<p>Oreos are made of pig lard, according to my biology teacher. Not vegan, at least if you trust what my bio teacher says (which I don’t, she wants us all to be vegans).</p>
<p>Strangely enough, this is a source of controversy. The sugar in Oreos might be processed through bone char (look it up), but there is no lard. There used to be whey, but not anymore. </p>
<p>I’m in the anti-palm oil party so I won’t eat 'em anyway. After all, this is definitely vegan: <a href=“Vegan Treat! Almond Butter, Caramel Swirled, Vanilla Bean-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - HealthyHappyLife.com”>Vegan Treat! Almond Butter, Caramel Swirled, Vanilla Bean-Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - HealthyHappyLife.com;
<p>But @mrnephew, your bio teacher makes a good point. 
I encourage Meatless Mondays!</p>
<p>:) I like my meat. I like it a lot. </p>
<p>I value the life of an animal over the taste of a meal. :)</p>
<p>I’m an anthropocentric person, so…</p>
<p>BBQ Pork Ribs for dinner tonight. Yum!!</p>
<p>The sun was once said to revolve around the earth. </p>
<p>I’ve got bacon and pancakes for dinner tonight… Breakfast4Dinner!</p>
<p>I had simple and delicious rice, peppers, and teriyaki sauce. Not to mention a few spoonfuls of peanut butter and a piece of super-power chia bread by Oh She Glows. :D</p>
<p>Did you know that Fudgie the Whale is also the mold they use for their Santa cake? When I had that realization as a youth, I was like “Damn you Tom Carvel!”</p>
<p>RE: Graduation Parties…</p>
<p>For my older daughter’s middle school grad, we joined a lunch organized by other parents. And she attended parties thrown by other parents…mostly home-based. I’m sure it’ll be more of the same for 7D2.</p>
<p>For 7D1’s high school grad next year, we will probably have a family-only dinner in Del after graduation or near our house upon our return — probably at a relatively nice restaurant. Both sets of GPs are alive and local, and we both have relatively small family units, so it would be 8-10 people…not really a party but more just a nice dinner. We like to eat.</p>
<p>Mind boggling on the mold. Who knew?</p>
<p>My husband wanted fudgie the whale for our wedding cake (I suppose we would have had to have about 20 of them). He got shot down but we have it each anniversary </p>
<p>Guess what I’m getting for my middle school graduation:</p>
<p>TWO MONTHS OF FREE TIME!</p>
<p>You only get two months off???</p>
<p>@SevenDad - I have also been fast-forwarding to graduation and wondering what the plan should be. Don’t really have one yet beyond showing up for the ceremony and anticipating other family members will, too. Eating sounds good!</p>
<p>@pdl100 Two months and eight days if I continue in the public schools. :(</p>
<p>Our public schools start a full month before the boarding schools, in early August, in the worst heat. CK is lonely that last month when his friends seem to abandon him.</p>
<p>@ruralmama: We generally don’t do “parties” with dozens of guests, even for birthdays and what not. Or at least it’s been a while. I prefer small gatherings with family OR friends (generally not both, for some reason). I think I find larger events more stressful to host — and never feel like I get to spend enough time with the various attendees. I’m sure our kids feel like we’re the lamest parents ever when it comes to celebrating their milestones. No reality TV-worthy “sweet 16” for 7D1, nor for her daughter. Just not how we roll (even if we could afford to roll that way).</p>
<p>My school starts in the last few days of August. @ChoatieMom Earlier must be awful! If it’s unbearable here, I have no words for how it must be over there…</p>
<p>So… I finally settled on a song for K1’s “This is Your Life in Three Glorious Minutes” video. Hat Tip to K2 for finally putting me out of my misery and choosing the song! What an adventure this has been 
Here’s the song: </p>
<p><a href=“Celebrate Tonight- Allen Stone - YouTube”>Celebrate Tonight- Allen Stone - YouTube; </p>
<p>I hope it comes out nice! If it doesn’t, I’ll definitely be on the hook for a Fudgy the Whale cake. :)</p>