"it's hot cocoa tiiiiime!!!..."

...That's what I heard first thing yesterday morning, coming from my darling oldest boy. You shoulda seen his face, it was classic! And he was correct: it was a blustery day and I was unprepared. I couldn't even try to fake it by throwing together what we have on hand (which I often do, much to my children's displeasure). So to the store we went and of course, the most important ingredient, the marshmallows, were forgotten. Luckily they either didn't notice or just didn't care- which made me want to go back and get some since they weren't being dramatic about it (I woulda been!). It. Was. Gooooood. In my mind, the first official day of fall is when you need to drink hot beverages to keep your insides warm.

The kids get all giggly over hot cocoa and I get all bothered over soup. There's something about it. Soup is a beautiful thing. The first thing I always think of when reminiscing about it, is my mom's potato, green bean and bacon soup. "Dear Lord, thank you for my mom and her soup. Amen." (sorry, I just had a moment). I used to have a kick-ass cookbook that was strictly for the soup lover. It was beautiful as far as cookbooks go and missed much. I'm making chicken noodle soup a day late- it's supposed to be almost 70 today. The kids are running around in shorts again after being bundled up all day yesterday but seemed genuinely happy when I told them what's for lunch. Yay..perhaps they'll learn to love soup in any weather like moi! (doubtful though)

Just saw an advertisement for one of the lamest toys I've seen in awhile. Ever heard of Dance Star Mickey? He walks, talks, and dances! *gasp* What a new concept! Children all over the world are in amazement: "You mean my plush Mickey can come to life before my very eyes?!!" Yes, kiddies...he'll moonwalk right into your heart!

Ugh. There are two strange things about this:

#1- it looks like a retro toy from an antique store that you pass by and go "Awww..I remember when I used to like Mickey". Seriously. What's up with that?

#2- It's a different price at every store. $69.99 at Toys 'R US, $79.99 at Target, $89.95 at Amazon.com and $99.95 at Gettington. WTF?? The only thing I could come up with is that for $30 more you get the soul of Michael Jackson inside....