“You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know the few great things that matter, perhaps just one, and then be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing… You don’t have to have good looks or riches or come from a fine family or a fine school. Instead you have to know a few great, majestic, unchanging, obvious, simple, glorious things – or one great all-embracing thing – and be set on fire by them.”  ~John Piper  don’t waste your life

“Mom!  Phineas and Ferb are going on a LIVE tour!!!”  School‘s out for summer and anything is possible as Phineas and Ferb create their biggest invention yet – Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever! Phineas, Ferb, and the whole tri-state area gang embark on a bold escape jumping out from behind your TV and onto the stage in a live action adventure – right in Denver!

Audiences will be whisked on a wild ride as Phineas and Ferb build their way to another over the top, extraordinary adventure. And, before anyone can wonder, “Hey, where’s Perry?” the beloved pet platypus shifts to his secret double life as Agent P to foil another one of Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s evil plans.  Musical madness abounds in an escapade so awesome that even Candace can’t help but join the hilarious hijinks.  It’s the ultimate end to summer vacation, so seize the day ‘cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all!

Extra shows have been added and tickets are selling out fast so don’t wait.

Show Times:

• Friday, February 3 at 7:00PM
• Saturday, February 4 at 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM, & 7:00 PM

Location:
Wells Fargo Theater in Denver

Discount:
Use discount code FFAPF to save $3 on Friday, February 3^rd tickets.
(Valid on Friday performance only; excludes VIP and Stage-side seating. No double discounts.)

Ticket Prices:
$16, $22, $27, $42 VIP, & $67 VIP Stage-side
*Service charges and handling fees may apply

For the fastest and easiest way to buy tickets, log onto www.ticketmaster.com or www.disneylive.com or call 1-800-745-3000.

I have received a family four pack of tickets to the show in exchange for promotion. All thoughts are mine.

Chevy gave me two tickets to see the Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium on January 1st. I am part of their Chevy Socialite program. I am so thankful to the Chevy people for giving us the tickets. It was my first time to see a Broncos game live since (ahem) the early 1990s.

I think I just dated myself.

I brought my 10-year-old daughter, partially because my dear husband has no interest in sports and also because I have very fond memories of being about 10 years old and seeing my first Broncos game at the real Mile High Stadium.

When I was growing up, my grandmother had season tickets and had gone for years. There was nothing more important than her family, except the Broncos. No family Sunday dinners to celebrate anything IF they landed on a Broncos Sunday. On away Broncos Sundays, we would schedule our family dinner around kickoff time.

When I was old enough,

she took me along to see a game. We rode the Broncos shuttle from the South High School parking lot. Dressed in orange and blue from head to toe, armed with my camera, we walked into the stadium. I remember being awe struck by the mere size of the stadium and thousands of people.

I loved the Rocky Mountain Thunder as the fans stomped their feet on the metal floors to rumble for the Broncos.

Going to a live game was an absolute treat for me. The fans, the energy, the Broncos, the Broncos band, the TV cameras, Thunder the Horse, the flyovers. It was all so incredibly cool.

And then I saw him. Number 3. Rich Karlis. The Kicker. It was love at first sight. His little bare foot out there in the cold, kicking with all his heart. I got to meet him and get his autograph. He told me I looked like Karl Mecklenburg’s wife. So crazy, since I was around 13 at the time. I was just mature for my age.

I had grown up with the Broncos. Not only was my grandmother a fan, but my dad also loved the team. The game echoed from the family room each and every Sunday in the fall. I couldn’t make it through an entire game, but would sit down on the couch during the fourth quarter. In a Broncos game, you were almost always guaranteed excitement in the last 15 minutes of the game.

When I was in high school, I was on the flag team. Geek Squad. But that geek squad gave me more experiences than anything else. We did a few halftime shows for the Broncos. Heaven!

We even did the halftime show for the 1989 AFC Championship, when the Denver Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns 37 – 21 to go to the Super Bowl. We sat in the band bleachers in the dirt on the southwest side. The seats were terrible, but I was there. I saw John Elway lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl. Again.

A few years later, when I worked for 9News, the NBC Affiliate in Denver, I was honored to run graphics for a few of the preseason games. I helped to build and create all of the graphics and then traveled with the team to do a few games on the road, in South Carolina, Nashville and San Francisco. We stayed at the same hotel as the Broncos. I loved going to the lobby when they arrived to watch them all stream in. I also did some home games. I can’t tell you how cool (yes I keep using that word) it was to sit in the control room truck, and run the graphics for the game. I knew every player, every number and all of their stats. I was a roving Broncos encyclopedia.

One of the years that I worked on the preseason games, was the year the Broncos won the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers. I was in the news control room when they won and part of the celebrating and rioting post-game coverage that night.

After I moved on from TV news and had children, my Broncos love took a vacation. John Elway retired, Mike Shanahan was fired. The Broncos weren’t as exciting as they had been in my childhood and young adult years.

I was so excited when Chevy gave me the tickets and I could share the Broncos and my football knowledge with my 10-year-old daughter. We rode the Broncos shuttle. So easy, so inexpensive, I highly recommend it.

We had Club Level seats. They were great. We could go inside and sit by a Broncos fireplace when chilly. We also were able to visit my friend Barb from Mom Off Track in her lush box seats. We loved it. I teared up as the Broncos took the field. Even though I could only name Tim Tebow and Champ Bailey, and who is the coach now? We still had fun watching all of the game activities.

It was probably one of the worst games I had ever seen. The Broncos lost 7-3. They didn’t even score a touchdown. But my daughter and I didn’t really mind. Even if it was only for one game, we were there and part of it all. My daughter now claims she is a Broncos fan, but live games are better than games on TV.

I thought to myself, “I really need to tell Dad about this. How I was able to share this with my daughter.”

Then I remembered I couldn’t tell him. I looked up at the orange and blue sky above us and realized he knew. He was smiling down on us, watching his beloved Broncos with my grandfather and grandmother.

Whatever you may think about Tim Tebow and today’s Broncos, no matter how they finish in the playoffs, I am thankful for them. They have brought back my Broncos fever. No matter what, I will always bleed orange and blue.

Go Broncos! Here’s hoping you will beat the Patriots this weekend.

Some can keep it up and honor their resolutions and some revisit in November before the year ends.

I want to make some personal growth changes in 2012 and beyond. These aren’t cliche resolutions but steps to being a better and stronger person. I’m sharing them here so I can remind myself and stay accountable.

(In no particular order)

1. Focus on myself and my family.
2. Educate myself further in my professional development.
3. Find forgiveness and work on healing pains.
4. Help my mom achieve her goals and new life plans.
5. Spend more one on one time with my daughters.
6. Get healthy and maintain it.
7. Travel. Even if it isn’t far from home.
8. Honor and love those that choose to be in my life.

"Hi, my name is Diane. I'll be gentle, it's your first time. Just make like Cleopatra, melt like butter and smile for the camera. I'm an excellent photographer."

Disclaimer – this post is a tad on the TMI side. I’m discussing breasts, mine to be exact, which may be more than some can stomach.

I recently had my female check up. I received the letter in the mail, groaned and went ahead and called in to make the appointment. I figured I’d get the call out of the way now and schedule the appointment well into the future. They always ask, “how does 3 months from now look for you?” At least I’d get it on the calendar.

But nooooooo…there were plenty of appointments the week after Christmas. Yay me. Get it done and get it out of the way.

Funny thing – I almost forgot all about it. The girls and I went out for lunch and shopping and I just happened to drive by the doctor’s office on our way. I felt like I had an appointment there but couldn’t remember anything. Then it flashed in my brain like a light bulb burning out – I had an appointment and it was in exactly an hour.

I was so thankful that I remembered the appointment an hour BEFORE and not an hour AFTER the time. Or was I?

We grabbed a quick bite and ran over to the doctor’s office.

I had the usual awkward conversations during the exam, “how’s the husband?” “How old are the girls now?”

Then she mentioned that maybe I should get a mammogram, afterall, I am 40.

There has been controversy about mammograms at 40. I have done research, and discussed it with my doctor. It was my decision and after having some friends have scares and a few friends diagnosed with breast cancer before they turned 40, I decided to go ahead and get a baseline.

The good news? They may be able to squeeze me in at radiology right after my appointment today. Lucky me.

I was very tempted to pretend to turn at radiology, then run the other way towards the door, but knew that if I did walk out the door, the mammography would haunt me but I just wouldn’t find time to squeeze it in.

I didn’t realize how much squeezing was involved.

I was hopeful when the waiting room was full. But oh no, good news! they had an opening in 10 minutes.

Diane, the tech came and got me and took me back. She explained how I needed to prep and dress. When I asked her if I needed to remove my belt, she responded “what do you think this is? security at DIA?”

Ha. Diane is a comedian.

I have had to remove a belt for x-rays in the past, just FYI.

I walked into the mammography room and quickly learned my tech was a little coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. She introduced herself again as Diane and told me to make myself comfortable.

With one swift move, she whipped the cape back off my shoulders and looked me over, “Hmmmm… you are a medium paddle.”

She grabbed some bandaid-looking things that had pink daisies on them. They were nipple sensors so the person who read my mammography could geo-locate my anatomy based on nipple geo-location.

Diane told me she’d go easy on me since it was my first time.

I hoped she’d be gentle and have warm hands.

She made a circle with her fingers and asked if I had any scars or moles in the “region.” I pointed to one scar. Another geo-tag was placed. She asked me how I had gotten the scar. I explained it was a cyst removal, and she repeated it back to me. She walked back to the button-pushing place, repeating, “history of cyst removal, history of cyst removal.”

She arrived at her destination, about 10 steps away from me and asked, “What was the scar from?”

Time to step on up. Diane wasn’t shy. She grabbed me and placed me on the machine. She told me to be Cleopatra and wrap my arm around the side. I began moving my arm, and Diane told me “Just relax honey, I’ll do all the work.”

I like a woman who takes charge.

She began adjusting and moving my arm, my chest, my stomach and opposite hand.

“Just melt your shoulder like butter, honey.”

Oh yeah right, I’ll melt like butter as I Cleopatra the machine, tilt my chin back and leave my boob on the table.

“Just relax and let me do all of the work.”

Right-o. You’re the boss.

She adjusted and moved me around like she was kneading dough. She wasn’t shy at all and was working hard to get me set.

Diane then began cranking down, smashing me into the machine. I looked down. She yelled, ”Good God woman! Whatever you do, don’t look down!!!”

Now she tells me. I had no idea a boob could be flattened to that degree.

Then she realized my nipple bandaid thingy was too tight. She loosened the machine, and began adjusting my nipple, telling me it wasn’t supposed to be so tight, it was supposed to just cover the nipple.

I think Diane is a dominatrix in her spare time.

Diane cranked it back down, reminding me, “don’t worry, honey, it’s your first time, I’ll be gentle.”

If Diane was gentle, I’d hate to see it when she was rough.

I stood there, toes pointed (as I was instructed to do so) arm wrapped around the machine being Cleopatra, leaning backwards, holding my other side out of the shot with my boob flat as a pancake in the machine. I can’t say that I was relaxed.

Diane ran back to the button-pushing locale, 10 steps away and yelled “DON’T BREATHE!”

Could you give me a warning? Hells no. Just stop breathing right now and hold it for 30 seconds while the machine clicks and beeps.

“Don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe, RELAX!”

She looked at the pictures and exclaimed (completely serious, I swear), “Now that is a great shot. The picture is perfect. I’m a great photographer and I know what I’m doing, but I think I could get a better shot of your muscles, let’s try it again.”

I wanted to ask her if she really worked there. But she read my mind and assured me she had done this same thing with hundreds of breasts. She was an excellent photographer.

Diane told me I have dense, young breasts. I’ll take that as a complement.

More Cleopatra, adjusting, relaxing and butter melting.

I had to do it in another position on the left side then the right side, with another exclamation about how great of a photographer she is, but how she’d like another try at getting more muscle in the shot.

She wanted to take good pictures for me, since it was my first time.

Finally, it was over. I needed a cigarette.

She told me the redness on my chest would go away in a few hours, and if it didn’t, I had bigger problems. Um, what?

Diane re-introduced herself again, “I’m Diane!” and then asked me how my Christmas had gone. She said she wasn’t really supposed to ask that, but because I had children with me, she thought it was safe enough.

She shook my hand, sent me to the changing room and exclaimed “see ya next year!”

I seriously hope not, but thanks Diane for a smashing good time.

I worked hard this year to do my shopping early, ordered and addressed Christmas cards over Thanksgiving weekend, pulled out the decorations and started planning the 1st grade holiday party. I was determined to get it all done early so I could relax, create works of holiday art with my children and enjoy a Christmas story here and there.

But the holiday spirits have had other plans for me. It began in the days before Thanksgiving when both of my children came down with a stomach bug. One was violently sick, the other, mildly so, but we went into Thanksgiving day hoping they would be able to eat a little turkey and trimmings.

We made it through the holiday weekend until Monday morning when another illness struck.

We healed up and finished the week strong. My youngest had multiple birthday parties to attend over the weekend so we split up and I took my oldest to the movies while my husband ran the birthday party circuit. During the movies, my daughter wasn’t eating popcorn. I instantly knew something was wrong.

After the movies, we went Christmas shopping. She wasn’t excited (another giant red flag) to shop. We began picking out gifts when she looked at me and told me she was going to get sick. We dropped everything and ran to the bathroom. We sped home as I prayed she wouldn’t get sick until we made it in the door. I dodged in and out of the mall shoppers looking for parking spots as I worked to beat it out of there and home.

We made it and spent that Sunday and Monday as she worked to recover. Tuesday evening, I began to feel sick. I was bedridden and completely miserable until Thursday morning when I began to feel human again. I even missed the funeral of my best friend’s father. I felt horrible but there was nothing I could do.

Thursday evening, my youngest had a fever and was developing a nasty cough. She missed the school field trip to Disney on Ice as we curled up on the couch. My day to run errands and clean things lost.

She recovered enough and we made it through Breakfast with Santa and an insane weekend of holiday parties, and other commitments until Sunday night. I realized I hadn’t even looked in the girls backpacks. I pulled out a green paper from the 4th grader’s Friday folder. It had a list of materials needed for a geometry gingerbread house building activity later in the week. As I skimmed through the list of graham crackers, frosting and other needs, I went weak in the knees.

I had just spent a weekend of running everywhere, wrapping up Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, sharing holiday cheer and grabbing my final needs for classroom parties, Girl Scout parties, Secret Santas, teacher gifts, donations, and more. Things were supposed to start easing up, right?

Ohhhhhh noooooo. Not for you, sister, Fourth grade has a fun project this week and YOU need to get those supplies together. They also need volunteers to help that morning and YOU need to be a good parent and help out. I wanted to crawl under a scented pinecone and stay there.

I can’t blame the teachers, afterall, if I had just looked in the backpacks on Friday, I would have seen the list and added it to mine. But this was one more list of crap that I had to deal with in a week already packed full of activities. Not to mention another activity to add to the calendar.

I had only skimmed the list and the paper. I saw something about the 15th and assumed that was when the project was taking place. I had a doctor’s appointment at 9am that day, so I called and moved it to Friday at 9am. Super mom pulls it out again.

Tuesday brought pink eye and I began looking for my scented pinecone to crawl under.

Then I headed to Target with my list. I read through it and began collecting everything. My classroom donation was listed as “gum drops.” I walked all over Target looking for stupid, festive, gingerbread gum drops. Candy aisle? No. Baking aisle? No. Christmasland in the seasonal section? No.

Eff.

I kept bumping into a woman with a drooling, adorable baby in her cart. The baby was singing and cooing and they were so sweet. If they didn’t get the hell out of my way so I could find my GD gum drops, someone was going to get hurt. Yes, I was losing it right there in Christmasland.

While I was waiting in the checkout lane, I read through the rest of the green paper. It had a permission slip and volunteer form on the bottom. Whoopsie. Didn’t see it, sign it or return it. I also noticed the materials need to be at school on the 15th, the project is taking place on the 16th. Volunteers needed on the 16th from 9-11am.

Eff.

My appointment was okay to stay on the 15th. Now do I try and move it back or just give it up?

My youngest woke up this morning complaining of a stomach ache. I told her she’d be fine and sent her to school. They called me at 9:30 saying she

needed to go home. I picked her up, buckled her in the car and asked her if she felt like she would throw up. She said no, then puked in her lap, on the seatbelt, the seat and the floor.

I rolled the windows down and drove home, singing “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.”

We are spending the afternoon on the couch. I briefly walked out of the room, heard puking, and she had her head in a bowl on the couch. At least it made it into the bowl.

My living room looks like Christmas threw up in it. We have a few candy cane lights, unplugged, hanging from the garage. There are dust bunnies blowing across the floor. I’ve done more laundry and used more Clorox wipes to last us weeks and weeks.

Our Christmas spirit and holiday cheer is around here somewhere. Maybe it’s hiding under the couch.

Forget the Santa Train. Who cares about Zoo lights. My holiday wishes are simple…Wishing you and yours a puke-free, gum drop rich holiday season.

The Disney on Ice shows continue to get better and more high tech. These aren’t the ice shows of your childhood. Sets and costumes are more elaborate, pyrotechnics and lighting techniques are used and the overall experience is phenomenal.

The show opened with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, a Disney on Ice tradition and then jumped full steam ahead into Toy Story introducing us to Andy, preparing to leave for college. Then, the army men took over in a very cool stage production and dance number. Some entered via parachute. It was quickly apparent that this wasn’t an ice show, it was a Broadway musical spectacular that just happened to take place on ice. I’d occasionally forget that they were all ice skating.

After the Army men left, Woody and his gang of toys from Andy’s room took over, each with exciting entrances. One of my favorite things from this show was the costumes. Slinky Dog, Ham, Bullseye and Rex were some of my favorites. I did feel bad for whomever had to be the butt-end of Bullseye and Slinky.

This is exactly why children want to watch shows like this…they get to see their beloved characters from the movies come to life in front of them.

Instead of just re-enacting the movie, this show took an unexpected turn and began with the characters reliving a few of their favorite moments from the first two movies. My favorites were the aliens in the claw game from Pizza Planet and Woody’s Roundup. Instead of just acting those scenes out, they expanded them and went a step beyond. Woody’s Roundup included a dance number and show spectacular that went beyond what was shown in the movie. It was original and refreshing.

We discussed the show all the way home, talking about each character, their costume and ice dancing routines. We also went over all of the unique settings and how things were portrayed.

If you are a Toy Story fan and live in Denver, I highly recommend you go see this show this weekend. It’s worth the trek to the Pepsi Center. I also have a coupon code – save $4 off the ticket price when you use code FFA at: www.TicketHorse.com/DisneyOnIce. (Valid only Fri, Dec. 9 and Sat, Dec. 10 at 11am & 7pm; and Sun, Dec. 11 at 11am; excludes Front Row and VIP seats).

Performance Schedule:

• Thursday, Dec. 8 – 7PM – *Non-VIP Tickets are only $15 for this show! (additional fees apply)
• Friday, Dec. 9 – 11AM & 7PM
• Saturday, Dec. 10 – 11AM, 3PM & 7PM
• Sunday, Dec. 11 – 11AM, 3PM & (7PM SPANISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE)

Ticket Prices:

• $72 (Front Row)
• $42 (VIP)
• $26
• $21
• $15
  *Service charges and handling fees may apply

Tickets are on sale through TicketHorse at www.TicketHorse.com/DisneyOnIce, by calling 1.866.461.6556 and at the Pepsi Center Box Office.

I received complimentary tickets from Feld Entertainment for myself and my family to attend opening night in exchange for promotion.

CONGRATS to our WINNER Michael with comment #10.
Picked by Random.org

Toy Story has been one of our family favorite series since my girls were tiny. When my oldest was two years old, she carried around a stuffed Woody and Jessie everywhere we went. Her Buzz was so dirty it was hard to read the “Andy” on the bottom of his foot. Needless to say we are excited that Disney’s Toy Story 3 On Ice is coming to Denver. My girls are going to a December 9th show with their school and STILL want to go to opening night with me on December 8th.

Tickets start at $15! Show is at the Pepsi Center only.

Have you heard the buzz? The toys are back in town! Disney On Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3! The Academy Award^®-winning blockbuster, Toy Story 3, and memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are hitting the ice in this sensational live production coming to your hometown! Catch all the heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home, in their most daring adventure ever!  A few new faces join the fun, including Barbie’s groovy bachelor Ken and Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear. It’s the biggest Toy Story experience on ice, jam-packed with fast-paced adventure such as Buzz’s galactic battle with Emperor Zurg and a hoe-down at Woody’s Roundup. Rediscover the humor, friendship and charm of Toy Story when Disney On Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 takes family fun to infinity and beyond!

Performance Schedule:

• Thursday, Dec. 8 – 7PM – *Non-VIP Tickets are only $15 for this show! (additional fees apply)
• Friday, Dec. 9 – 11AM & 7PM
• Saturday, Dec. 10 – 11AM, 3PM & 7PM
• Sunday, Dec. 11 – 11AM, 3PM & (7PM SPANISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE)

Ticket Prices:

• $72 (Front Row)
• $42 (VIP)
• $26
• $21
• $15
  *Service charges and handling fees may apply

DISCOUNT CODE:
You can save $4 off the ticket price with this special code. Enter the code: FFA at: www.TicketHorse.com/DisneyOnIce to save $4 per ticket.
(Valid only Fri, Dec. 9 and Sat, Dec. 10 at 11am & 7pm; and Sun, Dec. 11 at 11am; excludes Front Row and VIP seats).

Tickets are on sale through TicketHorse at www.TicketHorse.com/DisneyOnIce, by calling 1.866.461.6556 and at the Pepsi Center Box Office.

ENTER to WIN a FAMILY 4-PACK for OPENING NIGHT, DECEMBER, 8TH at 7PM at THE PEPSI CENTER

To win tickets, leave your name and your favorite Toy Story character. (Mine is Bullseye)

Additional Entries (leave a comment here with your name and blog you entered on for another entry):

• Enter the ticket contest at Mom in Management (contest may end earlier than this one)
• Enter the ticket contest at Mama Bird’s Blog (contest may end earlier than this one)
• Enter the ticket contest on Moose and Tater (contest may end earlier than this one)
• Enter the ticket contest on Lakewood Macaroni Kid (contest may end earlier than this one)
• Enter the ticket contest on Denver Parent (contest may end earlier than this one)
• Follow @ColoScienceMom on Twitter

More Ways to Win – Answer the following questions. Each question is one entry.

• Buzz Lightyear and Woody are best friends.  Who’s your best friend and why?
• In Toy Story 3 Andy doesn’t want to part with his toys when he goes off to college.  What special toy did you decide to hold to as you got older?
• Whose your favorite Toy Story character and why?
• Name two new Toy Story characters in Toy Story 3.

Contest ends at midnight MST Weds. November 30th. Winner will be notified by email.

I receive four tickets to the show for free from Feld Entertainment in exchange for my promotion and review.

This casserole is easy to make and is vegetarian. I don’t make the time to prepare lavish meals so easy is best for me. It is also a source of protein when you combine the broccoli and rice. My husband is a vegetarian so we like to include a side dish that is veg to serve alongside the Tofurkey.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

• 1 large bag of frozen broccoli
• 1 large bag of frozen cauliflower
• 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup
• 2 Cups uncooked Minute Rice
• 1 package of Mexican or 4-cheese blend shredded cheese
• Italian bread crumbs
• Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Defrost broccoli and cauliflower in microwave. You can also use fresh veggies instead and steam them. I only do this when I have extra time.

2. Cook rice to package directions. I’m working white rice out of every recipe and make half white half brown rice.

3. Mix broccoli, cauliflower, rice, soup and half of shredded cheese in greased casserole dish.

4. Cover with remainder of cheese, Parmesan and Italian bread crumbs.

5. Cover dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

6. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes to melt cheese.

This is also a great casserole to add leftover Thanksgiving turkey to and eat after the big day.

Thanksgiving Recipes on Mom in Management:

• Sweet Potato Souffle by Daria, Mom in Management, on 11/10
• Paper Bag Turkey by Caryn, Living with Logan, on 11/11
• Ultimate Cheese Ball Recipe, by Deirdre, on J Daniel 4′s Mom, 11/12
• Festive Macaroni-n-Cheese, by Jamie on The Denver Housewife, 11/13

• Candied Yams with Fruit, by Hand Made Mom Julie on Boulder Moms Connect, 11/14
• Yorkshire Pudding, by Susie on My SoCal Life, 11/15
• Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Mousse, by Jenny on Sugar Loco, 11/15
• Broccoli & Cauliflower Casserole by Susan on Two Hands Two Feet,  11/16

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Surprise, by The Redhead Riter, 11/17
• Pumpkin or Apple Cheesecake in a Jar, by Andrea on The Greenbacks Gal,  11/18
• Cranberry Orange Relish, by Daria on Saving to be Rich,  11/19
• Pumpkin Cheesecake by  Bruce on Bruce Sallan – A Dad’s Point of View, 11/20

• Cranberry Milkshakes by Hand Made Mom Hannah on Boulder Moms Connect, 11/21
• Pumpkin Pie Martini by Toni on The Organized Cook, 11/22
• Homemade Apple Pie by Tiffany on A Bloggy Mom, 11/23

I’ve been tracking the progress of some of the effects of gravity mixed with the dry climate on my face.

I no longer have the smooth face of a 20-something. I don’t have the wise face of a 30-something. I’m coming to terms with needing to use skin serums, deep moisturizers and eye smoothers to help hang onto the wrinkle-free look of my youth.

On a recent trip to the mall my 10-year-old and I were testing lotions and smelling soaps in the Body Shop. We worked our way around the store to the Anti-Aging section. She picked up one of the bottles that said it was a firming serum. She asked what it was for.

I explained that when you get older, you need to use special lotions to fend off wrinkles and work to stay looking young and vibrant. I told her she didn’t need any of these products and wouldn’t for a long time.

Looking down, she lightly said, “You don’t have any wrinkles.”

My heart glowed. I don’t have any wrinkles? You mean she’s never noticed the lines growing on my face? The lines I study every morning in the mirror and work to moisturize and cover up?

Ah sweet, sweet love. How nice is it to know I’ve been stressing about something that isn’t noticeable, isn’t that important.

I don’t need wrinkle cream.

Then she turned around and looked at my face and said “Oh, you do have wrinkles.”

She giveith and takith away with one big SLAP across my aging face.

Thanks love, for keeping me grounded.