My new source of power

As I'm sure you know, I'm a firm believer in the power of moms. But let's face it, that power is really cumulative. In everyday life, it seems more like I have no power at all--my "please pick that up"s have to be said multiple times and usually need to be accompanied by threats of no video games for a week before anything gets done. My "don't fight with your sister/brother" and "get out of H's face" are usually blatantly ignored. And what I muster up the energy to do around the house just gets undone in a matter of minutes.

But luckily, J gave me a new source of power for Mother's Day. Lookee here:

I'm now convinced that all moms need a really good knife set. It's oh-so-satisfying to cut that watermelon in half with one clean swipe. And the fat on the chicken seems to fall off with one effortless flick of my wrist. If I have to make dinner every night, then I might as well wield some power while I'm at it.

And here's the meal I made tonight that got me remembering how nice it is to have some power around the house these days:

Kabobs with chicken, onions, red and yellow peppers, mushrooms.

Corn on the cob

Fruit salad

Marinade for Kabobs (I did chicken, which I actually like better with this marinade, but steak is good too)

1/3 c soy sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp seasoned salt

Fruit salad

Mix:

6 oz light cool whip

1 c buttermilk

1/2 of a lg box vanilla instant pudding

Fold in:

1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained

grapes, apples, banana, strawberries, blueberries

This is a little thin at first. It thickens in the fridge.