Monthly Archives: March 2013

blessings, Music

9 excellent songs about babies

1. Sir Mix-A-Lot’s classic “Baby Got Back.” One can only presume this is about a traveling baby who is happy to be back at home.

2. “Ice Ice Baby” by Robert “Vanilla Ice” Van Winkler. I know it mostly by heart.

3. “Baby Hold On” by Mr. Eddie Money, who knows that babies like to be held but don’t always want to hold you back.

4. “Baby Imma Want You” by Bread, which you shouldn’t give your baby until he’s 10 months old or so.

5. “Don’t Worry Baby” by The Beach Boys, who were obviously concerned about stressed-out babies.

6. “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey, who knows that your baby is always your baby, even when she isn’t a baby anymore.

7. “Baby” by the Biebs, who I think was just barely into toddlerhood when he recorded this.

8. James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James,” which makes an excellent lullaby.

9. The Talking Heads’ “Stay Up Late.” Which my baby brother Perry Mason is going to be doing a lot of soon, because he and Mrs. Perry Mason will be welcoming Perry Mason Jr. this fall!

Congratulations you two! I cannot wait to nuzzle your wee bairn.

Eating

How I celebrated the internet’s greatest bread pudding event

Do you remember that time when Angie made me eat bread pudding for dinner? (Don’t feel bad. I didn’t either, ’til she reminded me.)

Today is the Fluid Pudding BreadPuddingAlong, so last night I tried to make myself some bread pudding. And because Rockford was off doing work things again and the kids and I are all sick, I did it in the laziest way possible.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

I mixed the milk, vanilla and egg together in the measuring cup. I tore the bun into bits and smashed it into the milk mixture, then tossed a few handfuls of mini chocolate chips on top. I stirred it all together and popped it into the microwave for a minute and a half and then two additional bursts of 30 seconds.

Then I tucked the kids into bed and came back to the World’s Laziest Bread Pudding and tasted it. And that’s when I realized where I’d gone wrong. I forgot to include sugar. Which is how the World’s Laziest Bread Pudding became the World’s Grossest Bread Pudding.

I don’t think Lazy Lazerton’s Measuring Cup Bread Pudding is a faulty concept, because it did cook through just like it should’ve. But bread pudding really needs a good bit of sweet to be delicious. So I poured a little Chai latte over the top. You will be shocked to learn that Chai latte did not help even a little.

And so into the trash went the World’s Laziest Bread Pudding, and to the couch, “The West Wing” and a box of Kleenex went I.

Family matters

Greetings from the house of a thousand plagues

Today is the first day we’ve been anywhere near functional this week, and I’d say we’re all still around 80 percent. We’ve all been sick at the same time before, but this is the first time we’ve all been sick with different things. Poppy has a double ear infection and a cold; Pete had a stomach bug that totally wiped him out, and he seems to be coming down with a cold now; and I just have a measly old cold. So I guess we do have the same thing. The kids just have extra special bonus illnesses.

We haven’t gotten much done this week, and I’d imagine that trend is going to continue. We missed Pete’s basketball practice, the kids’ art class, Poppy’s ballet class and their swim lessons. We’ve all been wearing pajamas since Sunday night. The kids have been taking 2-hour naps twice a day and watching “Pink Panther and Pals” and “Rocky and Bullwinkle” between naps. I’ve watched half of the first season of “The West Wing.”

Pete finally wanted to eat something today, and he hasn’t had a fever in 24 hours. He managed to keep a bowl of Jello, some applesauce and a quarter of a slice of toast down.

Poppy’s ears hurt a little less than they did, but she’s still running a low fever. How long should we let that go on before we go back to the doctor?