5:00 Fridays

One of the hardest adjustments about kindergarten for me and Deal is the fact that Bird is missing from the table at lunch everyday. I suppose Deal misses the G-rated Beavis and Butthead schtick they have going on. I just miss seeing my little boy's dimpled cheeks and silly grin while hearing about the goings on of his day.

Now Bird takes his healthy lunch of various sandwiches, apple slices, Cheez Its, and snap peas with ranch dip in his Batman lunchbox to school everyday. One day a week he grabs a sectioned tray and fills it with standard elementary school fare: nuggets, french fries, pizza, canned green beans, macaroni and cheese, corn dogs, sliced carrots, pudding, Jell-O, and oh, his favorite, strawberry milk. I recall an alarming amount of technicolor Jell-O sqaures jiggling in the aluminum tray at the Hollymeade Elementary School cafeteria from back in the day.

What marks a back-to-school drink better than the staple of school cafeterias everywhere?

Jell-O Shots!

Bocce Ball Jello Shots
1 large box of orange Jell-O
8 ounces boiling H2O
4 ounces cold H2O
4 ounces Amaretto

Mix the Jell-O mix with the boiling water and stir until the powder is fully dissolved. Add the cold water and the Amaretto. Pour the mixture into either shot glasses or those little plastic ramekins. And yes, even the humble Jell-O shot warrants garnish; add a couple slices of canned mandarin oranges (soaked in natural juices, not heavy syrup). Chill until the concoction is solid.

Finally, jiggling that's more appealing and less appalling that the other jigglers in my life. Hum the Jell-O jingle and enjoy!