you and stick with it.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Wordless Wednesday

These pictures of the kiddos crack me up...

Random Random Random

Happy Tuesday!  It's time to get random, yay!

**The street sweeper is out today and my dogs aren't happy about it.

**Middle kiddo went on a field trip today.  He was so excited that he was the first one out of bed this morning.  Normally, he's the last one up and I have to drag him out of bed.

**I applied for three jobs in a local school district yesterday, so I'm hoping that I'll get an interview for at least one of them.

**I love coupons!  But I'm not all crazy about them.  I have a strict only-clip-for-what-I-actually-buy rule. 

**I could really use a nap.

**Baby Girl cracks me up.  She doesn't really know a lot of words just yet, but she still yells at her big brothers when they are acting up.  She's like a little mama.  It cracks me up.

**I'm considering moving the boys to a charter school this fall.  I don't know if I really want to put them through changing schools again, but I think they'd be happier in a more challenging environment.

**Since the kiddos are about to get out of school for the summer, I'm working on making a summer schedule to keep us busy.  So far, I've got plans to take them to the library storytime on Saturdays and the water park on post one day during the week.  We've got some leftover workbooks from our move that I'm going to have them work through too.  I think we'll stay busy but not so busy that we don't have time to be spontaneous.  It's a fine line with kiddos, I think.

**I also have big plans for my own summer reading.  My mom sent me a few books that I'm looking forward to reading.  If they are any good, I'll tell ya'll about them.

**June 1!!  Yeah, that's the day that Alice in Wonderland comes out on DVD.  I'm super excited!  The boys and I went to the theater to see it and we loved it.

And I'm out of random for now.  Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Mama Got a Brand New Ride

I got a new car!!  (Insert annoying, excited squealing here)

I loved my old ride (a 2008 Jeep Wrangler X), but hubby's been after me for a while to consider something a little safer.  Last week, I finally conceded that it might be time to look at other options.  While I loved the Jeep, I did not love the payment or its gas-guzzling ways.  So, I did my research and fell in love with the Ford Fusion.  We went down to the dealership.  I figured we'd be able to comfortably afford the base model.  So I was super excited when I discovered that there were some really good rebates and we could actually afford the mid-priced model.  Actually the car I ended up with is only a couple features away from being the top of the line model they offer.

(Not the best pic, I know, but it'll do)

I got a 2010 Ford Fusion.  It has the Sync system in it (Bluetooth and all that) and satellite radio (which I have fallen in love with).  It has a sunroof (yay)!  I was concerned that I would lose space, but actually the kiddos fit in the backseat just the same.  Hubby can actually sit in the backseat comfortably too.  (He's 6'1" so that's pretty awesome)  The trunk is huge.  I totally love the car!  It has lots of creature features.  As far as hubby's concerns go, it is a super safe car.  It has one of the top ratings out there for safety and the anti-theft features are good too.  (That's important since we live in a border town and stolen cars are in Mexico faster than you can dial the cops.)

All things considered, we got an awesome deal.  Our payment went down by a couple hundred dollars, the gas mileage doubled and, best of all, I totally love my new car!

Because I Have Nothing Interesting to Say...

I'm going to share some pictures with you. 

Oh...I did get a new car, so that's interesting :)

To Snip or Not To Snip...

The hubby and I are having the great debate...

...to snip or not to snip...

We are pretty happy with our family size.  It worked out nicely that we had two boys then almost a six year gap and a little girl.  I would hate to have another boy after her.  But, for some reason, I just can't bring myself to be on the snip side of the debate.

I am not sure why this is.  I am going to be 28 this summer, so I really don't want any more kiddos.  (Not that 28 is old, but I am looking forward to having them all out of the house before I'm 50.)  I really have no desire to have any more kiddos.  I don't know, the whole snip-snip thing is just so permanent.

Isn't it odd that hubby is the one for the big snip?  On TV, it's always the woman who is advocating for it and the man is running around trying to figure out ways to get out of it.  Hubby is actually the one who brought this up.  I have an IUD, so birth control isn't even something I think about.

Anyways, that's where we stand right now...in the middle of the great snip-snip debate...any thoughts?

Oh Random Tuesday, How I've Missed You

In case you forgot how this works, it's Random Tuesday Thoughts...I get a pass to be completely random and pass it off as an actual blog post.  Yay!

**I just saw a Starbucks commercial and am now totally craving a JavaChip Frap...dang power of suggestion.

**I think my favorite sitcom on TV right now is The Big Bang Theory.  Seriously, funny.

**I bought a new bookshelf today to replace the one that the movers busted.  I'm going to attempt to put it together in a few minutes.

**What is the deal with speeders?  I just don't get it.  There are two really straight stretches of road on the way to where we live now.  The speed limit is ridiculously low, but it's the speed limit and I abide by it.  But I cannot count the number of times I've been passed like I'm standing still.  Seriously, this one car passed me using the turn only lane in a school zone.  He got to the red light about ten seconds before me.

**I have a confession to make...I love watching the Real Housewives...any of them...can't get enough.

**I am one stupid self-paced course away from graduating.  Yay!

**Did I mention that when our stuff got packed up it took 9 boxes to pack up our books?

**The boys are still not impressed by the whole uniform thing at their new school.  I'm not either, but what are ya gonna do...

**Baby Girl's new word is "uh-oh"...she says it about everything.  It's pretty cute.

**And finally, I would like to send a big ol' birthday shout out to my bloggy buddy, Cheryl!!  Go visit her and give her some birthday love.

My Job Search

Since I'm finishing up my degree, I am about to be buried in student loan payments.  I have to find a job.  Honestly, I'm looking but I have a little time so I'm not in too big of a rush.  Ideally, I'd like to find something that starts in August when the kiddos return to school.  It would be great if I could spend the summer hanging out with them and avoid having to pay daycare for a few months.

Anyways, I have been watching the classifieds in the local paper, the employment postings for the local school districts and postings on Craigslist.  I have discovered that I am grossly unqualified for many of the jobs on Craigslist.  You see, I am not a Spanish speaking cleaning lady fresh over the border from Mexico.  That disqualifies me from approximately half of the jobs.  I am also not a male stripper.  So that means I don't qualify for another quarter of the jobs listed.  The remaining quarter of the jobs just don't pay enough to meet my needs.

Searching for a job is quite an adventure.  I'm sure I will eventually find something.  Honestly, I'm not that picky.  As long as the job pays enough to cover my student loans and daycare, I'm good with it.  There are quite a few companies that give preference to military spouses, so I'm looking into those.  I'd love to find a job that actually makes use of my degree.  But I went to school for me and for the sense of accomplishment.  I also wanted to set that example for my kiddos.  So, if I end up working a job that has nothing to do with my degree, that doesn't bother me.  For now, I'm looking and kind of enjoying the adventure of it.

Family Pictures

While we were in AR, my sister and I decided that we needed to do some family pics for the grandparents.  Plus we just like torturing the hubbies like that.  They turned out super cute!  My sis is sending me the CD with all the pictures, but here's a little preview...

I am sure I will post more when I get the CD, but that's it for now.

These fabulous pics were taken by Aubrey Hammer. 

Please Excuse My Lack of Blogging

Yeah, I know...I've been the worst blogger lately.  If there's an award for that, please feel free to bestow it upon me.

Anyways, I am finally getting most of the boxes unpacked.  It is absolutely freakin' unbelievable what movers will pack.  Seriously, I found a bag of trash from the boys' room, a box of cereal (even though they said they wouldn't pack any food and I had to give away all of my spices) and my grocery list.  I am also astounded by the amount of crap we have.  However, I am convinced that our stuff reproduced in storage.

I have also been worrying over the school the boys are in now.  Change is an inevitable part of our lifestyle.  The average military child attends six schools during their life.  (I'm thinking this statistic refers to school districts, but not entirely sure.)  Oldest kiddo is on his third school...he's in second grade.  Middle kiddo is on his second school...he's in kindergarten.  So, this new school is supposedly a really good one.  I'm sure it is better than some.  However, I disagree with some of their methods.  Oldest kiddo is an excellent reader.  Currently, he reads at a fourth or fifth grade level.  Yesterday, the librarian wouldn't let him check out a book he was interested in because it was too thick.  Really?!  Instead of encouraging the kids to read books, they send them home with these crazy little "fluency folders" full of short paragraphs.  I can see the theory they are working with, but the fact is that I don't believe it works.  Middle kiddo brings home a kindergarten version of the folder and it is equally ridiculous.  My main concern is that this school is spending every minute preparing my kids to take a standardized test in the third grade.  I'm already on a soap box so I will refrain from going into all my objections but let me just say that teaching to a test is not the sort of education that will benefit these kids in the long run.

Ok, I'll stop with that now.  I do have to tell you about the uniform situation though...This school requires the kids to wear a uniform.  My kids think it's stupid.  When I look out my window and see a bunch of high school girls were skirts that barely cover their asses and shirts that don't contain the girls at all, I have to agree with my kids.  If my elementary school kids are going to be wearing uniforms, then the scantily dressed high school kids should be wearing them too.  Middle kiddo has developed his own way of giving the uniform policy the bird though.  He wears wild socks.  You know, kind of like Booth on Bones.  Oldest kiddo is just like whatever about the whole thing because he's still very concerned about the whole library situation.

Baby girl has been teething since the beginning of the move.  It's nightmarish.  Seriously.  She's getting four molars in at once.  Her mouth hurts.  She got that nasty diaper rash that goes along with teething.  Thankfully, she is getting over all that now though.  Baby girl has also gotten more steady on her feet which means that she is super helpful with the unpacking process.

Oh, and I have to tell you about the crazy mail situation!  We finally got our mailbox keys.  The mailman dropped off all the mail that has been accumulating in the box.  Apparently, no one has been getting the mail for our house since about November.  So, hubby and I sorted through it all.  There were about 60 pieces of mail (not including junk mail) for 7 different families!  Yeah, I have no idea exactly how many people were living in this house before us.  In addition to all the Christmas cards they missed out on, there were billing notices from law offices, a bunch of water bills and no less than three notices that warrants for arrest had been issued.  Apparently, the previous occupants were quite a colorful bunch.  I just hope no one shows up looking for them because Baby Girl does not react well to people interrupting her sleep.

I am finishing up my school work for the semester and then hopefully I will be better about my blogging.  I have also been catching up on laundry in my handy dandy, super spectacular new front loading washer and dryer.  I totally heart them!  But, I didn't realize that I would get so behind during this move.  But that's just life, I suppose.  Hope life is treating you all well.

We Made It!!

Well, we have finally arrived at our final destination....about five minutes west of Lucifer in Hell.  Just kidding...kinda...well, have you ever been to West Texas?  It's hot here.  But, it's a dry heat so my hair loves it!

Anyways, we are here...let's see what else is going on... 

I have internet again.  Now if only the people would deliver my household goods, I'd be all set.  Hopefully, I will be back on track with my blogging...I know ya'll have missed me :)

The boys are in school.  Oldest kiddo has a "whatever" kind of attitude about it.  Middle kiddo hates change and has, so far, cried both days.  It kills me when he cries.  He gets that super red face and does that gasping for air thing that kids do.  Heartwrenching, I tell ya.

I live 15 minutes from a Super Target.  Yay me!

I still need a job.  And I'm getting a bit nervous about it because the Sunday paper only had 2 pages of help wanted ads.  Seriously.  Used to be that the Sunday paper had at least 5 or 6 pages of help wanted ads.  Times are tough, I suppose.

Not having stuff means I don't have my washer and dryer.  Um, I have a 1 year old.  I need to do laundry because I don't care how cute she is, the child is a mess.  I just gave her a banana for breakfast and now I have to change her shirt.  Seriously.  She made that big of a mess out of a banana.  You should see what she can do with mac and cheese...let's just say a pressure washer is needed.

Alrighty, well, I have to drop some stuff off to the property manager, figure out where the hell to get my mailbox key and find a laundry mat that isn't full of bugs and creepy people...as you can see, I have quite the busy day ahead of me.
 

Yay for Tuesday!!

Yes, I'm still in the middle of moving.  I cannot wait to say that I am finished with the whole mess.  We will be heading down to Texas later this week and finishing up the move.  Yay!  Anyhoo, it is Tuesday and that means I get to be totally random...

**Moving sucks.

**My FIL has a rule that dogs aren't allowed on the couches.  Our dogs don't understand that so they keep getting in trouble.  He's not here right now so they are napping on the couch.  Honestly, I don't have the energy or desire to move them.

**I have come to the conclusion that I will never again do a major family event with both sides of our family.  From now on, birthday parties, holidays and whatever else will be divided.  Yes, I know that means that I'll have to do two of each.  But I just can't take the freakin' drama of it all anymore.  If you haven't figured it out, certain members of the family got a little bent out of shape at Baby Girl's birthday party.  Oh well.

**I think my iPhone may be the greatest thing ever.  I love it!

**Hubby and I are going to have another nephew.  Pretty exciting!

**We stayed last week at my parents' house.  Ever since we left, I keep trying to find things, then freak out that I left it at their house and text my dad to find it.  Of course, thrity seconds after I send the text, I find whatever I was looking for.  I kinda feel bad that my dad has to deal with my ditziness.

**It is really windy here today.  I'm not impressed.  I just hope the wind isn't blowing too hard on Friday when we're driving across west Texas because that really sucks.

**I cannot wait to see the house we're going to be living in.  Well, part of me is super excited and the other part of me is hoping that it lives up to the expectations I have of it.  But still, I can't wait to see it.

**Only in Arkansas will you here the following on a radio ad: "We're gonna be having a four man scramble out there at the golf course this weekend.  Come on out and join us."  Uh, yeah, I'll get right on that just as soon as I figure out where "out there at the golf course" is.  Give me a hint: which golf course you talking about?  It's not like there is only one in the area.  I love my hometown!

**I really do love it here, but I'm not ready to be back here permanently.  Maybe by the time hubby retires, I'll be ready for the whole live-in-the-same-place-for-more-than-three-years commitment...

**Middle kiddo has no filter on his mouth.  He informed my mom that she is a "dangerous driver" and my FIL that his driving isn't too great either.  Yeah, I love him.

Well, I really ought to get back to catching up on my homework.  Hopefully by next week, things will be settled down and I can get back to my regular blogging.  I miss my bloggy peeps (you know, the normal people in my life, even if you do live in my computer)!

Random Catch-Up

I am so far behind on the my blogging.  Sorry.  I have been busy hanging out with the family and being fed constantly.  I thought I'd throw out some random bits for your reading enjoyment.

**The trip from Kentucky to my parents' house is about nine hours.  It took me 12.  There was rain and wind all the way across two states.  Then there was thick-as-pea-soup fog for the last couple of hours.  The fog freaked me out.  Seriously, there were moments that I wanted to pull over but I couldn't see the side of the road.  Luckily, my kiddos were good on the trip.

**Baby girl's first birthday is only days away!  I've got her party all planned out.  I can't wait for the cake :)

**I am gonna need bigger pants when I leave here.  My family has been feeding me constantly.  However, I didn't get the last cupcake...I even stuck my finger in the frosting to mark it as mine...my mom ate it anyways.

**I'm still half-heartedly looking for a job.  I'll step up the search when we actually get down to Texas and settle in.

**Ever notice how people on House Hunters complain about everything?  It drives me crazy.  Where do they find so many whiney-ass people?!

**Ha ha ha....the guy on tv just said "do-able"...yes, I giggled...yes, I might have the maturity level of a twelve year old...but, I am exhausted.

**I'm going to get a pedicure with my sis tomorrow.  Yay!  Pedis are the most amazing way to spend kid-free time ever.

**I haven't gotten much school work done here...I'm so behind...not cool.

**I have the most adorable neice and nephew ever.  Seriously.

I will try to post more again soon.  Please tolerate my moving madness and rest assured that it will end soon :)

Oh...and has anyone tried the Blogium app on the iPhone?  I'm thinkng about getting it, but it's not free so I'm not sure...

Uh, Yeah, Moving Sucks

So, the move has officially commenced.  Stick with me...I'll be back with a full blown post ful of fun move details in a day or so....

I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive and kicking :)

RTT: Moving Edition

Sorry I'm so late with the normal Tuesday randomness...I'm in the middle of moving, so let's do some quick random thoughts...

**My hubby is driving my bonkers with his pre-move obsessive cleaning.

**Middle kiddo doesn't do change well.  He wants to take all his friends with him to our new house.  Yeah, honey, because 20 kindergartners under Mommy's roof won't drive her crazy.

**Is it wrong that I kinda like that Baby Girl cries when the MIL tries to hold her?

**I probably should've kept that to myself...

**I should be writing one of four essays I have coming due soon.

**I love Chai Tea Lattes...and coffee...and my crock pot.

**My crock pot is getting packed tomorrow and I won't see it for a month.

**I need a job...got one for me?

**Yes, that was a shameless plea for employment...yeah, yeah, I'll check the classifieds.

**My favorite cousin got her random on today...check it out here!

Alrighty, peeps, it's been fun but I must get some other stuff done now.

Thursday? Really? Already?

I know, I suck.  I totally missed Random Tuesday Thoughts.  How about I make it up to you with some random Thursday thoughts?  Alrighty...

**I spent almost $10 on pacifiers last night because Baby Girl had to have one just exactly like the one the dog chewed up yesterday.  Apparently, change isn't her thing.

**I am exhausted.  Baby Girl was up at 12:30 last night, middle kiddo was up at 3:30 and then it was time to get up at 6:30.  I slept like poo last night.

**Did you see that we found a place to live?!  Yay!

**I have been horrible at commenting this week.  I'm sorry.  I'm sure the blog police are coming to get me any minute now.

**If it makes you feel any better, I have been really horrible at school work this week too.

**Oldest kiddo got sent to the principal's office for the first time ever this week...he flipped a pencil across a desk at a girl in art class...wasn't really a big deal at all, even the principal said so.

**My totally awesome friend works at Old Navy and sent me a friends/family discount coupon for this weekend.  I'm totally stoked.  I love Old Navy.  Plus, the older kiddos are gonna have to wear uniforms at their new school so I gotta stock up on khakis and polo shirts.  Yay.

**Do you sometimes feel like you do everything around your house?  Like you're the only one who knows how to fold laundry, make dinner or sweep the floors?  Yeah, me too.

**Middle kiddo has his first loose tooth.  Oldest kiddo is reading a book that is probably 5th or 6th grade level...he's in 2nd grade.  Baby Girl is taking lots of steps on her own...shhh, don't tell her but it's called walking.

And I'm out.  I'm going to take my exhausted brain to do some homework now.  That should be interesting!  Hope ya'll have a great day :)

**I totally forgot this little gem:  A few nights ago, middle kiddo was going to demonstrate for us how Daddy fell asleep on the couch.  But before he could start, he ran around the living room looking for the remote.  When I asked him why, Middle Kiddo replied, "Because to start, you have to pretend I just changed the channel."  Hubby and I died laughing because I always accuse him of changing the channel then falling asleep.

We Got a House!!

No, we did not buy a house.  But, we did find a rental place.  Yay!  The housing office where we are headed has told us that it would be over a year before they got us in a house, so we started looking for a place off-post.  After sorting through gazillions of listings, telling off some scammer on Craigslist and wondering why none of these houses had a refrigerator, I finally found a totally awesome place.  Hubby called the property manager on Monday afternoon and by Tuesday morning we found out for sure that the place is ours (well, not ours, but you know what I mean).  I'm totally stoked about this place.  It has 4 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms.  The master bathroom has a gianormous bathtub and 2 sinks!  Plus, the master bedroom has his and hers closets.  Um, heck yeah!  It also comes with a refrigerator.  Total score!  The nearby school is awesome and the area is really nice.  The only drawback is that it is twenty miles from post, so hubby's got quite a drive everyday.  But we decided that it was worth it.  Since I've got you all excited about the awesomeness of this house, I'll share the pics of it.  These aren't the greatest, but they're good enough to show why I'm stoked.

Cookbooks, Anyone?

The move is upon us!  And we found a house today!  When it is a sure deal, I'll share more info so you'll be as excited as I am.

Anyways, I am going through things and sorted stuff out.  I have a plethora of cookbooks.  I found two that I don't really use, so I have a deal for you.  The first person who contacts me via email (there's a link on my profile page) and agrees to pay the shipping for them can have them.  If you only want one, that's cool too.  Just tell me which you want.

Up for grabs are:

and

images from Amazon.com

They are both in new condition.  They need good homes.  Adopt the cookbooks :)

Dear Random People

Dear Girls in the Butt Crack Bearing Jeans,

I don't wanna see it.  Hike those babies up.  Please and thank you!

Disgusted,
Cole
*****************************

Dear Baby Girl,

Take a nap.  Now.  Please.  Mommy isn't begging, but simply asking nicely.  For the fiftieth time.  You are cranky and Mommy is getting that way.

Almost annoyed,
Mommy
******************************

Dear Oldest Kiddo and Middle Kiddo,

Stay off of your baby sister's ride-on toys.  They weren't made for kids your weight.  I am serious when I say that you break, you buy.  Seriously.

Tired of saying it,
Mom
*****************************

Dear Person Who Tried to Scam Me on Craigslist,

I was born last night, but it wasn't last night.  Not for one second do I believe that you are in Africa doing good and will send me the keys to your rental house just as soon as I wire you some money.  Isn't that scam a little old by now?  Really.  Get a new scam and maybe I'll fall for that one.

Smarter than the average bear,
Cole
*******************************

Dear Universe,

I need a house to live in and a job in El Paso.  And, if it's not pushing it, could you drop off a winning lotto ticket at my front door too?  That would be totally awesome.  Thanks.

Tired of reading ads,
Cole

Learning from Place to Place

Each time we load up and move on to a new post, I end up reflecting on what I've learned at the one we're leaving behind.  I find myself doing that again.

Our first duty assignment was in Hawaii.  (I know, spectacular, right?!)  When hubby and I arrived in Hawaii, we were 19, had been married for about 10 months and had been parents for two weeks.  We were babies.  Leaving Hawaii, we were a little older, maybe wiser (maybe) and had two kiddos.  During our three and a half years there, I learned that I could take care of myself and my kids.  I learned where to put brake fluid in my car.  I learned that life sometimes throws you a curve ball, but you've still got to swing.  You might miss, but at least you'll go down swinging.

After Hawaii, we moved to Texas.  We went through another deployment, too much partying and a whole lot of heartache.  I learned that I am strong.  Heartbreak happens.  Heart healing also happens.  I learned that sometimes people don't care about you.  They'll use you to get what they want and walk away without even caring about the damage they leave behind, kind of like a really bad tornado.  But I also learned that when a broken heart heals, it is stronger.  I learned what was important to me and not to care what other people thought about that.

From Texas, we moved here to Kentucky.  Our precious baby girl was born here.  I've learned that some of the best things in life are worth waiting for.  I also realized that God gives us stuff when He knows we're ready for it, and only He knows when that is.  I learned that hubby and I can in fact live together.  (Sounds odd, I know, but until here he's been gone so much that we averaged less than a year at home together before he was off on more training or deployments...typical Army life.)  I came to realize how much I really don't like credit cards.  Most importantly, I learned how to look at past mistakes and not dwell on them.  I realized that I have to be realistic about life in general.  I maintain my optimistic outlook, and I'm still a dreamer.  But I do not expect perfection.  In fact, I understand, more now than ever, that I prefer my washable marker covered, mac and cheese all over the place, laundry is never finished, chaotic life to any other.

Just Another Random Day in the Neighborhood

It's Tuesday, people! You know what that means?  If not, you've not been around here long, huh?  Well, welcome to Random Tuesday Thoughts.  It's the day where I type a bunch of random stuff and pass it off as a post.  Enjoy!  Oh, and if you like the randomness here, head on over to The UnMom and check out some more.

**I'm considering one of those shock collars for my dog.  I'm seriously tired of her obnoxious barking.  She barks everytime the door opens, the UPS truck goes down the street...oh but the best is when she starts barking because I put something on the counter.  Yeah, she needs a shock collar like Lindsay Lohan needs rehab...

**Speaking of Lindsay Lohan...have you seen this??  Uh yeah, she didn't even cross my mind when I saw that little milkaholic on the ad.  Personally, that ad cracks me up.  Nothing about Lindsay Lohan cracks me up.

**I should be doing homework, but my computer hasn't been cooperating.  So, I've taken it as a sign that I should blog instead.

**Hubby called the housing office at the post we're moving to yesterday.  They told him the waiting list for housing is a year long.  Seriously?!  So I'm now looking for acceptable apartments for us to stay in until our name comes up on the list.  That'll be fun...3 kids, 2 dogs and hubby's plethora of tools in an apartment...but at least it'll make for some good blog posts.

**I was looking forward to this move, but that feeling is quickly fading.

**I love having a little girl to dress up.  Let's face it, baby girl clothes are way cuter than baby boy clothes.

**Oldest Kiddo and Middle Kiddo got Happy Meals last night.  They wanted the iCarly toys instead of Star Wars toys, so the lady gave them each an iCarly magic meatball.  Think they would notice if I destroyed those damned things with a hammer?

**Oldest Kiddo had a fabulous birthday (and thanks you all for the birthday wishes, I'd make him write thank you notes to each of you but I'm pushing it with the notes to family, so sorry).  He got a bunch of gift cards from family which he thinks is awesome because he can get whatever he wants.  He said that getting older was cool because people don't send you baby crap anymore.  Where does he get this stuff?

**Middle Kiddo walked around all day on Oldest Kiddo's birthday telling people that he was being nice to his brother on his birthday because "it is a rule that you have to respect your olders [he meant elders] even if he is just my smelly brother".  Yeah, I love that kid.

**I took the boys to see Alice in Wonderland on Friday.  I now remember why I don't go to the movies...I'm not very tolerant of rude teenagers who believe that they own the theater and yell things like "Hey fag face, over here" or "F*ck, I lost my phone again, guess the stupid parents are just gonna have to buy me a new one" or (my personal favorite) "Could you move your effing cup so I can put my phone there?"  And, no, I didn't move my effing cup.  But the movie was good.

And that's about it for today folks.  Hope you enjoyed my random thoughs and have a great Tuesday!

I've Bought My Last Can of Formula...

...or at least, I hope I have.  Baby Girl is going to be 1 in a few short weeks.  So, I have decided that this is the week to begin the transistion to milk.  With the boys, I started a few weeks before their first birthday.  The first week I mixed an ounce of milk with three ounces of formula.  The next week, I increased it to half milk and half formula.  During the third week, I mixed three ounces of milk with just an ounce of formula.  Then, ta da, they were completely transistioned to milk.  Really, I don't know where I came up with this method.  Probably some random literature from the doctor's office (that I actually managed to read).  But it worked well for them.  So I am going to use it with Baby Girl too.

When I did my grocery shopping this weekend, I bought a can of formula.  A couple of months ago, I switched her to one of those second step formulas for older babies, and they only come in the huge cans.  Well, I forgot that I bought it.  I was at Target yesterday, armed with some coupons, and bought yet another can of formula.  Normally, Baby Girl goes through about one of the bigs cans each week.  Since I'm going to start transitioning her, I know she'll go through less than that.

So, I have quite possibly bought my last can of baby formula.  Yay!  (And a little not yay, because she's growing way too fast, dang it!)  All you other mommies out there know the excitement of these milestones.  This one isn't quite as exciting as realizing that you've bought your last box of diapers, but it's right up there!

Love and Shrimp

The hubby and I watched Forrest Gump last night.  It's one of those movies that makes me boo-hoo every single time I watch it.  I think Forrest Gump is one of those movies that tugs at everyone's heart at least a little bit.  How can anyone get through the part at the end when Forrest is talking to Jenny's grave without crying?  Seriously.  As I watched last night, I realized why the love story in the movie gets me so much.

Anyone who has ever seen the movie knows that Jenny is not always good to Forrest.  But he always loves her.  She doesn't always make good choices.  But Forrest loves her anyways.  Throughout it all, Forrest just loves her.

Forrest loves Jenny completely and without judgement.  You see, I think that's what we all wish we had in our life.  Or what we all wish we could do.  I have no doubt that we all love.  We love very deeply.  But can we honestly say that we love completely and utterly without judgement all the time?  If I'm dead honest, I cannot answer that question the way I would like to.  And that right there is why Forrest Gump always gets to me.

8 Years Fly By So Quickly

Today is Oldest Kiddo's 8th birthday!!  So, Happy Birthday Oldest Kiddo!!  I'm really not sure where the past 8 years have flown off to, but I do know that they've been great.  Here are some pictures to prove it...

 

8 years ago

 

 7 years ago

 

6 years ago

 

5 years ago

 

4 years ago

 

3 years ago

(sorry kiddo, but this pic will stick with you for the rest of your life...consider it a life lesson)

2 years ago

 

1 year ago

 

Just a few days ago

I just can't believe he's growing up so fast.  It seems like they put him in my arms for the first time, I blinked and now he's 8.  I love this kid with all my heart.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

As I've mentioned before, we are coming up on a move.  The lovely part of moving is that I have to empty out my cabinets.  Sometimes, the movers will pack some food items, but I really don't like to for a few reasons.  Moving is a good excuse to use up everything and start with new stuff.  I also don't like the idea that our stuff will be in storage for an unknown amount of time and any number of multi-legged critters could be attracted to our boxes if they have food in them.  Anyways, in my attempts to get rid of everything, I start making random things with whatever I have.  The other day, I decided to try some Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes.  I'd seen recipes for them before, so I googled it and went from there.  Here's what I came up with:

Cupcakes

2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your pans for 24 cupcakes.  In large bowl, beat together sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until blended.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat until it starts to come together.  Then add the boiling water very slowly.  Mix until smooth.  (The mixture will be thin, so don't freak out)  Scoop into pans (do not, I repeat, do not fill the cups more than 3/4 full).  Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack until cupcakes are cool.  Then frost...

Frosting

**I didn't have much powdered sugar, so this recipe doesn't make much...it's just enough to put a fairly thin layer on 24 cupcakes.  If you like mounds of frosting on your cupcakes, just double this and you should be fine.

1 stick butter at room temp.
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat butter until creamy.  Stir milk and vanilla together in a measuring cup.  In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Starting and ending with the powdered sugar mixture, alternatively beat the powdered sugar and milk mixtures into the butter.