Busy month

As you have noticed, I have been letting Snarkboy post recently. He seems to have more to say this month. I have been concentrating on birthdays. I have the blessing (if I don't say blessing , God will probably strike me) of having my children's birthdays exactly 23 months 2 weeks and 1 day apart from each other. I have one on the 10th and one on the 25th of November. One child was supposed to be a December baby, and the other I swore was coming at the end of October. She ended up being coaxed out three days after her due date. Free housing was over.

So this month, needless to say, is a frenzy and way too short for all the activities I need to plan.
Notice how I said need to plan. ... Well that is a shortcoming of mine. I don't plan my children's parties till the last minute. Now wait a sec! This is not my entirely my fault. First off, they dither over what they want. They always seem to want things when I am not willing to buy them, yet when this time of year rolls around, they can't decide or want outrageous things.

The youngest takes the cake this year. Since we live so close to Disney she tried to opt for a resort stay for one night. The condition was it had to be the Grand Floridian or the Polynesian. Her pampered self needed the monorail to drop her at the door. Now I decide to consider this (stupid me.). I logged on and saw that a room was $304-$400 a night. Yes, that is dollars not pesos.

Now for some parents that is not a big deal. In this household it is. And if I need to go into why a $300 dollar hotel room 10 minutes from my house is not a feasible idea, please e-mail me, then adopt me.

I told her what any sane parent would tell their child. All the rooms were booked. She went online and found a room. I then had to explain that $300 is a lot of money.

She didn't get it. She is only just learning the concept of money. She enjoys seeing the ATM spew out cash. It's magic.

It's not just her though. Birthdays are more elaborate and gifts are plentiful. If you have ever read "Harry Potter," children are becoming like Dudley Dursley("But this is only 36 gifts.").

We encourage it. Last year, I took 12 kids to a farm to pet a goat, ride a nag and feed cows. The cost was the downpayment on a car including the gift bags. Since when are gift bags necessary at a birthday party?

"Thank-you for bringing a gift. Here, take a token of my gratitude that is way more expensive than what you brought."

We have been to catered birthdays, birthdays that have themes and birthdays that resembled coming-out balls. Children don't have the capacity to appreciate these events. But they do have the capacity to expect something grand and want more. I guess these elaborate gestures make parents feel better. They don't make my wallet feel good, though. The presents they got last year were discarded by this year. The dog ate half of them, and the other half the kids lost or broke.

This year I am scaling back. I got to thinking about my birthdays. We received a couple of presents or money, something we really wanted. The best part was the birthday person chose the restaurant where we ate. That was the highlight, because my dad would make sure to get home early from work, and my mother would bake us whatever we wanted. I never wanted birthday cake. I always requested trifle, with layers of pound cake, custard and fruit crowned by a cloud of whipped cream.

I did have birthday parties, but they were not the fireworks displays that they are now. They were quiet affairs spent enjoying the few good friends you had, and the family that loved you. So this year, we are spending the the little one's birthday with a couple of good friends and a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. The older one is a Thanksgiving child, and she will be with her family, and have a vanilla cake with chocolate icing. I will be giving thanks that I have two pretty great kids and the fact I am able to afford Christmas(which is just around the corner).

Chocolate lava muffins

This recipe is courtesy of Snarkboy's idol, Alton Brown.

Chocolate Lava Muffins

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Butter, to coat muffin tin
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon espresso powderPreheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a small metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl. Stir in vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Sift these into the chocolate and mix well with electric hand mixer. Add eggs one at time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Beat at high until batter is creamy and lightens in color, approximately 4 minutes. Chill mixture.

Coat the top and each cup of the muffin tin with butter. Dust with the cocoa powder and shake out excess. Spoon mixture into pan using a 4-ounce scoop or ladle. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Outsides should be cake-like and centers should be gooey.

While muffins are in oven, melt the ice cream in a small saucepan. Stir in the espresso powder. Serve over warm muffins.