You Might Be A Blond If...

Since the birth of my daughter, I have lost 78 pounds.  One would think that losing that much weight would be a totally enjoyable, gratifying experience.  However, there is one very annoying thing about losing that much weight...what do I wear?

I had a few things that I had kept from when I used to be skinnier, but not nearly enough to create a decent wardrobe.  And then you are faced with a dilemma...how much clothing do you buy and what do you buy when you haven't met your goal weight yet.  I don't want to buy things that aren't going to fit me in a short while because I lost more weight.

This past weekend, we were lounging around on Saturday morning in our pj's.  My pj bottoms, of course, didn't fit so well.  Every time I stood up and moved, I nearly mooned everyone.  Talk about your constant threat of a wardrobe malfunction.  Anthony was pretty amused by this.

Then a bit later, he looked at me and said, "Can't you tighten them down at all?"

So I begin to give him this whole spiel about how these pj bottoms have drawstrings but they are actually fake ones and don't do anything.  Then I proceed to show them that they are in fact fake.  But when I pull on them, I realize, they are in fact real.  So I have been walking around for the past few months with my pj bottoms about to fall off of me at any moment when the situation could have been remedied in seconds.

In my defense, I did at one time own a pair that had fake drawstrings (though obviously no these ones).  How I walked around that long completely oblivious is beyond me.  Chalk it up to being blond.  I have had my fair share of blond moments, that's for sure.

Daddy?

My daughter's first word was Mama.  When she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, I hear her saying "Mama, mama", letting me know that she is awake.  When she wants me during the day, she crawls after me saying "Mama, mama", hoping to get whatever it is that she wants.  She has taken such a liking to the word that she even calls Anthony "mama".

At first we thought that when Anthony was holding her and she would say "mama", she did this because she wanted me.  Then one day Anthony went downstairs to get something.  Our daughter crawled after him and sat by the gate at the top of the stairs saying "mama" over and over until he returned.  That's when we realized that he too was "mama".  Don't get me wrong, we have tried to get her to say "Dada", but she just won't (or can't yet) say it.

Then yesterday, Anthony's mom came over in the morning to watch the kids while I went to work.  She brought over a magazine for Anthony.  On the front of the magazine was a picture of two older men.  My daughter was eating breakfast at the time.  Once my mother-in-law sat down at the table with the kids, my daughter started reaching out, it seemed, for the magazine.  So my mother-in-law picked it up and showed her the front of the magazine.  Instantly my daughter became excited, pointed at the two guys on the cover, and said "dada".

I think I might just keep her in the house until she correctly identifies her father.  Otherwise I see many embarrassing moments in my future where she calls random men in the supermarket "dada".

Sincerely,
The-M-O-M

Kids Say The Darndest Things

My son is quite the talker.  I would venture to say that he gets it naturally.  He talks about EVERYTHING!  He has the world's best memory and talks about things that happened months ago.  He sometimes starts telling me crazy stories at breakfast and I wonder to myself if he is describing some dream he had.  And then there are those times that he just talks about or says the most random, off the wall thing that completely catches you off guard and makes you crack up.

The other day the following conversation happened:

"Mommy, I have a belly button.  Yes.  That's right.  Where is your belly button?", he asks.

"It's under my shirt, buddy," I reply.

"Lift up your shirt!  I want to see it!", he says in a demanding voice.  So I lift up my shirt and show him my belly button.  I am amazed at his complete interest in my belly button and not my weird, jiggly, stretch-marked, baby battle-scarred belly.  Then he asks, "Does [my sister] have a belly button?"

"Yes dear, we all have belly buttons," I say matter-of-factly.

"Why don't we all have pee-pees?", he asks.  Pee-pee is what he calls his boy parts.  I know "they", the experts, frown upon the use of anything but the proper names for male and female anatomy with your children, but I much prefer he say pee-pee.  One, probably because I'm more comfortable saying that than penis to him and two, because I am certain that the moment I teach him what it is really called he'll embarrass me in public.  :)  But I digress.

"Because that's the way God made us.  God made boys with pee-pees and girls without,"  I say. 

At this point I feel as though the conversation is going well and I have answered his question in a simple, age appropriate manner.  And then he proceeds to say the craziest, most random thing ever.  "Yea, but daddy just said that you have a pee-pee.  Daddy just thought that.  Daddy's just silly," he says with a smile on his face.

It really shouldn't surprise me.  He always thinks it's funny to try to tell Anthony and I that my daughter and I have "pee-pees". He knows it isn't true, so for some reason, that makes it funny.  So I'm sure, to him, it would be even funnier if daddy said that.  I couldn't help but laugh. 

One thing is true, there is never a dull moment around here!

Sincerely,
The-M-O-M

Solution To: Home Sweet Home

Here was the original problem:

Arrange the numerals 1 through 8 in the figure so that no two consecutive integers touch at a side or on a corner.

Here is the solution:

Now, you might be thinking that your answer doesn't match this one.  I'd be willing to bet that it does (assuming your answer is correct), you just don't realize it.  There are 3 other solutions to this puzzle that are essentially the same as this one.  First you have the mirror image of this solution (specifically, in math terms, this solution is a reflection of the original solution over the y-axis):

Then you have another mirror image of the original solution (specifically, a reflection of the original solution over the x-axis):

The last solution is a 180 degree rotation of the original solution (or a double reflection, once over the x-axis and then once over the y-axis, or vice versa).

In math, we would consider all four of these solutions to be the same solution, because although they look different, they aren't unique solutions.  That was probably way more information than you wanted. :)

See you back here next week for more fun!

Sincerely,
The Math Freak

Home Sweet Home

I was feeling poetic today so I wrote a poem about the problem of the week:

The numerals 1 through 8,

Are patiently lying in wait,

For you to move them round and round,

Until their home and neighbors are found.

1 doesn't like 2, 2 doesn't like 3,

Consecutive integers don't like each other, you see.

So make sure, by the end of the day,

Consecutive integers aren't neighbors, OK?

I know, I know, only a math freak would write a poem about a math problem...but since I have already admitted to being a math freak, I think it's OK.  :)  Here is your problem of the week:

Arrange the numerals 1 through 8 in the figure so that no two consecutive integers touch at a side or on a corner.

Here is some information on "consecutive integers" for those of you who aren't a math freak like me.  Consecutive integers are integers (in your case - the numbers 1 through 8) that follow each other in order.  In other words, 1 and 2 are consecutive integers, 2 and 3 are consecutive integers, 3 and 4 are consecutive integers, and so on and so forth.  Got it?

So, looking at the picture below:

If you put the number 1 in the space with the star in it, you couldn't put a 2 in the spaces with the diamonds because they touch a corner of the space the 1 is in nor could you put a 2 in the space with the triangle because it touches the side of the space the 1 is in.

Similarly, if you put a 2 in the space with the star in it, you couldn't put a 1 or a 3 (because 1 and 2 are consecutive integers AND 2 and 3 are consecutive integers) in the spaces with the diamonds or the triangle.

Hope that makes it very clear.  It should be a fairly fun, simple problem, but that's coming from a math freak after all, so...

Enjoy and Good Luck!  Answer will be posted Sunday.

Sincerely,
The Math Freak



Chicken Won Ton Tacos

Anthony and I LOVE going out to eat.  BUT...eating out is expensive and fattening and let's face it, not all that easy to do when you have young kids.  So for those reasons, I have tried to take some of my favorite restaurant meals, and make them at home.

Have you ever tried Applebee's Chicken Won Ton Tacos?  They are amazing!  I tried them one time, because I wanted to try something new (though I wasn't sure I would like them all that much) and I was hooked the first time.  Early last year, after the birth of my daughter, I joined Weight Watchers.  I needed to find out the nutritional information of restaurant food I ate so I new how many points I was using (Weight Watchers uses a points system).  I went to Applebee's website and found out that four tiny tacos have 590 calories and 24 grams of fat.  That might not be that bad if that's all you ate and you were full, but you only get four of them...and they are tiny.  I knew there had to be a better way, so I set out to find it.

After doing a bit of research on the Internet, I settled on this recipe.  I must say that it tastes almost exactly like theirs, except for the whole deep fried won ton thing...but I guess you can't have everything!  My version is much healthier than Applebee's.  I have made this for dinner for us and have also taken it places as an appetizer.  It works great either way and is sure to be a big hit!

Here's what you need to make it:
1 pkg. Won Ton wrappers
1 lb. chicken, cooked and diced
4 Tbsp. stir fry sauce
1 bag coleslaw mix
1/2 small red onion, diced
4 Tbsp. Kraft Light Asian Dressing
Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime

Here's how you make it:
1.  Combine coleslaw mix, red onion, and Asian dressing.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

2.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Using a muffin tin, spray each spot in the muffin tin with cooking spray, then press a won ton wrapper into each spot.

Spray the inside of each Won Ton with cooking spray.  Sprinkle each Won Ton with salt.  Cook at 425 for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and place cooked Won Tons on a large sheet pan (this makes the assembly part much easier).  Repeat this process until you have about 36 cooked Won Tons.  (Some of the Won Tons will fold in on themselves during the cooking process.  They are still very pliable when you first pull them from the oven, so just use your fingers to open the Won Ton back up before it cools and hardens).

3.  Combine cooked chicken with stir fry sauce.  Spoon a small amount of chicken into each Won Ton wrapper.  At this point, if you would like to reheat your Won Ton shells (with the chicken in it), place the sheet pan in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes.  Just watch them closely because the corners of the Won Tons burn easily.

4.  Spoon a small amount of the coleslaw mixture on top of the chicken in each Won Ton.

5.  Top each Won Ton with a little cilantro.  Then cut your lime into wedges and squeeze some fresh lime juice down over the top of the Won Tons.

View Printable Recipe

Here is a couple of tips that you might find helpful:
1.  You can cook the Won Ton shells up to 2 days in advance.  Wait until they have cooled completely on the sheet pan you placed them on.  Then place a piece of bread on top of them and cover the sheet pan with foil.  (The bread gets stale, the Won Tons don't).

2.  You can make the coleslaw up to 24 hours in advance.

3.  If you are making this for dinner, I doubt that your family is going to eat all 36 Won Tons in one sitting.  Only fully assemble the amount you think you are going to eat.  You can reheat the necessary components (the chicken and won tons) separately quite easily and nicely, but as a whole, they don't reheat well.

I hope this inspires you to be adventurous and try something new!

Sincerely,
The-M-O-M

Feliz Cumpleanos

This past week we celebrated my son's third birthday.  Early in the week, we asked him where he wanted to go eat for his birthday.  He responded, "The Salsa Place".  That's what he calls the Mexican restaurant here in town because they give you salsa as soon as you sit down.

So, for starters, we took him to the salsa place to eat.  We know that, like many restaurants, they will sing happy birthday to you and give you a special treat if it's your birthday.  The added twist that this Mexican place throws in is that they bring you a sombrero to wear.  We knew my son would love this, so we let them know it was his birthday and then eagerly awaited his surprise.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Here he is digging in to his special treat they brought him.  I think it's safe to say he enjoyed it!

Then we went home and family came and went throughout the evening, spending time with him and wishing him a happy birthday.  Everyone got to enjoy some cake and ice cream.  I know, dessert at dinner and then cake and ice cream...  Hey!  It was his birthday!  I let it slide!

Here is the cake I made for him.  It's a little sloppy and not an exact likeness of The Cat in the Hat and Fish, but my son was really excited about it and I guess that's all that matters!

His cake was a surprise.  He didn't know what I was making for him (other than I was making a cake).  Here he is seeing it for the first time.

One of the fun things that we have done that last couple of years with my son (courtesy of the birthday club at Toys-R-Us), is take him to Toys-R-Us for a birthday celebration.  Basically, you sign your child up for the birthday club.  When his or her birthday rolls around, they get a card in the mail, a phone call from Geoffrey the Giraffe wishing them a happy birthday, a coupon for $3 of a purchase of $3 or more, and an invitation to celebrate your birthday at Toys-R-Us.  The celebration is basically them giving you a crown and balloon and telling you happy birthday.  It doesn't sound like much, but to a 3 year old, it's pretty special.  Then we let him pick out an inexpensive toy to use his coupon on.  Here he is with his goodies.

Oh, and this post just wouldn't be complete without sharing this picture.  Celebrating his birthday at Toys-R-Us must have really worn him out...poor guy!

It's hard to believe that my little guy is three already.  Why can't they just stay cute, and innocent, and little forever?  Sigh...

Sincerely,
The-M-O-M





What Belly Buttons Are For

I was playing with my kids this afternoon while Anthony was picking up dinner.  Sometimes it's fun to ask dumb questions or pretend you don't know what something is or how to use something.  My son, who is 3 and understands a lot, thinks this is amusing.

So I lifted up his shirt and with a concerned look on my face I said, "Hey!  There is something on your belly!".

My son seemed equally concerned.  "What is it mommy?", he asked.

"I don't know!", I said.

He looked down at his belly.  "Where is it?" he asked, referring to the "something" that was on his belly.

"It's right here," I said.

"Mommy, that's just my belly button!", he exclaimed with the 'duh mom' look on his face.

"A belly button?  No!  I have never heard of such a thing!  Are you sure?", I asked.  He just giggled, which made me smile.  Then I asked him, "Do you know belly buttons are for?" (meaning, why do we have them?).

He gave me another 'Do I have to explain everything to you?' look and said, "They are for bellies!".

:)  He makes me smile!

Sincerely,
The Clueless Mom

Solution To: You Can Have Your Cake And Eat It Too...Once You Figure Out How To Cut It

Here was the original problem:

 Here is the solution:

Let's start with where is says "Cut the cake so that the number of pieces without frosting is equal to eight times the number of pieces that have frosting on three sides".  First we need to figure out how many pieces with have frosting on three sides.  If you think about a cube, the only pieces that would have three outer sides would be the corner pieces.  There are 8 corner pieces in total (four on top and four on bottom).  So, if the number of pieces without frosting equals 8 times the number of pieces with frosting on three sides (which is 8), then the number of pieces without frosting is equal to 8 times 8 which is 64.  Right now we have two of the five questions answered.

This is where things get a wee bit complicated.  Perhaps there is an easier way to solve it that I am just not seeing right now...but this is how my brain processed it.  If you are not a very visual person, you may have difficulty understanding how I solved it.

There are 64 pieces without frosting.  These 64 pieces form a cube on the inside of the cake.  We need the dimensions on this cube.  This cube, we could say, has a volume of 64.  The volume of a cube would be equal to the length of one side cubed.  Since we know the volume is 64, and we want to know the length of the sides, we (working backwards) take the cube root of 64 which is 4.  So each side of the inner cube consists of 4 pieces of unfrosted cake.

Now, this inner cube has a layer of 1 piece of cake surrounding it on all sides.  This is the outer layer whose pieces contain frosting.  One thing we need to know is, how many pieces of cake contain just one side with frosting.  The pieces that contain just one side of frosting are those in the center of each face of the cube (the ones not along the edge).  In other words, it would be the cake that sits directly on top of the face of the smaller, unfrosted inner cube.  One face of the inner cube has an area of 4 times 4 which is 16.  This means that there are 16 pieces of cake on each face with just one side of frosting.  A cube has 6 faces, so in total, there are 96 pieces with just one side of frosting.

Next, we need to know how many pieces have exactly two sides with frosting.  These are going to be the edge pieces of the cake (except for the corners).  If you can visualize the cake thus far, you would see that there are 4 edge pieces between each corner piece.  Now each face has four edges.  So four edge pieces time four edges would equal 16 edge pieces on each face.  There are 6 faces, so 16 times 6 is equal to 96.  BUT, if you think about the cake, each edge piece is shared by 2 faces, so we counted each edge piece twice.  Dividing 96 in half gives us 48, which is the number of pieces with 2 frosted sides.

Here is what we have so far:

Mathematicians served cake without frosting:  64
Mathematicians served cake with only 1 side of frosting:  96
Mathematicians served cake with exactly 2 sides of frosting:  48
Mathematicians served cake with 3 sides of frosting:  8

To figure out how many mathematicians were there in total, just add up the number of pieces of cake served.  This would give you 216.  So there were 216 mathematicians at the banquet.

Phew!  Are you tired?  Do you have a headache?  Take a couple of days to recover and come back next week for some more punishment!  :)

Sincerely,
The Math Freak

Oh, and congrats to anyone who solved it.  You are well on your way to becoming a math freak!

Oh My Darling Clementine

I love Saturdays, mostly because it is the only day all week where I am not frantically rushing around the house trying to get the kids (and myself) ready in the morning.  Saturday mornings around here are relaxed and lazy...just what the doctor ordered (or should I say just what mommy ordered) after a long, busy week.

My daughter had finished her morning nap, we were all finally dressed, and we were hanging out in the living room.  My daughter and I were sitting on the couch looking out our front window at the big, fluffy snowflakes coming down.  And out of nowhere, I started singing this song that I made up on the spot:

(To the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine")

Snow My Darling, Snow My Darling,

Snow My Darling Clementine,

It Was Warm And Sunny Out,

But Now The Snow Falls From The Clouds

It was a big hit with the kids.  They didn't seem to mind that I'm a complete dork or that I can't carry a tune to save my life.  Gotta love them for that.  Hmm...I wonder at what point they hit the "brutally honest" stage?

Sincerely,
The Artist Formerly Known As "Tone Def"

(It's my official stage name, for when I hit the big time!)

You Can Have Your Cake And Eat It Too...Once You Figure Out How To Cut It

It's problem of the week time ladies and gentleman!  I know how you must sit on the edge of your seat all week eagerly anticipating the next problem I will pick out.  No?  Well, don't ruin it for me.  I like to think somebody gets as excited about math as I do.

Anywho, it was my son's birthday this week, so I decided to pick a problem relating to birthdays (kind of).  What birthday party is complete without cake?  None!  So this week's problem is about cake.  Here it is folks:

Good luck!  Answer will be posted Sunday!

Sincerely,

The Math Freak

Heather, Hannah, and Helen

This past weekend, my son and I watched a skiing competition on TV.  I'm sure skiing sounds like an odd choice.  It was Saturday, which means that his regular PBS cartoons weren't on.  I'll admit that sometimes, when my daughter is napping, I sit and watch TV with him for a little bit to keep him quiet so my daughter can sleep (because if she doesn't sleep, she isn't happy...and if she isn't happy, ain't nobody happy!).

So there I was, flipping through channels trying to find something remotely entertaining for us to watch.  My son loves sports, but there wasn't much of any sports on except for skiing (if you call that a sport).  My son actually seemed oddly interested in it.

We were sitting there watching these people ski, one at a time.  Out of nowhere, my son asked, "What's his name?".

"Well, her name is Heather."  I only knew because they put it up on the screen.

Heather did her thing and then a new girl got ready to ski.  "What's his name?", he asked.

"Her name is Hannah", I replied. 

Hannah finished up the women's portion of the skiing.  The picture of the first guy to go popped up on the TV screen.  "What's his name mommy?", he asked.

"I don't know, buddy", I replied.  "They didn't put his name up on the screen yet."

"I know.  His name is Helen!", he said.  And trust me, you couldn't have convinced him otherwise.

Sincerely,
The mother wondering what Helen her son knows...