Low-Class Litter

So Munchkin and I were out in the front yard a couple of days ago. We were doing our usual…him drawing on the sidewalk with chalk and me pulling weeds….when I came across this lovely contribution.

I just have to say a couple of things. OK first, it’s not so much that you chose to throw your empty beer can on my lawn, but…..KEYSTONE LIGHT?!?!? I mean come ON. This is Texas. I honestly wouldn’t have been near as irritated had it been Shiner Bock. At least it would have been litter and not “low-class litter”. And a can. Honey, you’re drinking Keystone Light from a CAN! What, let me guess. Your name is “Bubba” or “Boyd”?

And one last suggestion. If you have to be so rude as to throw something on my lawn, could you AT LEAST make sure it’s something that will kill that damn dandelion? Actually, Keystone Light might just kill dandelions, so how ’bout this. Next time why don’t you just pop the tab (I can’t believe I just said that) and pour the nastiness out on the dandelions and go GITCHER SELF A FRICKIN’ SHINER!!! IN A BOTTLE!!! M’kay?

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I create fun and colorful flashcards for children. When you do that long enough, you begin to see the world as a series of flashcards. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are warm and fuzzy. Sometimes they are mildly innappropriate. Come see the snark at The Flashcard Zoo Blog.

The Best Things in Life Are Free

I’m always on the lookout for unique things to do in Dallas, and it’s even better if they’re low-cost or free, right? Especially in a city known for its shopping – hey, it’s not like we have beaches or mountains here. Or even rolling hills. Or decent camping without driving a few hours. And for whatever reason, big D continues to tear down its few remaining historical buildings, favoring a concrete jungle instead. Don’t even get me started on my issue against the city’s actionable stance on historical preservation – finding new things to do is FUN to me.

I get excited about children’s parades and Chinese New Year celebrations and international festivals and local performing arts and outdoor moving screenings. So when I saw an article in the DMN highlighting free things to do in Dallas this summer, I knew I had to share:

FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS

Allen USA Celebration – For more than a decade, Allen USA Celebration has always been held the final weekend of June – a great way to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! a week early. Entertainment includes: regional/national acts, including Smash Mouth (a California rock band) and children’s entertainers. Other highlights include a children’s area with bounce houses, festival food and a fireworks finale. TIP: free shuttle service is offered to/from the event. Cost: FREE.

Celebrate Freedom – A huge (and when I say “huge,” I mean HUGE) outdoor musicfest, featuring Christian musicians Kirk Franklin, Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Selah, and more. Other highlights include children’s area, festival food, fireworks. Cost: FREE (tickets required, get info here)

OTHER FUN THINGS TO DO!

Dallas Museum of Art – Admission to the museum will be free each Wednesday in July from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That’s in addition to the usual free days: each Thursday evening from 5 to 9 and the first Tuesday of each month. Cost: FREE. Also, it’s worth noting my favorite DMA event: Late Nights. On the third Friday of each month, the DMA stays open until midnight. Highlights include: art scavenger hunts (so fun!), karaoke and dancing, tours, performances, and more. Cost: $10.

Belmont Hotel Poolside Movie Nights – Every other Wednesday night, the Belmont screens a poolside movie at sundown, with the Dallas skyline as a backdrop. The last movie of the summer, Airplane!, is on Wednesday, July 1st. Bring a blanket, no lawn chairs or coolers permitted. Cost: FREE.

Grapevine’s Friday Fireworks – Not just for Fourth of July, every Friday the city of Grapevine hosts weekly fireworks shows at Grapevine Lake through September 4th. Cost: FREE. (Be sure to visit the link to view all the fun summer events in Grapevine – there’s tons to do!)

Summers at the Nasher Sculpture Center – The Nasher sculpture garden in downtown Dallas is worth checking out, if you haven’t been there already. But rather than pay the admission fee, go for free on Thursday evenings (usually 5 to 9, but they’re open ’til 10 p.m. through July 30th). You can even do yoga in the garden at 6pm on Thursdays, and watch films on first Thursdays of each month the center (with pre- and post-film chats, if you’re so inclined). Plus, now through July 17th the Nasher is showing films on Friday nights, too (think: Sleepless in Seattle, Top Gun, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, etc.). If you’re thinking about bringing the whole family, head to the Nasher on the first Saturdays (through August) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for children’s activities and more. Cost: FREE, FREE, FREE!

And, of course, don’t forget to check out GuideLive.com – Dallas’ best resource for events, restaurants, films and more. It’s my go-to site when I’m looking for something new to do. Which is almost always.

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Jes Ferris, the blogger behind Chirky.com, fervently believes that the best things in life are free: like puppies (well, some of them anyway), and Saturday samples at Costco, and kissing babies’ heads (especially when they smell so goooooodddddd!), and those tiny little hotel bottles of peppermint shampoo (though I suppose I *technically* pay for those, but whatever, I’m totally claiming it anyway).  And then there’s all the best things in life that AREN’T free, but that’s not the point, is it?

Tuesday – Tree

It is no secret that I take my camera everywhere.

I am a serial amateur photographer.

My boys are most frequently the targets of my paparazzi stalking, but every once in awhile I see something that I can’t HELP but pull out the camera to capture.

I am pretty discreet.  It is not my intention to embarrass anyone. It is a compulsion I have when something makes me laugh…I have the NEED to share.

Poor unsuspecting citizens of the world that get between me and my laughter.

The other day on Main Street in Lewisville I witnessed this:

I was next to the car – didn’t change lanes and just held up the camera without any sort of focusing to get the picture.

I thought I was being subtle...

The driver did NOT.

The next thing I know he was swerving over three lanes of traffic to avoid me AT ANY COST.

Oooops.

So sorry...but you can understand my NEED to photograph?

Just a mom…

I have been on pretty much all sides of the Mommy Wars. You know the Mommy Wars. The constant battle over who has it harder and who is in the right. Who is raising their children the right way and who is ruining their children forever. Yes, those Mommy Wars.

I began as the young mom. I married at 18 and had my first son at age 19. Then, I was a stay at home mom for the first 11 months of my oldest son’s life. After those 11 months I went back to work full time. So I was a working mom. I was also a military wife at the time. Anyone knows that being a mom within the military life is a different world all its own. Then I was the stay at home mom to two. Then back to work. THEN the big one….I was a single, full time working, part time student mom.

Are you still with me?

Then I was the stay at home mom again. Then we added son #3 and son #4. So now I am the stay at home, homeschooling mom of four.

All this to say, I understand where almost every woman is coming from. I understand the need to feel important to yourself and to the world as something other than “just a mom”. I understand that deep down desire to be the most important person in your child’s world. I understand the wanting to stay at home and be with your children as much as possible. I understand the need to have a life of your own outside your home. I understand that sometimes being a mom can be a drag. I also understand there is no more important job in the world. I also know, that no matter what stage of motherhood I have been in I have ALWAYS had terrible guilt about something. Guilt about dropping my kids off with strangers for nine hours a day. Guilt about not feeding them enough vegetables. Guilt about yelling too much or not paying enough attention. Guilt, it’s what we moms do.

So I am here to say that I know that 99.9% of moms are good moms that only want what is best for their children. I believe in my case that is to be a stay at home, homeschooling mom. What is best for you and your kids? I don’t have a clue. I don’t pretend to know. On the same note, no one outside God, me and my husband can dictate what being a good mom to MY kids looks like.

In the end…..my name is LaShawn. I am just a mom.

LaShawn writes about being “just a mom” and shares her photography at Frazzled LaShawn

SoulTravelers3: A Family’s Multi-year Global Journey

I’ve mentioned before the family of SoulTravelers3 who are on a multi-year global adventure with their daughter, who I believe is now 7. They visited Morocco & experienced Berber life in the Sahara.

Read about their spiritual visit and then check out their video below. Completely surreal experiences.

The song in the video is by Matthew Marsolek. It’s called tera nam ek sahara & by visiting his site, you can even download the song for free!

Monday – Me

It’s Monday, and it’s me!  Today I’m gonna share a list with you of some random things about me.  Specifically, some random things that annoy me.

• sticky lip gloss
• having a great hair day when my only plans are to stay in my house and veg
• stepping on something wet when I’m wearing socks or in bare feet
• when the cook time on the microwave isn’t cleared off…it’s just left blinking “00:13″
• ambiguous check-out lines at stores – where do they start? who’s in line? did she just cut in front of me?
• cats meowing loudly and continuously
• gas light coming on when I’m backing out of the driveway and running late for a meeting

What are some things that annoy you?

How to find family activities in Denton County

Last November when Burb Mom was just a few weeks old, one of my friends (who at that time was one of 4 Burb Mom readers) sent me a frantic email saying, “Have you seen this?” with an e-newsletter attachment.

It was one of the first Family eGuide newsletters that outlined TONS of stuff to do in Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lewisville and surrounding areas.

Holy crap!

We did a lot of research before we started Burb Mom and then...just a few weeks into it I find that someone else has started a very organized, informative calendar for THE VERY AREA THAT Burb Mom covered.

Of course I subscribed instantly.

At that point Family eGuide didn’t have a website and at that point Burb Mom didn’t have a newsletter so I figured that this town is big enough for both.

As Burb Mom grew and as Family eGuide grew things changed.

Burb Mom got a whole lot more chatty and less calendar-driven.

Family eGuide started a website and amassed a huge amount of information and developed what I believe is  the most comprehensive area family event calendars.

Ever.

Anywhere.

So we HAD to meet Valerie Preston the brains and sweat behind Family eGuide.

We met for coffee at the Cinnabon/Schlotzsky’s in Flower Mound – a coffee which lasted 2 1/2 hours.  It was so fun to meet her.  We couldn’t stop talking, planning and trying to figure out how we could work together.

She is a very organized mom of two who scours over 150 sources on the internet, newspapers, etc. to put together a resource for families which is unmatched:

• Weekly newsletter full of family activities in Southern Denton County.
• Online calendar FULL of events - really, you won’t believe it until you see it.
• Website that includes everything local to Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lewisville and beyond that families would want to know.
• Special seasonal lists like summer camps, sports leagues, etc.
• Kids Eat Free list.

My favorite part of the Family eGuide website is the calendar – it is magical!

The amazing thing is that it is all there FOR FREE for parents in Southern Denton County.

When you stop by Family eGuide, be sure to sign up for the e-newsletter too.

Sunday – Flip-Flops

I truly believe that there is a science to purchasing the perfect pair of flip-flops, but when you find them the chemistry is magical.

It is a close relationship that should last the whole summer.

It is summer love.

Here are my top 5 flip-flop tips for courting new summer footwear:

1. Walkability.  No matter how cute they are, if you are sprawled out on the ground after tripping, no one is going to say, “cute shoes”.
2. Comfort.  They should pass the zoo test…would you wear them to the zoo?
3. Attraction.  It is impossible to fall in love with an ugly shoe.
4. Cleanability.  If you aren’t going to be able to get cherry Slurpee off them, you shouldn’t be going home with them.
5. A future.  You don’t want to be shopping again next week because you ended up with a flip-flop one night stand.

So who will I be seen around town with this summer?

I am a pretty cheap date - Target around $12.

Cheeseburger Runzas with BONUS cinnamon rolls

I don’t cook.  Really, I don’t.

So when I DO cook it has to be EASY and taste GOOD or else it isn’t worth the PAIN.

This is one of my favorite recipes to eat.  It is something I have modified over time from the original Runza recipe I used to make as a child that was beef (in my case, veggie-beef) and cabbage.  Over time it became more beef, then real beef and less cabbage, then no cabbage, and then…why not add cheese!

Wah-la! The Cheeseburger Runza. I have also seen these named cheeseburger bierocks or cheeseburger buns, but I grew up in Nebraska where these type of things are called Runzas.  So that is what they are.

This recipe calls for bread dough so you can pick up some frozen/refrigerated at the grocery store OR pull out your 1991 Bread Machine that you got as a wedding present and resembles R2D2:

Here is the dough recipe – it can be thrown into the bread machine all at once without any prep:

1 1/4 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of bread flour

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
I set my bread machine on a non-baking cycle.  I start this in the morning and haven’t had trouble with it even if I don’t get to it by mid-afternoon.

The filling is simply ground beef, onions, tomato sauce and some cheese.

If you want to use all the dough then make this full recipe.*

If you want to save a portion of the dough for cinnamon rolls, then just cut this recipe in half:

2 pounds of beef

1-2 onions chopped

1 can (15 oz.) of tomato sauce

Brown the beef and add the onions.  Let the onions get a bit tender and add the tomato sauce.

You are ready to fill your dough!

Out of a full recipe I usually get around 24+ runzas of various sizes.  I like to make really small ones for the kids and larger ones for the adults.
Roll the dough out very thin, add the filling and then sprinkle on the cheese – my favorite is sharp cheddar.

Fold the sides in and make a little package.

Flip them over and put on greased baking sheet.  If you pause for a little while and let them rise the final product will look a little better.  Often I just pop them straight into the oven at this point because I am trying to get dinner on the table ASAP.

Bake them at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Now, if you only did a 1/2 recipe then it is time for cinnamon rolls.  You will need lots of help.

First spread the left over dough with melted butter.
Then sprinkle sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon on top and spread it around.

Send all your helpers to the sink to clean up, roll up the dough, cut and bake at 400 for 10-18 minutes depending on your cinnamon roll size and pan density.

Alrighty people, time to eat.

Behold the Runza.

Behold the rolls of cinnamon.

*One argument against the cinnamon roll is that the left over runzas are yummy.  You can heat them up in the toaster oven at 400 for about 6 minutes or eat them cold.  Either way, I like mine dipped in ketchup.

Summer Concert Series: Parker Square

We took the kids to Parker Square last night & enjoyed great dinner and a rockin’ band!

We had dinner on the patio of The Yellow Rose, so we could enjoy the music (and avoid traumatic events with the kids inside).  Both Kip & I had salads, but I had the steak salad, and I will testify that it was some of the best steaks that I have ever had.  I highly recommend.  The prices weren’t crazy either. I expected it to be more expensive than it was.  You should definitely give it a try.

We ventured over to Parker Square because we heard about their Summer Concert Series.  It was one of the coolest things ever, BUT I am sad to tell you that last night was the last night of the series.  If you live near-by, you will have to indulge in this event next year.  We jammed out to All Funk Radio Show – they were phenomenal.  If you are ever looking for a band (a big one) to play at an event or part – these guys are so entertaining!

Anyhow – the kids danced and played…we ran into some old friends, so we got to sit and chat…people brought lawn chairs, dogs, booz, food and much more.  It was like a concert in my backyard…amazing!  We will be attending as many of these as possible next summer!  Hope to see you there.

In all of her spare time, Shauna also rambles on over at Blah Blah Blog.

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