I recently found a super easy recipe in Amy Dacyczyn’s book, The Complete Tightwad Gazette. It took less than 15 minutes to make and is amazing.  Colby decided we never have to buy chocolate syrup again, because this stuff is just too good. It is very rich, so you only need to use about one to two teaspoons for a glass of milk.  I am storing it in a glass jar, but you could recycle any type of plastic squeeze bottle.  It needs to be kept in the refrigerator. I’ve included the recipe below, enjoy!

Chocolate Syrup

½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Be careful not to let it get too hot and boil over! Add the salt and the vanilla. Let cool. Pour into a clean glass jar, and store in the refrigerator. 

Boys and superheroes go hand in hand. I hate to impose stereotypes, but it is true! Boys love superheroes.  My boys love the idea of a masked hero, saving the day and doing good!  My boys have taken it a step further and have started creating their own superheroes.  This is where I see their creativity coming through. It is also a unique way to teach them about choices and finding their true self.

They are becoming their own heroes. They are the ones who are going to do good and save the day.  Even though they don’t have super powers, they can decide to do the right thing.  If they see a kid being bullied, they can step in and be the hero. It’s all about choices.  They can win by making the right choice.

Yes, I’ve read all about how superheroes are violent and aggressive and I say phooey. Their dad is a soldier, so the idea that we can shield them from guns and violence is out of the question.  What we can do is teach them how to tell the difference between what is right and wrong.  Guns aren’t bad, sometimes violence is necessary.  We must teach our kids to know what is right and what is wrong and how to tell the difference.  I hope that I can use their love of superheroes to show them how ordinary people can make a difference, for the good.

Right now, one of their favorite aspects of being superheroes is the costumes and accessories. They find different objects: swords, shields, capes, hockey sticks, bandanas, goggles – basically anything that they can wear or fight with and use them to create characters.

Benji started with a shield.  He added a hockey stick and a lion mask.  He became Super Shield Man with the power to become invisible and control your mind.

Colby was a mixture between Survivorman, Ghost Rider, and Two-Face. For some reason, this vest comes out for about half of the superheroes they create.  These vests are Junior Ranger vests from Yellowstone. I guess they think a vest is some sort of symbol for power. Maybe if I wear a vest they’d respect me more.

Respect the Vest

“With great power comes great responsibility!” Go out there and be your own superheroes! 

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a family four pack of tickets to LEGO KidsFest in Denver! Click here for more information on this.

What to do at LEGO KidsFest:

LEGO Model Museum

LEGO Master Builder Academy

LEGO Challenge Zone – Build as a family to compete in speed tower building and other cool stuff!

Creation Nation – Build LEGO creations to help complete a map of the United States

LEGO Race Cars – Build LEGO race cars and race them!

LEGO Games – LEGO has some very cool games out there and you can see them all in one place and try them out!

LEGO Ninjago

We know there are lots of you who want to go, so we have a $2 off discount.  

Click here to buy tickets and use the code cbsmoms12 It is valid March 23-April 6^th 

A few years ago the boys and I were living with my parents while the huz was deployed.  My sister created a great new addition to our family tradition.  She told my boys there was a special creature who brought gifts to good boys on Valentine’s Day and that was the beginning of The Valentine’s Squirrel.  Easter has a rabbit, the groundhog has his own day, why not let another woodland creature in on the festivities?

“If you go to bed, the Valentine’s Squirrel will bring you a surprise!” Guess what, it worked!  They bought it just like they bought “Giselle” the tooth-fairy and “Santa” the Christmas fairy.  Of course they squirrel brings candy and other surprises.

This year, the V-day squirrel completely spaced and forgot about V-day until last night. So in her last minute run to Target she picked up a mixture of gum, candy sours, and sprite. Yep, my kids absolutely love sprite.  They think soda is the most special drink.  They don’t get it a whole lot, so when the V-day squirrel put a small can in their goody bag, they were super psyched.  I got a good laugh at how excited they were about soda.

It reminded me that we should celebrate every day. I want my boys to know that love isn’t only for one day. That little things are the most important.  That if you show your love in little ways, daily, you won’t have to make up for it one day a year.  Show the people you love that you appreciate them every day, so they never doubt your love.

Do all this and remember if you don’t, the V-day squirrel will bring you scat instead of soda.

Happy Valentine's Day from the Squirrel!

Of course, we knew Kids Fest was coming to Denver and it was on our list of things to do. There’s no way we would miss this incredible opportunity. However, I was elated when I found out I could tell you about Lego KidsFest and give away a family four pack to one of the awesome sessions!

Here’s the deal: I’m giving away a family four pack of tickets to Lego KidsFest, April 27 – 29, in Denver.

There are a few ways to win and they are super easy.

Entering is So Easy

**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Leave a comment letting me know which event you are most looking forward to at Lego KidsFest in Denver. (Find a schedule here.)

2) Leave a comment sharing a favorite LEGO memory (your or your child’s).

3)  Twitter users can get an extra entry each day for tweeting about this giveaway! Use your own lingo or “Win tickets to Lego KidsFest in Denver from cbsmom.com!  Each day you do this, you must leave a new comment.

4) Follow @cbsmom on Twitter.

5) Head over to my Facebook Page and share your favorite Lego photo! Anyone who submits a photo gets two extra entries!

Good luck to you all! We’ll pick a winner using Random.org about two weeks before the event.

Ranger Panties:

The term given to Physical Training (PT) shorts issued to US Special Operations personnel during training. These one of a kind shorts are extremely short and have a specially tailored cut that ensures the wearers genitalia to show during numerous exercises. They closely resemble Richard Simmon’s work out shorts. These shorts are favored by the men of the Army’s Special Forces 10th Group. Ladies love leg…. skanks flock when ranger panties are on.

Sexy, right?

My husband started wearing his Ranger panties when he was with a Ranger battalion in 2000.  He sported those black, silky shorty shorts with his running shoes and boots.  Any given day around the buildings where he worked you could see the soldiers in his unit with their panties and boots. They weren’t ashamed of the thought that someone might see their junk. They were comfortable and that’s what mattered.

I can remember jogging with my girlfriend, Julia, in the mornings, about the same time a group of Rangers would come running by and of course they were all wearing the signature ranger panties.  We always laughed and commented on the ones who looked extra good in their shorts.  I have to add, my husband has extremely long legs, so his shorts always seemed a little shorter and made him seem a bit more daring.

After we left that unit and came to Ft. Carson, he still wore his panties. He ran in them, worked in them, relaxed in them. If he could have gotten away with it, I’m sure he would have worn them to our sons’ school functions, the grocery store and anywhere else casual attire is appropriate.  His friends tell horror stories about how my husband in his ranger panties gave them nightmares. On his latest deployment he managed to pick up a few pairs that were a different color. Looks like he’s mixing things up.

For me, his ranger panties are endearing.  They are something he’ll hang onto and wear until he’s old and senile.  Yesterday, while folding his clothes, I counted 11 pairs of these things, ELEVEN! It’s really amazing that he’s been able to make a fashion statement that has lasted over a decade.  My friend dropped by the other day and he was wearing a smaller pair of these lovely panties.  She texted me later and said she thought he’d be embarrassed.  I told her they are a part of him, it would be like if he was embarrassed of his hair color or one of his tattoos.

I’m not sure why the Ranger panties warrant a full post, but for all you Army wives who can relate, just know I share in your love hate relationships with these silky, sexy shorts our men insist on wearing.

They created an incentive chart, to help reward the kids who behave well and do quality work. (Do you like that, I used one of their words “quality” work instead of good work.  Another of my favorites is when a kid needs help, they don’t ask for help, they ask for “support.” As in, “I need support to make this work quality.”)

Anyway, this incentive chart starts of red at the bottom, if you get on red, you are headed to the principal’s office to call your parents and explain why you are there, and you lose five minutes of recess.

Yellow, is the next level, it is a warning, “Watch out, you’re headed for trouble.”

Green is the middle. This is where most kids hang out. “You’re doing what is expected of you and your work is quality.”

Orange is next, this is the level you move to when you are being extra good and teacher wants to reward you.  They usually get a coin they can spend at the snack shop when they hit this level.

Pink is the top of the chart! If you get pink, you are obviously ruling the school.  Get three pinks in a week and you get to have a special lunch with the teacher. Last special lunch she gave the kids Oreos.  They loved it, it makes them want to do well.

My son has excelled under this system.  He is behaving much better, listening to his teacher and becoming a better student.  I can’t say enough good about it.

However, my husband won’t stop complaining that the highest level is pink. Really, he cares, that much. He brings it up at the strangest times, like right before bed.  ”Why is pink the best color? Why can’t it be blue or purple? Why is orange the next best color? Pink is a girl color, does that mean girls are better.” I have to stop myself from asking if he is serious, because he really is serious.

To help you understand, I consider myself a feminist, but love being a wife and mother. I’m one of those moms that tries not to feminize colors or hold my kids out of sports or activities because they are traditionally consider “girl” sports. My son wants to go to cheerleading camp, I want him to, but my husband is freaking out about it.  I love my husband, I really do, but sometimes I’m just baffled at the things he blows out of proportion.

Who cares what color it is? Why does it even matter? According to him it really does matter, but not enough to talk to the teacher. So, I just let it be. However, I don’t want my sons to hear these conversations. I don’t want them to think a color is good or bad or scary or boyish or girly.  Can’t they just be colors? If he doesn’t make a big deal about it and I don’t make a big deal about it then the kids won’t make a big deal about it. Can’t we just leave the colors out of it? I’m so over how insecure some men are about colors.

This is what his behavior chart looks like, sort of. Ours is pink at the top and only five spaces.  The kids have to move their pins according to their behavior.

Oh, dear can the girls possibly be good if blue is the best? Where's the pink? Why can't pink be the best? Is this teacher sexist? Blah, blah, blah

la·ment

What is it about the drop-off/pick-up line at school that is SO hard to understand? There are too many moms and dads that haven’t figured out how it works. I imagine they pull into the school driveway and start breaking out in sweat. It’s confusing, a lane of cars, going in one direction, kids getting out of the cars, they are lost. I’m here to explain it to them, get them through it and get us out of the black hole that is the elementary school parking lot.

It’s quite simple, in the mornings, you drop your kids off. Here’s the rundown.

1. You pull in one of the two lanes, drive slowly to the front of the line and stop, completely.
2. You let your kid open the door, on their own. You don’t have to get out and open it for them, if they are in school, they probably know how to open a car door. More than likely, they probably know how to close it too.
3. You stay in the driver’s seat, just sit there.  The kid opens the door and gets out.  At this point it is acceptable for you to yell “I love you!” or “Have a great day!” I usually go with “Best day ever!”
4. The kid shuts the door, you’re still in the driver’s seat, not moving.
5. This is a big one – Once your kid has cleared the car, you can go! That’s right, once your kid is headed to their class, you can move out of the way for other parents, who need to drop their kids off. You don’t have to watch your kids walk to their class. I know you do it, you strain your neck and hope to catch that last fading glimpse of your angel.  Don’t do it. Just leave, quickly.  There are other moms, like me, that just want to get our kids out of the car and get out of the parking lot.  We love our kids, but dropping them off at school is like, well, a high point in the day. We’ll have a few hours of quiet and a break from referring fights.
6. Another pointer, don’t sit there and talk to the teacher, about your kid’s last report card. Traffic is backing up behind you and you look like an idiot.  The teacher doesn’t look too happy that you waited to talk to her in 25 degree weather in the drop-off lane.  Just go, already.

There are other moms, like me, that are behind you and we NEED to get our kids out of the car.  We are

I love history! I think it is extremely important that kids come away from high school knowing  the REAL events of how our country has evolved over the last two centuries. I also believe they aren’t being taught enough to carry on a competent conversation about the way our country works.  I hope that I can help them learn the basics and maybe they’ll stop jumping on just any bandwagon and think things through.

1. It’s not about what gets published in People, Star or other entertainment magazines.  Sure, it’s fun to read these mags and peek into the parts of celebrity lives they want us to see.  However, this isn’t important in the big scheme of things.
2. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and the rest of social networking is a curse and a blessing.  These are tools that politicians, celebrities and even normal people can use to get the word out and incite social change.  However, it isn’t a way to get rich quick and young people need to stop believing that one viral video or tweet is going to give them their dream career.  Media is vital in our world today, partially because it changed the way our country views war and other social issues.
3. We need to teach them about the last 50 to 70 years in our country.  Girls need to know that it wasn’t until the 1970′s that they were able to have credit in their own name. 9/11 wasn’t the first time someone blew up the World Trade Center.  High gas prices are nothing new. Public demonstrations and rallies are what changed the course of our country from civil rights to war.
4. Kids need to learn the basics of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. I believe they need to know why our forefathers wanted freedom of religion and why they had to include the right to bear arms.  They need to know why issues like cruel and unusual punishment were part of the original United States Constitution.
5. If a student graduates from high school they need to know how to write a paper. This includes proper grammar and punctuation. They need to know how to find valid information. Wikipedia is NOT a credible source. While it is a good place to find basic information, it isn’t valid. They need to learn what makes a source valid, how to check out the motives behind groups that publish certain information and that just because it was published doesn’t make it true. It’s basic knowledge and kids these days believe anything just because it is on the internet.

I could go on, but I won’t bore you with more gripes about how our current school system is failing our kids when it comes to history and social studies.  My hope is that I’ll finish up this teaching program quickly and find a position where I can help kids learn more.

These are lofty goals for a mom who still has three loads of laundry to fold, two bathrooms to clean and still hasn’t figured out how to keep the dog from eating cat poop.