All I Wanted Was Turkey

I was browning some meat today, making lasagna to send to the baby-sitters while I was out of town this weekend, and casually glanced at the packaging that the ground turkey had been in.  That is when I saw it.  There in the ingredient list - NATURAL FLAVORING.  What the heck is that?!?!?  I bought turkey!  All I wanted was turkey!  What was that natural flavoring stuff?

So, like any concerned consumer would do, I looked it up.  I didn't like what I found.

The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations describes a "natural flavorant" as:

the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or any other edible portions of a plant, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose primary function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional
source:Wikipedia

Because I wasn't 100% sure what all of that meant, I did a bit more looking.  I found a website called The Fit Shack, and the author wrote an article that broke things down really well into layman's terms.  Basically, "natural flavoring" is a man-made additive created by people called "flavorists".  The best I can gather, it is added to foods to enhance the flavor.

Ulrimately, what I want to know is, "Is it bad for me?"  The author of The Fit Shack article didn't know, and I can't find any definitive answers on the internet telling yes or no, either.  Much like The Fit Shack author, I question whether this chemical additive is truly necessary.

Have you ever looked at the ingredient panel of your fresh or ground meats?  Is it possible to buy ground meats in the supermarket without these additives?  How can the FDA or the USDA or whoever regulates these products allow companies to put theses additives into our food?

It's difficult enough to encourage our kids to make healthy snack choices because of all of the commercials peddling crap on TV.  Now we have have to monitor what are supposed to be pure, whole, unprocessed foods?

Clearly, I'm disgruntled.  I don't have any answers.  I'm just so incredibly frustrated with the food industry in this country.

Share a Spoon, Warm the Heart Debut

As many of you know, I have been blessed with a tightly knit group of blogging friends I call my Blackberry Bishes.  In our chats, we have recently been discussing cooking at home.  We decided it would be great if we could put our heads together and swap our favorite recipes.  Well, being the big thinker that she is, the lovely Zgirl at Think Tank Momma, has decided to set up this recipe swap carnival for all to enjoy!  So find your favorite recipes, link up, and share with the world!

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In talking with the other moms in my life, I have learned that the most difficult part in scratch cooking is lack of time and the convenience of pre-prepared, processed food.  I will admit, as the only parent of two high energy, ADHD children, time in the kitchen is definitely at a premium in this home.

Planning ahead and having "back-ups" of essentials is important if I am going to maintain my commitment to feed my family as healthfully as possible. 

Mexican food is a favorite in my home and for years, I bought the convenient 1.25 ounce packages of taco seasoning to give my ground meat it's Mexican flair.  My favorite was always McCormick's.  Have you ever read the back of one of those packs?!?!?  In one package of McCormick's Taco Seasoning, there are 430mg of sodium!!!  The USDA recommends that the average, healthy adult consume only 2400mg of sodium a day!  430mg is just about 20% of that!

In addition to high sodium, have you ever read the ingredient label on the back of one of those packets?  What the heck are "whey solids"?  Why do I need sugar in my taco seasoning?  Why do they add potato starch?  Do I really need all of this extra stuff in my food?  NO!!!

So, since I work in a restaurant with a scratch kitchen , I asked the Kitchen Manager, "How do we season our taco meat?"  And you know what?  He gave me the recipe! 

Remember what I said in the beginning about planning ahead?  Well, the first recipe is the bulk recipe for the taco seasoning.  I took all of the ingredients at their proper measurements, put them in an air tight, sealed container, and shook.  I use 2 tablespoons of this seasoning per 1 pound of ground meat.

Taco Seasoning:

1 heaping teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

Now, if you prefer to season your taco meat as you go, here is the recipe for 1 pound of ground meat:

1 scant teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 scant teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Here's to happy, healthful cooking!!!

Back On Track

I've fallen apart.  I'm not afraid to admit it.  I have lost all sense of organiztion and control of my daily life.

Since October, I have gained 25 pounds, leaving me 7 pounds shy of my full term pregnancy weight with The Boy.  My self image is shot, my motivation is down, and my energy level non-existant. 

In addition, I feel like my home is falling apart around me.  Any semblance of the routine I once had is completely gone.  After taking my kids to school, I crawl back into bed and often times don't get back out until I have to go pick them up.  That means household chores aren't getting done, laundry is piling up, and very little is getting cleaned.

This all needs to change.  I am very unhappy in my body and in my home.  I know I am the only one that can do anything about it.  So I am going to get of my fat, lazy ass and make some changes.

It sounds like a lot to tackle. Which is why I am bringing it to this forum.  The sense of community I feel in the blogosphere is far greater than any network I have IRL.  I know there are men and women that read my blog and probably yours that are feeling defeated as well.  I also know there are people that read our blogs that have overcome these feelings of defeat.  I am reaching out to all of you for support and inspiration.  I have also read in many places that publicly stating your goals helps in making them more attainable.

So here it is!  I need to get my life back on track!  I need to take control of my physical health and lose 35 pounds.  I plan to do this through healthy diet and exercise.  My goal is to work out twice a week with a trainer for 1/2 hour sessions.  In additon to the training, I plan to get in a half an hour of cardio 5 days a week and strength training or workout videos on non-training days.  In January, I created a Spark People account.  I will be using this account to track my food intake as well as utilizing the site for recipes.

To get control of my home, I am going to be going back to the Fly Lady.  Once upon a time her Beginner Baby Steps set me on a path to getting my house together.  It has worked for me in the past and I believe that it can work for me again.  My life is lacking routine.  This program will help me to create a new one. 

I'm going to be tracking my journey for the next 31 days.  Why 31 days?  Well, I've been told that it takes 28 days to develop a new habit.  The Flylady breaks down her baby steps into 31 days - to help develop new habits and routines.  31 days will also give me 4 weeks to get back into a workout and healthy eating habit and hopefully begin to see changes.  I will be tracking my progress and discussing my journey in my Blog Frog Community.  I will share before and after pictures, success stories and tales of things that didn't work so hot for me.  Ultimately, my goal is to find my better me, the one I lost somewhere along the way. 



Flylady image belongs to http://www.flylady.net/

Supporting the Food Revolution

There was a short period of time in the not so distant past I did a stint as a Food Program Coordinator for a non-profit halfway house/group home organization.  During this time I made an amazing discovery.  There are A LOT of young adults that don't know their way around a kitchen.

While I was in this position, I made it my goal to create menus that taught residents how to make meals that were delicious, economical, and not from a box.  So often, the feedback I would receive would be, "Why can't we have chicken nuggets?" or "Can we have frozen pizza?" or "These meals take too long to make."  The saddest part of this is that most of these comments were made by the life skills coordinators that staffed these homes.  The same people that were being paid to teach the residents how to live on their own.

While many of these meals were far from scratch, they were also not pre-prepared, straight from the box garbage.  They were teaching residents how to incorporate proteins, vegetables, and healthy carbs to make a meal.

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As a parent, I am concerned about what my children consume.  In our home, we try to avoid highly processed, nutrient deficient foods.  In addition to trying to cook mostly from scratch, I encourage my children to work in the kitchen by my side.  Just the other day, my 9 year-old, made homemade brownies from scratch.  That's right!  She melted the baking chocolate and butter, measured the brown sugar, salt, flour, and vanilla, and added the eggs.  By herself.  They were DELICIOUS!

It concerns me the amount of processed foods being used in our schools today.  I'm not saavy enough to find the statistics showing just how prevalent it is.  I just know what I see on the lunch menu that comes home each month.

I have eaten lunch at school with my kids.  They have the option to decline their fruit and vegetable.  If they choose the "cold lunch" option, they don't even get a real PB&J, the school provides Smuckers Uncrustables!  I'm not entirely sure how that is economical, not to mention the extra waste created by these individually wrapped sandwiches.  I just know that the food my kids eat at school is an over processed smorgasboard.

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Have you been over to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution site?  If you haven't, you should!  This stuff is real!  If you haven't yet, sign the petition!  If you're a parent, get on board!  Make your voice heard!  Stand up for what your kids are being served in school.  Get your family involved in the kitchen.  Stop spending your money on the Hamburger Helper and other premade meals in the store and start visiting sites like allrecipes.com, recipesfromscratch.com, and right off the Jamie Oliver site. I know it can sometimes be difficult.  And you don't have to go 100% old school to make a difference.  Just give it a shot and get cooking!!!

Becoming An Only Parent; Part 5

In February 2001, I told my husband I would be filing for divorce.  I had been living with my mother and her husband for almost a year.  Due to his continuous relapses and unwillingness to come be honest in therapy, we were no closer to reconciliation than the day I moved out.  It broke my heart to know the man I married was lost somewhere inside the broken man he had become.

The details surrounding his death are very blurry to me.  I have blocked most of them out.  What I do know is this:

My husband was a Board Certified Optician.  He travelled extensively for work and we would often go for days on end without hearing from him.  At 2:00 am, Febrary 26, 2001, I received a phone call.  It was my husband.  He told me he was sorry for all of the heartache he had put me through.  He knew when we got married, I didn't believe in divorce and he was sorry that his actions and behaviors had brought me to that point.  He thanked me for bringing The Boy and The Girl into the world and told me that he knew of no better person to raise children with love and direction.  He asked that as they grew, I share with them stories of their father.  He hoped that I would tell them about books he loved, animals he loved, places he loved, and things he loved.  He also asked that I protect them from stories about his shortcomings and flaws.  He knew that he had done me wrong in a lot of ways, but he hoped that I would only share positive memories of him with our children

I asked him why he was saying all of these things.  I remember telling him, divorce doesn't mean you will never see them again.  Then he told me...

Prior to calling me, he had ingested 3 bottles of sleeping pills and 2 bottles of wine.  He was crying.  He said he never wanted to put me through all of this and he was very sorry.  He informed me that he would probably be dead within 3 hours.  I freaked out.

I demanded to know where he was.  He wouldn't tell me.  He was calling from a cell phone and there was no way to locate him.  He asked me to not try to find him.  I remember him telling me repeatedly that my and the children's lives would be better this way.  I was very angry.  We argued for a good half hour and then he told me he had to go.  His last words to me were, "I have always loved you."  My last words to him were, "Fuck you for being so God damn selfish."

As I said, most details are a blur.  I was up most of the night crying and trying to find him.  He did not answer any of my calls when I tried to call him back.  I was a wreck.

Around dinner time on the 26th, an officer came to the door of my mother's house.  He informed me that my husband's body had been found in a hotel room near Denver.  I would be receiving a call from the Denver County coroner shortly.  I don't remember my reaction.  I don't remember talking to the coroner.  I know that I was able to identify his body over the telephone by describing his tattoos.

It has been 9 years since that phone call.  Describing it still puts a pain in my chest.  I remember driving toward Denver on the BFFRT this year and feeling sick to my core.  Just the idea of being near to where he died made me ill.

Drug addiction ruins lives.  Suicide ruins lives.  Untreated depression ruins lives.  Because of these things, my children have no father.  My children have no idea what life with a father would be like.  My children have no concept of what a father's role is.  If you, or anyone you love is afflicted by these conditions, GET HELP!!!  It doesn't just affect the individual!  It affects EVERYONE in that person's life!!! 

Today, all my children know is that dad was sick and dad died.  I share with them happy memories of their father.  Just today, on our way home from the zoo, we drove by the home we lived in prior to his death.  It is important to me that my children know where they come from.  I will continue to share with them stories of their father, and someday, when they are older, I will share with then the truth.

Future Ex-Husbands; Animal Lover Edition

 

I was mostly uninspired when trying to come up with ideas for a Future Ex-Husbands post today.  Then, the family and I went to the zoo.  At the zoo, there is a HUGE lemur exhibit.  The exhibit got the kids talking about Zaboomafoo.  And Zaboomafoo got me thinking about how good looking the Kratt brothers are…  Which inspired me for today’s post.

So, here it is, some of the hottest animal lovers on TV!!!

Chris and Martin Kratt

 

Jeff Corwin

 

Dave Salmoni

 

And lastly, the guys’ favorite part, the Throwing Mike a Bone portion of the post….

 

All images found using Google images.

This is my 1st post using Windows Live Writer, hope it looks alright!

Trying to Fix It; Part 4

It's been a while since I posted the first three installments of "My Story".  Writing them brought to the surface many emotions I hadn't felt for a long time.  It was very draining.  If you haven't read them and would like to catch up before reading Part 4, I have set up links below...

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I have recharged my battery, so to speak, and am ready to continue.  So without further adieu, Part 4...

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Marriage counseling wasn't exactly what I thought it would be.  Once a week, my husband and I would meet at our therapist's office and discuss our differences.  We decided in therapy that it was critical to our relationship that he be there for the birth of our daugther.  He was.  Other than that, we agreed on nothing.  There was a lot of blaming, he consistently lied to our therapist, and my trust in him was dwindling.

Setting the scene for her life, in typical "The Girl Fashion", she was 3 weeks late and I had to be induced.  How on Earth could I go 3 weeks past my due date?  It was 2000.  EVERYONE was having babies and they were going into labor naturally.  There was literally no room in labor and delivery.  The day I was induced, he arrived to the hospital shortly after me.  I remember him being present for the whole thing.  He was very supportive and an excellent labor coach.

After she was born, my mom and her husband brought The Boy to visit.  Things seemed normal and were great.  Prior to my discharge, my husband asked me if I was ready to move home.  My response?  Not a chance.  This frustrated and angered him.  He said a lot of horrible things.  He even went as far to tell me that I had lied about The Girl's due date, that she was probably right on time, and she probably wasn't even his.  This may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

Twice a week, I would take the kids to our house, where my husband was still living, and allow him to see and interact with our children.  He was always a doting father.  He had cute nicknames for our children, played with The Boy and read to him, danced around with The Girl and made up stories for her.  During those times, he was the man I fell in love with.  It broke my heart to know just how broken he was inside.

Come January 2001, he had relapsed for the 5th and final time.  I knew this wasn't the life I wanted for my family.  I knew I needed to stop waiting for him to pull himself together and I needed to make decisions based on what was best for me and my children.  It was an agonizing decision, but I knew that I could no longer stay married to this man...

Photo found on Google Images

It's a Monday Minute!

It's time to play along! 

While I'm not typically a meme person, I have been known to play along from time to time.  When I received an email from Ian with this week's Monday Minute Questions, I knew deep in my heart of hearts, that today, I had to play...  So here is it folks, Monday Minute, with Ian at The Daily Dose of Reality.  Head over, link up, check out some other peeps' answers.  Why?  Because it's just so much fun.

1. Ever take a shit in the woods?

    Yes.  Yes, I have...  In these woods, to be exact.

2. If you won $1000, what's the first thing you would do with it, besides give me a cut?

    $1000  really isn't THAT much money, so to get the most "bang for my buck", I'd go shopping. Specifically, I'd go shopping for jeans and make-up, and maybe a handbag.... (And no cut for Ian.)

3. What's your favorite phrase?

     "Shut the front door!!"  Translation:  "Shut the fuck up!!"

4. Fill in the blank - The world would be a better place if The Pile left the planet.

5. How do you take your coffee or tea?

    Black, unsweetened...  Lattes and cappucinos with skim milk.  No sugar, no flavoring...  Per a recent Twitter discussion among friends (You know who you are!), it has been determined that coffee is the drink of the gods. (Erin, you were over-ruled.)

Future Ex-Husbands: Juney Style

So, in case you missed the memo, I had a house guest for a couple of days.  June, from 3! A Charm spent a couple of nights in my house of chaos.  Sooooooo, for this week's Future Ex-Husbands post, after a couple of Jeremiah Weed and Minute Maid Lemonades. I had Juney put together her picks. Without further adeiu.......

Stephen Moyer

True Blood

Vampire Bill

Alexander Skarsgard

True Blood

Eric Northam

John Corbett

Let us never forget Patrick Swayze


And now the Throwing Mike a Bone link.

All images found on Google Images

Community

I can honestly say that I am so happy to be back.  Having been away from blogland for 10 days really made me evaluate why I blog.  Fave Cousin says I have an addiction, but I don't think that is it.  The reason I blog is community.

Webster's Online defines community as such:

Main Entry: com·mu·ni·ty

Pronunciation: \kə-ˈmyü-nə-tē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural com·mu·ni·ties
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English comunete, from Anglo-French communité, from Latin communitat-, communitas, from communis
Date: 14th century

1 : a unified body of individuals: as a : state, commonwealth b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society e : a group linked by a common policy f : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society

2 : society at large

3 a : joint ownership or participation b : common character : likeness c : social activity : fellowship d : a social state or condition

I feel like here, I can say what I feel I need to say and not be judged.  Somedays I go deeper than others.  Sometimes I'm mouthy and fed up.  Often, I'm just having fun.  I am proud of what I do here.  I am proud of what I write here.  I am proud of the friends I have made here.  I am excited to make more!

As my blog grows, I feel my community opening up in other ways, too.  I have featured posts at Life 2 Us, contribute to Lose It Bitches, I am on The Mom Bloggers Club and have joined many groups there.  I have joined The Lady Bloggers Society, frequent The Secret is in the Sauce a.k.a SITS and hope to one day have my blog featured there.  I also take part in the social networking community, Twitter.

I'm sure we all have our different reasons for blogging.  I know that when I first started, I didn't think about the community side of it for a second.  Community, however, is what keeps me coming back.  If you are currently a follower, thank you!  To my regular commenters, thanks so much for your regular gift of validation.  (Seeing that I am outnumber 2:1 by ungrateful monsters, the daily validation makes me warm and fuzzy.)  If this is your first time swinging by, thank you to you, too.  I truly hope you come back!  I do my best to respond individually to each comment via email, so if you have noreply set up, that make me a sad panda.  I love to write back and thank you for being a part of my day!

To show the world how important my blogging community is to me, I had my friend Tamara at Cheapskate Designs create this awesome Community Button!  Show the love, take it, post it in your side bars, and show the world that you are part of a community!  The blogosphere is a virtual world in which we build our own communtiy through comments and unity.  Spread the love!

<a href="http://onlyparentchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/04/community.html"><img src="http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af288/CheapskateTam/community4.png"/></a>

Wordless Wednesday: BFFRT2 Style

Report Card Season

It's report card time again.  Generally, because of conferences, I know what to expect when the monsters bring their report cards home.  This year has been frustrating, however.

The Girl, as I have mentioned, has severe ADHD and is also diagnosed with ODD.  She has been on an IEP at school since the 1st grade and has been a part of the EBD program for the majority of her elementary career.  While I feel that these program have been beneficial in identifying how The Girl learns, I believe that over the last few years, she has grossly manipulated the program. 

It came to my attention mid-year that The Girl's para has been allowing her to dictate her work while the para writes it out for her.  I lost my fucking head was a bit upset by this and requested that it be put to an immediate stop.  In my mind, a 9 year-old 4th grader is still learning the fundamentals of reading and writing and should be fully accountable for writing out their own work.  In addition, I also learned that this para was coaching The Girl on how to complete portions of tests that were "too difficult for her".  This also pissed me right off put me out.  As far as I am concerned, the only way to determine if she "gets it" is to let her pass or fail on her own merit.  Mind you, I don't want to see my daughter fall flat on her face, I just want the school to be able to identify in what areas, if any, she requires extra help.

So, after these things were put to a stop, The Girl was put into a small break out group for 4th graders having difficulty with math.  Her Special Ed teacher thought that in addition to getting The Girl additional help in Math, it would be a great opportunity for building small group social skills.  I agreed and gave my approval for the break out group.  Initially, The Girl was coming home talking about the group and about how much better she was "getting math".  Intially.

I was made aware a few weeks ago that The Girl was no longer participating in this small group (and hadn't been for many weeks) because SHE didn't feel she needed it.  Ok, stay with me on this one...

I believe it is important for our children to take part in their education.  I believe it is important to empower our children and help them to identify what they need from their educators.  I believe it is important to give our children choices and allow them to make some decisions pertaining to their lives.  I also believe it is a parent's and an educator's responsibility to set limits on those choices and to help redirect those decisions when the decision is not benefitting the child.

Where am I going with this, you ask?

As I said in the beginning, it's report card time.  The Girl received a D- in math.  A D-.  It is the worst grade on her report card, in a subject she was to be receiving additional help in.  Help that SHE opted out of because "she didn't feel she needed it".  Where were her educators?  Why on Earth did they allow her to opt out of this break out group?  Why was I not made aware of her almost failing grade in this class when she decided she shouldn't participate in this break out group any longer? How on Earth are they setting her up for success when they can't even help her to be accountable for her education?

Her IEP follow-up and special education services re-evaluation meeting is this week.  You bet your ass better believe I will be bringing her report card with me...

image found thru Google Images

Monday Funday?

This week is going to be a fun and busy week en mi casa...

Today is the Minnesota Twins home opener.  While that in and of itself is super exciting, they happen to be palying the Boston Red Sox, which is ALWAYS a really great game....  And if that wasn't enough, all of this is happening at a BRAND NEW STADIUM!!  Outdoor baseball, WELCOME BACK TO MINNESOTA!

Target Field photo found on Google Images

Better yet, courtesey of The Man, my super fabulous friend Miss Lucinda and I will be enjoying all of the opening day action from section 221 at the beautiful Target Field!!!  WOOT!!!

So while you're busy being jealous, I'd just like to let you know that on Thursday, the beautiful June from 3! A Charm will be here, live and in the flesh for TWO WHOLE NIGHTS!!  That's right!  Juney and That One Mom will be living large for two nights!  (Did I mention there will be some Spotted Cow and my kids' school family dance...  Not at the same time!  Geez, who boozes it up before a school function!)

Anybaseballgame, I will be thinking of you all while I watch the boys break in the new field!  Maybe I will tweet some pictures of the inaugural game!!!

And if you're not sure why YOU should be excited about the Minnesota Twins, I have four great reasons right here!

Four Great Reasons to Love the Twins

 

I am a baseball fan.  I have been since I was a little girl.  Growing up in a "Cubs family", naturally, I cheer for the Cubs.  My #1 baseball team, however, is the Minnesota Twins.  I remember as a child going to the Metrodome to see my Twinkies play.  Back in the days of Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett, Dan Gladden, Bert Blyleven, Greg Gagne...  I loved to go to Twins games.  I remember when they won the World Series in 1987.  My mom took us out of school that day to attend the rally at the dome.  Sooo much fun. 

Twins baseball is a lot different than it was when I was a kid.  They haven't won a championship since 1991.  Although they have been division champs many times in the last 19 years, they just can't seem to beat those damn Yankees... (That's a dirty word in my house.)

This year begins a new era for the Twins.  Target Field is bringing outdoor baseball back to Minnesota and I am so excited!!!  I understand that baseball can be boring for many women.  It isn't boring at all.  To entice you into watching, I have four very good reason to begin watching Twins baseball.  Even if it's only a little bit at a time.

Nick Blackburn #53 Pitcher

Nicky B. was called up to the bigs in September of 2007, where he began as a relief pitcher.

He worked his way into the starting rotation for the 2008 season and has won the title of my baseball boyfriend as well...  I'm sure his wife doesn't mind.

J.J. Hardy #27 Short Stop

Don't let the silly uniform on this boy fool you!  The Minnesota Twins acquired this yummy short stop in a trade for Carlos Gomez this season.  He has already hit 2 homeruns this regular season and we're only 1 series in!  He also has the same b-day as The Girl!

Justin Morneau #33 1st Base

This young man made his major league debut with the Twins in June 2003.  He has had the hearts of Minnesota girls swooning since.  While I have always been a HUGE Kent Hrbek fan (another 1st baseman), Justin is definitely easy on the eyes and is VERY good at his job.

Joe Mauer #7 Catcher

This hometown hero just signed a $184 million dollar contract that will keep his cute little butt here for another 8 years.  This contract was not only the biggest in history for a catcher, but the biggest in the history of the Twins.  This St. Paul boy has been an amazing contribution to the team AND he gets to live out his dreams by playing ball for the team he grew up watching.  Lucky boy.

Sadly, there is no Throwing Mike a Bone feature this week...  I just can't think of anything Twins related that would tickle a man's fancy.  Sorry...

Twins home opener is tomorrow at 3pm CST vs. the Red Sox!  Make sure you tune in.  The game has been sold out for months, but The Man and I are going to try to get scalped tickets.  Wish us luck...  Cheer for the BoSox if you like, but they haven't had any good eye candy since Johnny Damon sold his soul to the Devil.  And Big Poppy seems to be in a hitting slump.  I heart the BoSox, but not when they're playing my boys...

GO TWINS!!!

Yummy man pics courtesey of Google Images.

Big Fat Family Roadtrip Takes On Colorado Springs

This year, the BFFRT brought us to Colorado Springs.  I have never visited the Rocky Mountains previously and for this trip, I had my own private tour guide.  The Man grew up in the Springs.

On our drive up to The Broadmoor and to Seven Falls, he was telling me about a private residence in the area.  The man that lived there was a sculptor and made really neat kinetic wind sculptures.  The artist's name was Starr Kempf and he made some super cool things...

These are only 2 of the few that are left up on the property, there were originally 10.  Due to the sculptors death, family feuds, and zoning issues, there aren't many left up or visible from the roadside.

We also went to Seven Falls in Cheyenne Canyon.  Being a Minnesotan, it was really odd to see snow and flowing water.  The temperature was warm enough for sweatshirts and it was beautiful.

I've been told that no visit to Colorado Springs is complete without a trip to the Garden of the Gods.  We definitely stopped there.  It was beautiful but a great big CF.  I can't imagine what a nuthouse it would be during peak season.

While there, we also went to the Air Force Academy.  Having attempted to visit West Point in the past, I wasn't sure that I would actually see much of The Academy.  Was I wrong.  Although there are security checkpoints at each of the entrances, visitors are allowed on parts of the campus.  While West Point is nestled into one of the nooks of the Hudson River Valley near Newburgh, New York, the Air Force Academy is a sprawling, mountainside property.  It is HUGE! I was bummed that the cathedral was closed while we were there, but I was able to get some external pictures,