The Little Penguin Chardonnay

Description on the bottle:  The Little Penguin, the smallest of penguins, can be found along many parts of South Eastern Australia's coast.  This region is home to some of the finest vineyards in Australia and is home to the Little Penguin wines.  The Little Penguin Chardonnay has tropical fruit flavors with a crisp, clean finish and pairs well with a wide variety of foods.  Try it tonight with seafood, chicken or on it's own.  Pour a glass and add a little fun to any occasion.

Sarah says:  Why have I been avoiding Chardonnay all this time?!  It's delicious, I love it!  It's very similar to white wine, which, as we should all know by now, is my favorite, but the Chardonnay has a little something extra.  What is that little something you ask?  I'm not sure, it's kind of a small kick in the back of my throat, one of those good pain kind of things.  All I know is, I would definitely drink this again.  I'd also like to add that this goes well with popcorn, that's what I'm munching on right now.  Yum.

Overall rating:  Thumbs up!

Sarah says:  I'm feeling cranky.  I have a few things that I need to complain about.  So, if you're not in the mood to read my rant, stop reading now.  As parents, we have to primary jobs, to teach and to protect.  I go out of my way to do these two things for my, well, my two little penguins.  

Compliant #1:  The people that drive their kids to the bus stop and let them wait in the car.  Liam and I (or Jon - depending on how the morning is going) walk to the bus stop every single morning.  Then, we stand there and wait.  And every single morning, without fail, there is at least 2 parents sitting there with their kids in the car.  Really?  First of all, it's elementary school - which means we all live within 100 yards of this bus stop - it's not that far to walk.  Second of all of all, letting your kids sit in the car while the rest of us stand outside, gives off some sort of "we're better than them" impression.  We stand out in the cold, in the rain, in the sun... so can you.  It also kind of lets them be a little wimpy - learning how to brave the weather will come in handy if you ever go camping! And you know, when you're older and will have to scrape a car of in the freezing cold, or park in the last spot in the parking lot.  I do really believe that Liam will be better able to handle these days, since he's been standing out in whatever weather comes our way everyday.  I also think it's important that I stand out there with Liam.  I see tons of parents sending their 6 & 7 year olds out there and watching from the window.  Again - if Liam is expected to stand out there, it's only natural that he should expect me to stand there too, and I do.  Come on parents, suck it up for 5 minutes, it's not that bad.

Complaint #2:  Not believing in Santa.  Why did Liam come home a few days ago asking if Santa was real?  Because so-and-so from his class said he didn't exist.  What?  You are 5!  Believe!!  Yes, Christmas is about something much more important than a fat flying guy - and my kids know that.  But really, has believing in Santa really ever really harmed a kid?  Especially in today's world, where our kids are expected to grow up super fast, can't we just let them believe in something magical for a while?  Shame on the parents that let their 5 year old know that Santa isn't real, and bigger shame on them for not telling that child to keep that a secret.  They are ruining other kids fun.  You do whatever you think is best over there, but over here, we believe in flying reindeer.

Complaint #3:  Pre-made Easter baskets.  Did these always exist and I just never noticed because I didn't have kids?  or is it something new?  It feels new, and I hate it.  My little penguins keep telling me which Easter baskets they want, and I just keep telling them that the Easter bunny will fill the baskets they already have with whatever he decides to bring this year.  When did kids stop anticipating the jelly beans and chocolate bunnies in their baskets, and begin to expect presents from stores?  Baskets pre-made, overflowing with presents, and wrapped in plastic?  That's not what the Easter bunny does!  I dislike it.  My kids will never get one of those.  I enjoy buying them LITTLE presents and their favorite treats to fill their baskets.  No one needs anything that big and fake.

Whew - got that off my chest.  I feel better.  Thanks for reading.  I'm hoping this wine pairs well with jelly beans, which I'll be using to as I play Easter Bunny in a few hours.  

What's bothering you lately?

Chocolate Wine Part II

Sarah says:  This wine is much better the second night.  Maybe since there was a little more room in the bottle, my furious shaking actually made an impact tonight - no chunks!  I will stick with my previous assessment though - I wouldn't buy it again.  I'll stick to my chocolate in ice cream/cake/candy/brownie form and my wine in wine form.  

Speaking of chocolate - I got some Girl Scout Cookies this week!  Seriously, is there anything better than a Samoa?  They are hands down, the absolute greatest cookie in the world.  With second and third places to the Thin Mint and the Tagalong, respectively.  I spent 12 years as a girl scout - I sold and consumed A LOT of cookies.  I have some of my best memories from my Girl Scout days (my marching band memories are #1 of course, Girl Scouts rank 2nd).  I fully support the mission of scouts, and to this day I will say yes to any girl scout that asks me to buy cookies.  The problem I'm having is that less and less are asking. 

If you think I'm shy now - you should have seen me 20 years ago.  It was painful.  I did not speak until spoken to, and kept any response short and sweet (ie. yes or no).  So, when we held cookie booths, and I was forced to ask if people wanted to buy cookies, it literally took every ounce of my being not to run and quietly hide.  I specifically remember seeking out the friendliest of faces, and asking those people.  The first 20 or so were always the hardest, but once I got a few sales under me, the rest went pretty well.  I think we committed to 2 hours of cookie booth time at a time - it was always my most dreaded 2 hours of the year - and yet, so rewarding.  Looking back, I realize how much it pushed me out of my comfort zone, and how necessary that was.  My favorite part of the cookie booth sales, of course, was playing cashier.  Figuring out how much people owed, calculating their change, counting how many boxes were left.... ahhh... that made it all worth it.

I've seen 4 cookie booths so far this year - guess how many boxes I bought from those booths?  Zero.  Why?  Because no one asked me!!  What?!  Back in my day (really, am I old enough to say that?), we had to ask every person as they walked in/out the door.  So, why are the girls I'm seeing these days just sitting in the chairs and waiting for the customers to appear.  Isn't half the reason of GS Cookie sales to teach the girls business?  Sorry ladies, business doesn't happen if you just sit and wait.  And what is all this nonsense I see, Mom's doing all of the calculating and money handling!?  I get the some of the younger girls can't do it on their own - but it's a learning opportunity people!  I think most people that are buying GS cookies, are going to be patient while you explain to the 6 year old that the customer bought $8 of cookies, and gave us a $10 bill, so we give them $2 back.  We are all missing the whole point.  It makes me even more mad when I see a middle or high school troop with the Mom's doing the work... it's Girl Scouts, not Mom Scouts!  ARG!!

I have been looking forward to Mary joining a troop since the day I found out I was having a girl.  But seriously, not if it means I'm doing all the work.  Mary will be the Girl Scout, I will the supportive parent.  Yes, I will probably take the order form to my work to see if anyone there is interested, but only after she shows up in her uniform and cute smile and asks around.  She will be doing her own sales too.  SHE will be asking people at her cookie booths if they want to buy cookies.  WE will figure out the money together.  SHE will ask her grandparents if they want to buy any.  SHE will ask her aunt and uncle.  SHE will write their names down.  WE will add or multiply together.  I will encourage her to be the best Scout she can be.  I will go through the badge book with her and help her arrange the activities to earn the badges that she chooses.  I will not be making the projects for her.  I will read the summer camp schedule each year, and help her pick ones that interest her and force her to grow, but ultimately she will be the one making the decision - I'll just be signing the registration form.  I will help her learn the Girl Scout Promise.  I will help her put badges on her sash, until she learns to do it herself.  I will be her Mom - I will not be the Girl Scout for her.

Come on people - it's not about cookies - it's about teaching our Girls to be strong independent Girls!  Stop holding them back.  Who's with me?

Sanders Chocolate Wine

Description on the bottle:  Chocolate worth sharing - Sanders Fine Chocolates - Since 1875 - Chocolate Wine - Grape wine with natural flavors & cream.

Sarah says:  It was recently brought to my attention that I haven't been blogging as much.  It's true - I blame Jon for that.  Although this started as an "us" blog - it quickly turned into my blog that gave me something to do while Jon was working at night.  Now that he's home more, I don't really want to spend my evenings blogging, I want to spend them with my hubs!  The second reason that I've been blogging less, I was starting to feel like I wrote the same thing over and over and over.  I don't want to bore you guys.

So, today I went on the hunt for something new and different.  And I found chocolate wine!!  Seriously, could I have found anything better?  Two of my favorite loves... combined!  There is risk involved here - when we take two things that we love, we expect the combination to be out of this world.  We hype it up and risk being let down when it doesn't live up to the expectation.  That is exactly what happened here.  It's not that this was bad - it just wasn't all that I expected it to be.  I wish it had been a little more chocolaty.  It's definitely a one glass at a time kind of drink - where I often drink two (ok fine, sometimes 3) glasses of wine.  It tastes very similar to Kahlua, which isn't bad either, but I'd rather mix that with coffee or ice cream, not just drink it alone.  The worst part about this wine though, despite shaking it like crazy (even Jon shook it!), it was sort of... um... chunky.  So, then I stirred it with a spoon for freaking ever, and I still ran across the occasional chunk while drinking.  Yuck.  Chocolate or not - wine should not have chunks, and it totally grossed me out.  I probably wouldn't purchase this again - I'll always associate it with that gagging feeling as I swallowed something chunky.

Overall rating:  Thumbs down

Sarah says:  Speaking of trying something new... the craziest thing happened to me recently that has me re-thinking my whole running philosophy.  While running on the treadmill (good thing I ran today - I don't even want to think about the number of calories in this drink!), I was about 10 min in, when a women got on the machine next to me and started going.  I quickly noticed we were going at the exact same pace.  Every single step I took, her's were right there matching mine.  Every swing of my arms, hers were going too.  My breaths matched hers.  I've always considered myself someone that runs alone.  It's the one area in my life where I don't feel like I'm competing with anyone, or being held back by anyone.  By going alone, I go at exactly my own pace, no one else gets an opinion.  But this running together thing... it felt amazing.  My next statement might sound crazy, but it was as if every step she took, I could feel it in my body.  The pounding of her feet matching the pounding in my heart.  It felt awesome.  She doesn't know it but she totally powered me along.  I didn't feel tired at the end, I felt great.  If it wasn't for the kids corner at the gym closing, I probably would have stayed and kept on going.  As someone who seriously dislikes being interrupted during a run, there was no way I would have stopped her to find out if we could "run together" again.  So, now I'm re-thinking, maybe it's time for a running buddy.  Anyone interested?

When was the last time you tried something new?