What Mom's Don't Want to Know

About two weeks ago OTG Boy went on his first Scout Campout as a Deacon.

I was good with 11 Year Old Scouts - Dad's tag along.

Now the dad is optional and for this campout Handsome Hubby had to opt-out (had to work most of the day Saturday starting at 3am).

So, after school OTG Boy grabbed his pack and headed out the door.

Did I mention it's January and this was the "wilderness survival" campout?

So, off I send my son... no dad... no tent... nervous mom!

Let me just add... I've been attending the scout planning meetings and roundtable for the last year and a half as part of my calling (very different from cub planning & roundtables) - when the brethren start sharing their stories of all the "fun," the "games", the injuries and they're laughing and talking about how awesome it all is... all I can do is sit there thinking, "I'm the mother of four boys... four boys! Do I really need to be hearing all this!" I think I was better off in my ignorance :)

So, when OTG Boy came home the next day (Handsome Hubby still at work), I smile, trying to remain calm - but inside super excited to have him home alive! The first thing my son says is, "Well, I stepped on a nail last night. Don't worry, it's not hurting today." Second thing out of his mouth, "I cut myself twice - don't worry, it wasn't with my knife - it was the can opener." Nice!

So, as he unpacks and shares his stories... I feel proud. He's a good kid and I'm glad he had a good time.

And then he says, "let me tell you about the scorpion."

Four boys!!!

I hope we all survive!

Mac is Back!

Finding myself in the world of allergies and dietary restrictions I thought my days of quick, "easy" meals were over. We've been eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and cooking most meals from scratch. One thing I've really missed is pasta. Spaghetti and mac & cheese were my go-to meals on those days I just didn't feel like cooking and didn't have a lot of time. Don't get me wrong - we've loved eating spaghetti squash - it just takes a little bit longer to prepare than throwing noodles into the boiling water. Well, try finding pasta that has not been made with eggs, and if you do... try finding it manufactured on equipment that does not also process egg products - pretty much impossible. So, since I'd been missing pasta I decided to get online and figure out how to make pasta without eggs - I found that there is actually a town in Italy famous for their "eggless" pasta - it's made from durum wheat. So I've found a local store down the road in Gilbert where I can purchase my durum wheat... but I haven't made it there yet.

Just the other day my busy little boy found this box of mac & cheese stuffed way in the back of the cupboard.

I'd never even thought twice about eating mac & cheese, our allergist right off the bat said it was on the "no-no" list.

Well, I started reading the label and guess what? Fry's brand Macaroni & Cheese is made with durum wheat and no eggs. And there were no warnings on the label that it had been processed on the same equipment as eggs. So, I thought we'd try it out...

not a reaction in sight :)

I'll be putting mac back on my shelves - it's nice to have a least one thing I can fix in a pinch!

(Of course, I'll have to check out the white mac & cheese first... turns out the regular stuff contains yellow 6 & yellow 5... please let the white cheese have no egg products... please, please, please, please... please!)