Recently heard in conversations in our home:
As I looked over at The Little Man's place mat, I notice a very large mess. Especially when you consider the smallness of what was eaten. Just one cookie. That was it. I called The Little Man into the kitchen, jumping on the opportunity to teach neat eating habits and cleaning up after yourself. As I looked at his face, COVERED in chocolate we discussed:
me: Buddy, can you please take a look at your place mat?
p: Yea.
me: What are you seeing there that you aren't seeing at the other spots around the table?
p: Lots and lots of crumbs.
me: Yea. I noticed your face is quite the mess as well.
p: Mom! What do you want me to do? Seriously! I just really enjoy my food, OK?
I love food too, so it was hard for me to continue in this conversation. I simply told him after he was done "enjoying his food", he needed to remember to clean up.
And I hugged him because we share the common bond of food love.
At the breakfast table:
d: You know we only have a few days left before we are in Orlando at Harry Potter World!
p: I know! I can't' wait. Maybe we should watch 1 movie every night before we leave and then we will be all caught up.
d: Don't forget, we need to be reading the books, buddy.
(Oh how I love that girl!)
p: I know, sister! I'm already on book 4. I'm reading the fastest I can, but I don't know if I'll get it all done before we leave.
d: Oh! You can get it done. You just have to make a commitment. What I do is just plan to carve out about 4 hours a day and just commit to read during that time.
p: You just read the whole time?
d: Yup. It's the only way to get any amount of large reading done.
p: I don't know if I can read that long. (Or stay still that long (Oh wait, those are my thoughts))
d: Well, you won't know if you don't try.
And upstairs they went. Each to their own rooms. It wasn't for four hours, but I'm not complaining about any amount of time of total peace. Plus, seeing both of my babies with their noses in Harry Potter books made my heart swell just a little.
Me. Talking to myself. Early in the morning this past Wednesday. (Oh. Don't act like you don't talk to yourself!)
me: Just think. This is the last lunch you are packing until August. The VERY LAST ONE.
That might have been the best conversation all week.
Showing posts with label Food Glorious Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Glorious Food. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
When the Cat is Away...
In the past two plus years, we have tried all sorts of things to restore The Hubs' health back to what it was. Unfortunately, we have not found the magic pill, routine, or ingredient. The truth is, The Hubs, while not in imminent danger like in 2011, still battles each day with the lingering effects of illness, the large amounts of medication, and all the side effects that come with each pill he takes.
Recently, we started looking into holistic medicine. While I know this makes some people roll their eyes, it's what we have left. Part of this new adventure has been a very large change to The Hubs' diet. The thought is that he could have some food allergies or intolerances that are exuberating his symptoms. By eliminating these foods, we could possibly eliminate (or lower) some of his medications, thus reducing the side effects to the medications as well as symptoms. By doing an extensive food panel, the new doctors were able to find that his body had adverse reactions to 29 different foods. Of course, these 29 foods were some of his most favorite foods. Foods he was eating everyday. Things like gluten, coffee, chocolate, peanuts, and almonds. Then there was this weird one. The highest reaction came from yeast. The doctor recommended that we eliminate as many of the foods on his list as we could, paying special attention to gluten, yeast, and sugar. So, for the last ten or so weeks, The Hubs has been gluten free, yeast free, and sugar free.
I'm so proud of him. This diet is serious business. Yeast is in EVERYTHING. As a family, we have been following the diet with him in the evenings. All sharing in a yeast free, gluten free, and sugar free dinner. It's bland. It's boring. It's plain hard. The Hubs has been faithful to this diet, not cheating, ever. And there has been some changes in his symptoms. Not the symptoms we were hoping for, but changes none-the-less.
Meanwhile, the kids and I have not been as "on-board" as we could've been. There have been trips (without The Hubs) to frozen yogurt, secret stashes of cookies, and those times when he goes out of town.
Often, work will call him out of town to meet with clients. It's those days, while we miss him and want him home, we find a silver lining in his absence. It's called pizza, cupcakes, paninis (with real ciabatta bread), and brownies.
The trick is having no evidence of it when he comes back. Not that we are trying to sneak it behind his back. No, he is pretty well aware of what is going on. It's just we don't need to flaunt it in his face.
Today, while it snows (on May 1st!!), we will find comfort in The Hubs' absence in some homemade pizza and chocolate chip zucchini muffins. We've got 48 hours, 14 cupcakes, two pizzas, and three people.
Game on.
Recently, we started looking into holistic medicine. While I know this makes some people roll their eyes, it's what we have left. Part of this new adventure has been a very large change to The Hubs' diet. The thought is that he could have some food allergies or intolerances that are exuberating his symptoms. By eliminating these foods, we could possibly eliminate (or lower) some of his medications, thus reducing the side effects to the medications as well as symptoms. By doing an extensive food panel, the new doctors were able to find that his body had adverse reactions to 29 different foods. Of course, these 29 foods were some of his most favorite foods. Foods he was eating everyday. Things like gluten, coffee, chocolate, peanuts, and almonds. Then there was this weird one. The highest reaction came from yeast. The doctor recommended that we eliminate as many of the foods on his list as we could, paying special attention to gluten, yeast, and sugar. So, for the last ten or so weeks, The Hubs has been gluten free, yeast free, and sugar free.
I'm so proud of him. This diet is serious business. Yeast is in EVERYTHING. As a family, we have been following the diet with him in the evenings. All sharing in a yeast free, gluten free, and sugar free dinner. It's bland. It's boring. It's plain hard. The Hubs has been faithful to this diet, not cheating, ever. And there has been some changes in his symptoms. Not the symptoms we were hoping for, but changes none-the-less.
Meanwhile, the kids and I have not been as "on-board" as we could've been. There have been trips (without The Hubs) to frozen yogurt, secret stashes of cookies, and those times when he goes out of town.
Often, work will call him out of town to meet with clients. It's those days, while we miss him and want him home, we find a silver lining in his absence. It's called pizza, cupcakes, paninis (with real ciabatta bread), and brownies.
The trick is having no evidence of it when he comes back. Not that we are trying to sneak it behind his back. No, he is pretty well aware of what is going on. It's just we don't need to flaunt it in his face.
Today, while it snows (on May 1st!!), we will find comfort in The Hubs' absence in some homemade pizza and chocolate chip zucchini muffins. We've got 48 hours, 14 cupcakes, two pizzas, and three people.
Game on.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Is Anyone Out there?
You may have thought I had forgotten my Blogger password. You would be wrong. As embarrassing as it is, the truth is, I just haven't been here in over a month. Yes. I believe it has been longer than five weeks. In all fairness, I think the last post was a fair warning. The kids are keeping me so busy, and time moves so quickly. While to me it feels like I just posted yesterday, reality says it has been over five weeks. It's a bit sobering.
While I would love to dive into each item I'm going to share here and make it it's own post, it just isn't going to happen. Also, I don't feel like I can come here after so long and not do a catch up. Here's to hoping that catching up on the blog is not all I do this year.
Like I mentioned before, the kids are still no joke. Their activities are large and in-charge. Combined with homework, we barely have time to sit and watch TV. I know. The horror of it all. Currently, we are in Jiu Jitsu twice a week, Battle of the Books (which ends on Wednesday, but more on that later), AWANA (which we've skipped since the beginning of February because we can't fit it in), and we are between basketball and soccer season. I can barely talk about that last item. Soccer season. I'm not, and never desired to be a "soccer mom". I don't really like the sport all that much, but even more so, I do not like that this sport takes place outside during the craziest weather seasons Colorado has to offer. I have no love in my heart for sitting outside for an hour freezing my tail off in either frigid temps, snow, rain, or high (freezing cold) winds. But let's get real. We live in Colorado. We often see all of those things in the course of an hour. Easily. I'm no friend of cold weather. Combine that with a game that holds my attention for a short time, and I'm out. Apparently, I'm one of the few. My son may be one of the only kids on his team that will be playing soccer for the first time this season. I will try not to complain about this anymore. The Little Man is over the moon that his, "mommy finally let me play the game I love the most." I'm a horrible, selfish mother.
The Girl is about to wrap up Battle of the Books this season, tomorrow. I'm proud to say that they won the area championships last week and tomorrow her team will be battling it out for top seat in the district! It's been a very happy time in this house since Friday when they won. They made it to the same spot last year and lost. So, this year's win was that much sweeter. I'm both excited and nervous for her. I know these kids really know their stuff, and they'll do their very best. I just hope for her, it gets them a win. Will she survive if it doesn't? Absolutely. However, I can't help but want this for her. I'll have to keep the blog updated....you know in a few months.
Um, oh yea, I went to Hawaii. Never in my whole life did I ever think I would say that I have been to Hawaii (or any of the the Hawaiian islands) twice in less than a year. Never. I mean, I never stepped foot on an island until The Hubs and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2010. Also, I never thought it possible for us to go there and not pay a red cent for our flight, hotel, or 90% of what we ate. It was a true gift and blessing for Scott and I to be able to go on this trip at the end of February without our kids, and an even bigger blessing that my in-laws were so willing to keep our kids for the five days we were gone. It was a sweet time of slowing down and reconnecting as a couple. Not to mention spending time with my parents (who also came with us) and just feeling spoiled. God's creation absolutely floors me. I know I have heard people "ooo" and "ahhh" over the mountains. Their majestic beauty is something to notice for sure. However, the beach, the ocean, the tropical plant life, and sea life do it for me. I can't tell you how many times I had to stop, catch my breath, and then just praise Him for all He has made, and His creativity and power in it all. From lava flows and volcanoes, to watching whales play in the ocean, splashing their whale tales, I was astounded by the beauty of all of it. I am hoping to spend a post on this later, including pictures.
The Hubs has been on a serious diet for the last five weeks. I totally blame this diet for the lack of blogging. Totally. He has been gluten free, yeast free, and sugar free since February 11th. The gluten and sugar are actually not too difficult. Challenging, yes. Difficult, not so much. I mean, 15% of the country is gluten free which means at the super markets in my area, I can find numerous products that are either made without gluten, or are naturally gluten free. They are all clearly labeled and easy to find. Also, when I search the internet, there is a wealth of information, recipes, and advice from so many people who have gone before and paved the way. The yeast piece of this diet? Yea. It's REALLY difficult. Yeast is in everything, and it is not clearly labeled, and not many people have paved the way here. In all seriousness, this diet became a full-time job for me for at least 3 weeks. I spent probably 40+ hours a week researching about the diet, finding recipes, searching for substitutes, shopping for new foods, finding stores where the new products were sold, etc. I went from rocking dinner about 95% of the time to only serving something somewhat tolerable about one in every four to five dinners. The other dinners we gagged back, and it pains me to say, we would just throw out a lot of stuff. The diet was supposed to help resolve some major inflammation in his body, thus helping in some other health issues that he battles everyday. While inflammation is down and he has lost 30 pounds, we aren't quite sure that anything else has been fixed or alleviated. However, my husband is determined to follow this through to the end. So, two more weeks of this, and we'll try something different. It should be interesting, to say the least. Also, it has reopened my eyes to the crud we put into our bodies each day. No wonder we are breaking down and have so many different ailments. I'm convinced that we, as a society, are slowly killing ourselves with our food. That's a whole different topic, and I better stop there.
My youngest sister got engaged. Yup! I could not be happier for her or her man. They will say "I do" on August 1st this year. It is a speedy engagement, but it will be full of fun and special times. I can not wait to celebrate her in this precious season of her life. My kids are just as excited, and I have especially loved watching them take in this special time. The Girl is all about the ring, the dress, and the romance of it all. The Little Man has been very sweet in praying for her stress levels. Making sure to ask God for His help for her to get done what needs to be done, and that she'll be happy with all the decisions that are made. He also is quick to tell people that his aunt is going to get married and he'll have a new uncle. Precious.
Combining the trip to Hawaii and daylight savings, proved to be extremely difficult. I suffered from some serious jet lag due to the time change and the red eye flight that we had to make, twice (our airplane broke down leading to a canceled flight, and then we had to take another red-eye the next evening with no sleep during the day in between). Just when I was catching up, painfully I might add, the time change came, and I was off again. I'm convinced that this exhaustion led to my first cold in about four years. I had forgotten how miserable you feel when your head is congested and your body is just crummy feeling all over. Thankfully, I was able to fight it off in about five-ish days. I really reevaluating the way I treat the kids and The Hubs when they are sick. Compassion and grace are good things.
Here's to hoping I make it back again before another month goes by. I do miss it here, but have been writing in my journal frequently. One day I hope to share.
While I would love to dive into each item I'm going to share here and make it it's own post, it just isn't going to happen. Also, I don't feel like I can come here after so long and not do a catch up. Here's to hoping that catching up on the blog is not all I do this year.
Like I mentioned before, the kids are still no joke. Their activities are large and in-charge. Combined with homework, we barely have time to sit and watch TV. I know. The horror of it all. Currently, we are in Jiu Jitsu twice a week, Battle of the Books (which ends on Wednesday, but more on that later), AWANA (which we've skipped since the beginning of February because we can't fit it in), and we are between basketball and soccer season. I can barely talk about that last item. Soccer season. I'm not, and never desired to be a "soccer mom". I don't really like the sport all that much, but even more so, I do not like that this sport takes place outside during the craziest weather seasons Colorado has to offer. I have no love in my heart for sitting outside for an hour freezing my tail off in either frigid temps, snow, rain, or high (freezing cold) winds. But let's get real. We live in Colorado. We often see all of those things in the course of an hour. Easily. I'm no friend of cold weather. Combine that with a game that holds my attention for a short time, and I'm out. Apparently, I'm one of the few. My son may be one of the only kids on his team that will be playing soccer for the first time this season. I will try not to complain about this anymore. The Little Man is over the moon that his, "mommy finally let me play the game I love the most." I'm a horrible, selfish mother.
The Girl is about to wrap up Battle of the Books this season, tomorrow. I'm proud to say that they won the area championships last week and tomorrow her team will be battling it out for top seat in the district! It's been a very happy time in this house since Friday when they won. They made it to the same spot last year and lost. So, this year's win was that much sweeter. I'm both excited and nervous for her. I know these kids really know their stuff, and they'll do their very best. I just hope for her, it gets them a win. Will she survive if it doesn't? Absolutely. However, I can't help but want this for her. I'll have to keep the blog updated....you know in a few months.
 |
| My Champion |
 | |||
| The whole team! |
The Hubs has been on a serious diet for the last five weeks. I totally blame this diet for the lack of blogging. Totally. He has been gluten free, yeast free, and sugar free since February 11th. The gluten and sugar are actually not too difficult. Challenging, yes. Difficult, not so much. I mean, 15% of the country is gluten free which means at the super markets in my area, I can find numerous products that are either made without gluten, or are naturally gluten free. They are all clearly labeled and easy to find. Also, when I search the internet, there is a wealth of information, recipes, and advice from so many people who have gone before and paved the way. The yeast piece of this diet? Yea. It's REALLY difficult. Yeast is in everything, and it is not clearly labeled, and not many people have paved the way here. In all seriousness, this diet became a full-time job for me for at least 3 weeks. I spent probably 40+ hours a week researching about the diet, finding recipes, searching for substitutes, shopping for new foods, finding stores where the new products were sold, etc. I went from rocking dinner about 95% of the time to only serving something somewhat tolerable about one in every four to five dinners. The other dinners we gagged back, and it pains me to say, we would just throw out a lot of stuff. The diet was supposed to help resolve some major inflammation in his body, thus helping in some other health issues that he battles everyday. While inflammation is down and he has lost 30 pounds, we aren't quite sure that anything else has been fixed or alleviated. However, my husband is determined to follow this through to the end. So, two more weeks of this, and we'll try something different. It should be interesting, to say the least. Also, it has reopened my eyes to the crud we put into our bodies each day. No wonder we are breaking down and have so many different ailments. I'm convinced that we, as a society, are slowly killing ourselves with our food. That's a whole different topic, and I better stop there.
My youngest sister got engaged. Yup! I could not be happier for her or her man. They will say "I do" on August 1st this year. It is a speedy engagement, but it will be full of fun and special times. I can not wait to celebrate her in this precious season of her life. My kids are just as excited, and I have especially loved watching them take in this special time. The Girl is all about the ring, the dress, and the romance of it all. The Little Man has been very sweet in praying for her stress levels. Making sure to ask God for His help for her to get done what needs to be done, and that she'll be happy with all the decisions that are made. He also is quick to tell people that his aunt is going to get married and he'll have a new uncle. Precious.
Combining the trip to Hawaii and daylight savings, proved to be extremely difficult. I suffered from some serious jet lag due to the time change and the red eye flight that we had to make, twice (our airplane broke down leading to a canceled flight, and then we had to take another red-eye the next evening with no sleep during the day in between). Just when I was catching up, painfully I might add, the time change came, and I was off again. I'm convinced that this exhaustion led to my first cold in about four years. I had forgotten how miserable you feel when your head is congested and your body is just crummy feeling all over. Thankfully, I was able to fight it off in about five-ish days. I really reevaluating the way I treat the kids and The Hubs when they are sick. Compassion and grace are good things.
Here's to hoping I make it back again before another month goes by. I do miss it here, but have been writing in my journal frequently. One day I hope to share.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
A Snowy Family Weekend
All day, Saturday, the weather was changing. Cloudy, windy, cold, sunny, rainy, snowy, sunny, windy, and on and on all day. We saw all of it. The forecast called for a snowy and cold day, so snow, cold, and wind were not too surprising. The clearing skies and sunshine were welcomed and a fun break.
That evening, however, the skies grew very dark and low again. As we headed out for an evening with friends, I thought I heard thunder. That couldn't possibly be right? However, as we drove off into the lightly falling snow, we saw it. A large lightening bolt. And then, yup, very loud thunder. I have heard of "Thunder Snow" before, but I'm not so sure I've been in it before. It's kind of weird. But then, it got even more strange. Hail. Heavy, pea size, hail. So it was snowing, hailing, and there was lightening and thunder.
While this was all very strange to me, I sat there thinking about how awesome and powerful our God is. Each lightening bolt left me awestruck. I was so thankful to be a witness to His power and strength. He makes His own rules and there is no thwarting Him.
Tonight, we had the perfect family night. I'm so thankful for my sweet babies kids who still love to spend time with us. The Little Man, asked earlier in the day if we could play a game later tonight. When I told him that this sounded like a fun idea, he kept saying to whomever would listen, "Well, we are having a fun family game night, tonight." We ended up playing Qwirkle and then topping the chilly evening off with breakfast for dinner.
It was DE-LIGHT-FUL.
I'm so abundantly blessed with these sweet people God has placed in my life that I get to call my family.
That evening, however, the skies grew very dark and low again. As we headed out for an evening with friends, I thought I heard thunder. That couldn't possibly be right? However, as we drove off into the lightly falling snow, we saw it. A large lightening bolt. And then, yup, very loud thunder. I have heard of "Thunder Snow" before, but I'm not so sure I've been in it before. It's kind of weird. But then, it got even more strange. Hail. Heavy, pea size, hail. So it was snowing, hailing, and there was lightening and thunder.
While this was all very strange to me, I sat there thinking about how awesome and powerful our God is. Each lightening bolt left me awestruck. I was so thankful to be a witness to His power and strength. He makes His own rules and there is no thwarting Him.
 |
| Some left over hail mixed with snow. |
It was DE-LIGHT-FUL.
I'm so abundantly blessed with these sweet people God has placed in my life that I get to call my family.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Chatting Over Coffee
If I had a picture of a Starbucks cup and a cute friend, I'd insert that here.
I don't.
I was too busy catching up with life, laughing, and engaging in girlfriend conversation to take a picture. It's so nice to have good friends. Friends who listen, who know without explanation, and who understand.
Today, I'm thankful for friendship.
I don't.
I was too busy catching up with life, laughing, and engaging in girlfriend conversation to take a picture. It's so nice to have good friends. Friends who listen, who know without explanation, and who understand.
Today, I'm thankful for friendship.
Monday, November 5, 2012
I Heart Cheeseburgers
This past weekend was glorious. Not only did we get to set the clocks back an hour (YAY, extra sleep! BOO, sunset at 4:30), but we were completely without plans. This meant a lazy Saturday morning, followed by delicious afternoon, and then another lazy evening. Sunday brought me to The Girl's Sunday School class as a teacher, some church, and then, you guessed it, another lazy afternoon.
It was bliss.
For Saturday's delicious afternoon, I got all crazy and thought it would be fun to try out this burger joint I'd heard whisperings about. I love a good cheeseburger, yes I do! However, I have found that I am pretty particular with my cheeseburger choices. I mean, if I am going to commit to consuming an entire week's worth of calories in one sitting, it better satisfy. For me, cheeseburger satisfaction equals spicy, gooey, and unique.
So, we hit up Crave, and I knew from the menu I perused before we were sat, that I would be in love. The burger choices ranged from very plain (typical cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion), to very unusual including burgers that were smeared with peanut butter and jalapenos, burgers with Krispy Kreme doughnuts as the buns, and the one I picked which was topped with fried cream cheese, jalepenos, avocados, and chipotle mayo (it was supposed to taste like a jalepeno popper and a burger collision).
It was bliss.
For Saturday's delicious afternoon, I got all crazy and thought it would be fun to try out this burger joint I'd heard whisperings about. I love a good cheeseburger, yes I do! However, I have found that I am pretty particular with my cheeseburger choices. I mean, if I am going to commit to consuming an entire week's worth of calories in one sitting, it better satisfy. For me, cheeseburger satisfaction equals spicy, gooey, and unique.
So, we hit up Crave, and I knew from the menu I perused before we were sat, that I would be in love. The burger choices ranged from very plain (typical cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion), to very unusual including burgers that were smeared with peanut butter and jalapenos, burgers with Krispy Kreme doughnuts as the buns, and the one I picked which was topped with fried cream cheese, jalepenos, avocados, and chipotle mayo (it was supposed to taste like a jalepeno popper and a burger collision).
It was D-E-V-I-N-E.
The end.
No, I didn't eat the whole thing. I had to make a choice between the whole burger or part of the burger and some sweet potato fries.
In my world that's a no-brainer.
Can I be super shallow and be thankful for a cheeseburger?
No? OK, then I will say that I am super thankful to have a family that loves searching for a great cheeseburger. Seriously. Both kids just started liking cheeseburgers this year. I know. There are no words. Instead of trying to understand their crazy palates, I will just say, I am thankful for their change of heart and their deep desire to find the best burger. It's so nice to have partners in crime.
I have no picture for Sunday. If you are sad about this, just imagine: Me, The Hubs, the kids, my sister, and her boyfriend all in our jammies/cozies. We are sitting in front of the TV/ laying on the floor/lounging at the kitchen table. We are doing NOTHING but just enjoying each other's company.
That is something to be thankful for.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A Month of Thanks-Revisited
Last year, I spent the whole month of November blogging about things I was thankful for. It proved to be much more eye-opening and heart transforming than what I thought it could be. Turns out, when you think upon those things which are "Excellent and worthy of praise" peace, trust, and joy fill your heart. Crazy.
I have carried this with me through out the year, and have looked forward to making a concentrated effort not only to put this into practice again, but to also write about it. Something about putting things down on paper (or in blog land, whatever) seems to really solidify things in my head as well as connect those learned things to my heart.
All that to say: "It's BAAACK!" All month, (God willing) I will be blogging about things in which I am thankful for. In addition, I have made a small change. I will also be trying to stretch my creativity by trying to Instagram it as well. Hey, it worked for me this summer. What can it hurt? The kids are participating in "A Month of Thanks" as well. They are filling out one leaf each night at dinner with one thing they were thankful for for that day. The leaves are then getting strung out garland style. My hope is at the end of the month, and right before we start Advent season, we can look back at how blessed and loved we are. With this reflection in mind, we can go into Advent season full and ready to give and love because we have been so abundantly provided for and loved first.
So with that in mind, we have Day 1:
I am thankful for the bike ride I got to take today. While on the path I was fully aware of the beauty that God gives us through Autumn. I tried to soak in as much of the colors and mild weather as I could, knowing it would be over soon.
Later, I hit up the grocery store and I was thankful for not only the abundance of food we have in this country, but the variety.
At any given time, I can go to this grocery store, either by foot or by car, and pick up anything my heart (and stomach) desires. I do not have to worry about a shortage, or even if things are in season (as long as I want to pay the price for out of season produce). It's there waiting for me each day.
How very blessed we are.
I have carried this with me through out the year, and have looked forward to making a concentrated effort not only to put this into practice again, but to also write about it. Something about putting things down on paper (or in blog land, whatever) seems to really solidify things in my head as well as connect those learned things to my heart.
All that to say: "It's BAAACK!" All month, (God willing) I will be blogging about things in which I am thankful for. In addition, I have made a small change. I will also be trying to stretch my creativity by trying to Instagram it as well. Hey, it worked for me this summer. What can it hurt? The kids are participating in "A Month of Thanks" as well. They are filling out one leaf each night at dinner with one thing they were thankful for for that day. The leaves are then getting strung out garland style. My hope is at the end of the month, and right before we start Advent season, we can look back at how blessed and loved we are. With this reflection in mind, we can go into Advent season full and ready to give and love because we have been so abundantly provided for and loved first.
So with that in mind, we have Day 1:
I am thankful for the bike ride I got to take today. While on the path I was fully aware of the beauty that God gives us through Autumn. I tried to soak in as much of the colors and mild weather as I could, knowing it would be over soon.
Later, I hit up the grocery store and I was thankful for not only the abundance of food we have in this country, but the variety.
How very blessed we are.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Well, Hello.
Seriously?
I'm surprised I still remembered my password to log-in.
I guess you could say, since school has started, I've been busy.
Some days, I am busy with actual tasks. Others, I am busy with a whole lot of nothing.
I'm still not sure what God would have me do with all the time He's given me with both kids in school full-time. It's been fun, interesting, totally involved/difficult, and completely uninvolved/easy all at the same time.
Here's what you've been missing:
1) The Little Man has been sick twice since school as been back in session. That's two times in four and a half weeks. This is seriously the part of school I dread the most. I feel like each day I am sending them into a cesspool of germs where they also learn long division, the proper usage of quotation marks, and how to play dodge ball. I could hyperventilate if I consider what the actual truth is to the question, "Did you wash your hands before eating lunch today?" Two questions: Why are kids so infested with germs? and would it be weird to send them to school in a full Hazmat suit? These are just a couple of things I have been pondering with my "free time".
2) I've gone into full on nesting mode. No. I'm not pregnant. For some reason, the state of my kitchen (the ENTIRE kitchen) has been getting under my skin for a while. However, the amount of time and effort that it would take to care for all that needed to be cared for, was enough to make me weak in the knees, become so overwhelmed that I would completely shut down, and instead of cleaning I would self-sooth by looking at totally organized kitchens on Pinterest.
I am thrilled to announce, that with all of my "free time", I have totally reorganized and cleaned every part of my kitchen (Except that silly cabinet above the fridge. I don't even know what is up there, and quite frankly, placing cute decor in front of the door makes me feel like I don't need to address that cabinet.).
Pantry: Check. Fridge and freezer: Check. Drawers (including junk drawer, (oh, yes! I just included the junk drawer)): Check. All cabinets: Check.
Next up: The laundry room followed closely by The Little Man's room (which I am hoping will land us at Fall Break since I may or may not have promised to pain his room).
3) Many homework battles. Seriously. Do I need to go much further here? There are days, however, that I feel like we might be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Then there are the other days.
4) The realization that I don't have to grocery shop on the weekends anymore. I can now go during the week sans kids. It's amazing.
5) I think I may be on the brink of a new obsession: Homemade bread. I never thought it possible to make amazing bread at home without some sort of culinary degree and a semester of study in France...or a bread maker...whichever. However, with all my time on Pinterest lately, I have found that neither is necessary. In fact, people are baking amazing bread in their own homes for pennies. Pennies, I tell you! We had a delicious jalapeno jack cheese bread tonight. It's so good, I may be passing it out as gifts to the neighbors at Christmas.
6) Our cousins moved to Las Vegas. We are sad.
7) The kids love Percy Jackson. While the books are great, the movie had me so upset I couldn't talk about it for days. Seriously? How hard is it to make a movie that follows the actual events in the book?
8) Both kids are fully involved in all extra-curricular activities. The Girl is in drama two days a week, and in November we will see her in Through the Looking Glass (as what? we are unsure, but will find out on Thursday). The Little Man is in run club, and is a boy who is obsessed. The kid just loves to run. His goal is 40 miles for the season. He's over halfway there and has 4 more weeks. We'll see! Both kids just started Awana this year for the first time. It seems like a great time, with kids their age, as well as time spent in the Word. Triple bonus! So far they like it, and The Hubs and I get to have a date every Wednesday night, so we like it too.
9) I have been reading an insane number of books, for me, at least. Favorites from my mixed bag are Seven, Anything, The Book Thief (still looking for someone to debrief this amazing book with me), and The Tangible Kingdom.
As you might see from this crazy list, outside of The Book Thief, God has been working relentlessly on my heart again (and always, thankfully). I'm in a spot. I don't know what all I really want to share in writing about this, yet. Mostly, it's because I don't know if I have the right words.
10) We took care of my sister's dog for eight days. Without a backyard. Lots and lots of walks. Thankfully, she is a really well behaved dog and she gets along with our Gracie just fine.
11) The Hubs and I took an art class together on "Date Day". We will find out at the end of the week if we can consider ourselves "Glass Fusion Artists". It was a very fun time, and I loved watching The Hubs get super serious about his creation. We decided to turn the whole thing into a competition. The winner of the competition will be decided by the number of appetizers eaten off of his or her platter. I'll keep you posted.
12) Time at the fire pit. With our backyard complete, and the weather still nice, we have enjoyed a few evenings eating dinner on the deck, sitting around the fire pit, and maybe eating a few s'mores. It's been delightful. I'm so glad we didn't hold off on the backyard project any longer. I love that we get to enjoy our space as opposed to fixing it so we could sell it. I envision many a night out there as a family.
I can't believe that I: A) posted, and B) didn't post a single picture.
Don't worry. I'll catch you next time.
I'm surprised I still remembered my password to log-in.
I guess you could say, since school has started, I've been busy.
Some days, I am busy with actual tasks. Others, I am busy with a whole lot of nothing.
I'm still not sure what God would have me do with all the time He's given me with both kids in school full-time. It's been fun, interesting, totally involved/difficult, and completely uninvolved/easy all at the same time.
Here's what you've been missing:
1) The Little Man has been sick twice since school as been back in session. That's two times in four and a half weeks. This is seriously the part of school I dread the most. I feel like each day I am sending them into a cesspool of germs where they also learn long division, the proper usage of quotation marks, and how to play dodge ball. I could hyperventilate if I consider what the actual truth is to the question, "Did you wash your hands before eating lunch today?" Two questions: Why are kids so infested with germs? and would it be weird to send them to school in a full Hazmat suit? These are just a couple of things I have been pondering with my "free time".
2) I've gone into full on nesting mode. No. I'm not pregnant. For some reason, the state of my kitchen (the ENTIRE kitchen) has been getting under my skin for a while. However, the amount of time and effort that it would take to care for all that needed to be cared for, was enough to make me weak in the knees, become so overwhelmed that I would completely shut down, and instead of cleaning I would self-sooth by looking at totally organized kitchens on Pinterest.
I am thrilled to announce, that with all of my "free time", I have totally reorganized and cleaned every part of my kitchen (Except that silly cabinet above the fridge. I don't even know what is up there, and quite frankly, placing cute decor in front of the door makes me feel like I don't need to address that cabinet.).
Pantry: Check. Fridge and freezer: Check. Drawers (including junk drawer, (oh, yes! I just included the junk drawer)): Check. All cabinets: Check.
Next up: The laundry room followed closely by The Little Man's room (which I am hoping will land us at Fall Break since I may or may not have promised to pain his room).
3) Many homework battles. Seriously. Do I need to go much further here? There are days, however, that I feel like we might be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Then there are the other days.
4) The realization that I don't have to grocery shop on the weekends anymore. I can now go during the week sans kids. It's amazing.
5) I think I may be on the brink of a new obsession: Homemade bread. I never thought it possible to make amazing bread at home without some sort of culinary degree and a semester of study in France...or a bread maker...whichever. However, with all my time on Pinterest lately, I have found that neither is necessary. In fact, people are baking amazing bread in their own homes for pennies. Pennies, I tell you! We had a delicious jalapeno jack cheese bread tonight. It's so good, I may be passing it out as gifts to the neighbors at Christmas.
6) Our cousins moved to Las Vegas. We are sad.
7) The kids love Percy Jackson. While the books are great, the movie had me so upset I couldn't talk about it for days. Seriously? How hard is it to make a movie that follows the actual events in the book?
8) Both kids are fully involved in all extra-curricular activities. The Girl is in drama two days a week, and in November we will see her in Through the Looking Glass (as what? we are unsure, but will find out on Thursday). The Little Man is in run club, and is a boy who is obsessed. The kid just loves to run. His goal is 40 miles for the season. He's over halfway there and has 4 more weeks. We'll see! Both kids just started Awana this year for the first time. It seems like a great time, with kids their age, as well as time spent in the Word. Triple bonus! So far they like it, and The Hubs and I get to have a date every Wednesday night, so we like it too.
9) I have been reading an insane number of books, for me, at least. Favorites from my mixed bag are Seven, Anything, The Book Thief (still looking for someone to debrief this amazing book with me), and The Tangible Kingdom.
As you might see from this crazy list, outside of The Book Thief, God has been working relentlessly on my heart again (and always, thankfully). I'm in a spot. I don't know what all I really want to share in writing about this, yet. Mostly, it's because I don't know if I have the right words.
10) We took care of my sister's dog for eight days. Without a backyard. Lots and lots of walks. Thankfully, she is a really well behaved dog and she gets along with our Gracie just fine.
11) The Hubs and I took an art class together on "Date Day". We will find out at the end of the week if we can consider ourselves "Glass Fusion Artists". It was a very fun time, and I loved watching The Hubs get super serious about his creation. We decided to turn the whole thing into a competition. The winner of the competition will be decided by the number of appetizers eaten off of his or her platter. I'll keep you posted.
12) Time at the fire pit. With our backyard complete, and the weather still nice, we have enjoyed a few evenings eating dinner on the deck, sitting around the fire pit, and maybe eating a few s'mores. It's been delightful. I'm so glad we didn't hold off on the backyard project any longer. I love that we get to enjoy our space as opposed to fixing it so we could sell it. I envision many a night out there as a family.
I can't believe that I: A) posted, and B) didn't post a single picture.
Don't worry. I'll catch you next time.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
At Least I Made It To August
I was so determined to do well with this "Photo-a-Day" challenge this summer. Then I got lazy. First, it was not posting but still taking pictures, then I stopped taking pictures. I think I have gotten back on the wagon.
For now.
Over the weekend, The Hubs and I got to celebrate our anniversary at our favorite anniversary restaurant. I think we've gone there about four out of the twelve years? Anywho, it never disappoints, and this time, someone came and took our picture. While the date on the card they made for us isn't our anniversary, it works. Plus, it's better than a picture of all of the food we ate, or, better yet, us eating the food.
On Tuesday, we hit up a zoo that is in the city my sister lives in. It's a bit of a drive and much smaller than the zoo we normally frequent, but it was a nice change of pace. Hanging out with the cousins was an added bonus.
While that last picture is a picture of my kids with a bear, I don't think it quite compares to "our bear". We miss that guy.
While most of the day yesterday involved staying in our jammies, we did get dressed to take in a cupcake decorating class. While I was a little less than impressed (hey, you get what you pay for and this was a "Groupon" type event), the kids still had fun, and I guess that's the whole point.
Here's The Little Man not listening to instructions (See the concentration The Girl has. She is such a good listener.). He told me right from the start that he wasn't going to make any puppy dog cupcakes (that was the theme of the class). He wanted to do his own thing. I was so shocked by him not conforming and not following the rules, like he normally does, that I had nothing to say. I just watched him do it.
The Girl getting started with her base layer of butter cream:
The Little Man getting ready to get wild:
The Little Man's finished products. Nothing recognizable. His goal was to use all the colors and all the frosting tips. Period.
The Girl followed directions for a while, then she too went rogue. She was interested in making flowers.
What can I say, I had a rebellious group on my hands.
I'd rather they take it all out on the frosting than in school in just a few short weeks.
For now.
Over the weekend, The Hubs and I got to celebrate our anniversary at our favorite anniversary restaurant. I think we've gone there about four out of the twelve years? Anywho, it never disappoints, and this time, someone came and took our picture. While the date on the card they made for us isn't our anniversary, it works. Plus, it's better than a picture of all of the food we ate, or, better yet, us eating the food.
On Tuesday, we hit up a zoo that is in the city my sister lives in. It's a bit of a drive and much smaller than the zoo we normally frequent, but it was a nice change of pace. Hanging out with the cousins was an added bonus.
While most of the day yesterday involved staying in our jammies, we did get dressed to take in a cupcake decorating class. While I was a little less than impressed (hey, you get what you pay for and this was a "Groupon" type event), the kids still had fun, and I guess that's the whole point.
Here's The Little Man not listening to instructions (See the concentration The Girl has. She is such a good listener.). He told me right from the start that he wasn't going to make any puppy dog cupcakes (that was the theme of the class). He wanted to do his own thing. I was so shocked by him not conforming and not following the rules, like he normally does, that I had nothing to say. I just watched him do it.
The Girl getting started with her base layer of butter cream:
The Little Man getting ready to get wild:
The Little Man's finished products. Nothing recognizable. His goal was to use all the colors and all the frosting tips. Period.
The Girl followed directions for a while, then she too went rogue. She was interested in making flowers.
I'd rather they take it all out on the frosting than in school in just a few short weeks.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The First Day of School and Nine Other Things
Do you see what happens when I blog (almost) four days in a row? I was exhausted. Not really. But that's the excuse I'm going with. I have a lot to catch up with, so the easiest way for me is a list.
1) First up, the kids started school. About a month ago. The feelings of guilt that I have had about not blogging about their first day yet have plagued me. For a while I think that I actually convinced myself that I had actually blogged about that day. You would think that since it was The Little Man's first day of Kindergarten, that I would have gone on and on about it, but since it went off so smoothly, I guess I didn't feel too much pressure (obviously). I did take pictures, and have been keeping a mental note of all things note worthy since the first day.
Here they are:
Don't even get me started on how grown up The Girl looks, and my sweet Little Man? Poor dude had a horrible cold for his first day. He had such a good attitude though and was super excited to start at his new school as a Kindergartner. Until we got in the car. Then there were some tears again. I kept it together though, for the both of us.
When he came home he was so happy, and told me all about how he didn't even get lost once and he was able to find his carpool line really easily. I guess that was what all the tears were about in the car as well as the night before. Poor guy was scared silly that he was going to get lost, and that that car ride to school was the last time he was going to see his family. Once he figured out that he wasn't going to get lost, he was all good. He was even comfortable enough to start complaining about stuff again, you know, like homework and the uniform. (Side note: Never once has The Girl complained about her uniform, but The Little Man? he complained five times in the first eight days of school. I thought for sure since he was a boy he wouldn't care. I thought wrong.)
The Girl started her 3rd grade year without a single bump. It was smooth sailing for the four year veteran of the school. She was excited to see her friends, to start a new year of learning, and to meet her new teacher. For the first time in her lengthy academic career, she's been assigned a male teacher. I thought for sure it would freak her out, but she was really excited about it. Turns out, many of her friends were also assigned to the same class, making starting the new year even more exciting. Speaking of exciting, she was elated to find out that they now have a drama club for third through fourth grade. You used to have to be in fifth grade before you could try out for the school's Dinner Theater group. She's been anxiously awaiting the day when she could be apart of this group. Come to find out, her wait is over (kind of). She is currently part of the drama club and will be trying out for Annie Jr. in the next few days. She is very excited and really loves drama so far. I love that she loves it.
2) Speaking of activities, we are in full swing around here. We had a small hiatus after school started, but beginning last week that hiatus came to an end. We are now juggling school and homework with swimming, drama, and BSF. It actually hasn't been too bad. I realize it's only been a week, though.
I was killing myself trying to make the activity count equal between the kids. The Girl is participating in both drama and swimming, but The Little Man just has swimming. I thought for sure that I should find him something else to do because he would notice right away that he's only doing one thing while sister is doing two. I looked everywhere for something that was both affordable and worked in our schedule. Finally, I had an "ah-ha moment" and realized that not everything needs to be "Even Steven". Turns out, The Little Man could care less that he doesn't have a second activity. Besides not caring, I don't even think he's noticed. Maybe Kindergarten and swimming are enough for him right now.
3) Just when we were falling in love with our dog again (you know, after years of barely noticing her due to having little babies that needed tons of attention and care), we found out that she has a tumor on her leg. Of course, I just assumed that it was no big deal and didn't even think twice about asking The Girl to accompany me to the vet's visit.
Great job, Mom.
So, my sweet tender-hearted girl was sitting there hugging on our dog as the vet told us that he thought it could be serious and we should have it looked at. On the way home she asked me if I thought the dog had cancer.
Dang it.
I'm not ready to explain this to the kids. My own heart hurts as well. I can't imagine what theirs will feel like.
She goes in on Friday to have it removed and biopsied. I'm praying that it's benign, and I don't have to explain anything. On the good side of this, while she's out getting the tumor removed they're also going to brush her teeth. Fresh breath for the pooch is always a plus.
4) The Little Man just learned how to jump rope. I don't know what is cuter to me: his crazy body movements or his giant grin as he makes it over the rope one more time without tripping up.
5) In other Little Man Accomplishments, he officially can run the TV, Blue Ray player, DVR, and OnDemand like no one's business, proving that remote control ability is innate in the male species.
While trying to get ready for the upcoming Biggest Loser season, I found that my DVR was almost completely full. Which would have been totally awesome if I wanted to catch up on Phineas and Ferb, Tom and Jerry, Star Wars the Clone Wars, and Scooby Doo. When I asked him about it, he just said he needed to make sure he wasn't missing any of his favorite shows while he was in school.
*Ahem*
6) The kids are in L-O-V-E with Tom and Jerry. And I am in L-O-V-E with the fact that they love it. I have been known, on occasion, to kick off the old flip flops and settle in for an episode or two myself. I love it when an episode comes on that I can remember from my own childhood. I also love that I don't have to worry one single bit that there are any distasteful words or inappropriate body part/function jokes, you know, since no one talks at all. No, when I hear the full on belly laughs coming from the living room, I can rest assured no one has made a fart/butt joke, but instead that Tom probably just got annihilated by Jerry. So much better.
7) I recently became a subscriber to Door-to-Door Organics, and I love it. I had heard about this company a few years ago when my sister-in-law tried to convince me it was the best thing since sliced bread. I wasn't sold. I mean, I like to be able to pick out my own produce, you know? What if I got all sorts of nasty bruised apples? And there's nothing worse than getting over ripened fruit. I like my produce the way I like it, and that means I need to pick it out.
Well, I got a Groupon that made trying Door-to-Door ridiculously cheap, so I grabbed it and tried them out. I am a little embarrassed at how giddy I was, and the amount of happiness I felt when that first box arrived. I brought it inside and opened it. Awaiting me was all sorts of delicious and beautiful organic fruit and veggies. It was like Christmas. It was food that I didn't have to shop for. Since I don't get milk from the milk man, this whole "food to your door business" is new to me, and now I love it, and look forward to Thursday afternoons like they are some sort of food holiday.
8) In other food related news, our garden is on it's way out. I can't say that we had a very stellar year, either. I don't think I can do another garden for a while. It's fun, the kids really do love it, and, heck, I love growing our own food and feeling like we are eating for free, but it's also a lot of work. I feel like there should be an equal proportion to the amount of work put in to the amount of food brought out. Granted, it wasn't quite as horrible as last years crop, but it certainly wasn't great either. In fact, I'll be surprised if I get a single edible squash. Also, why in the world did I NOT plant zucchini? Seriously? All I want are some delicious zucchini and chocolate chip muffins, some zucchini bread, or Parmesan zucchini sticks. But, oh no, I had to plant the squash this year. I think I was all, "Variety is the spice of life!"
No, actually a good zucchini muffin is the spice of life.
Lesson learned.
If we have a garden next year, it will be only because I convinced The Hubs to install an automatic drip system.
9) Speaking of baked goods, this whole summer the kids and I experimented with all sorts of new dessert recipes. It was so fun, and so good. Now that schools back in session, I've slowed down quite a bit. We got to try all sorts of goodness, and I think our favorite was the Almost Too Much Chocolate Chocolate Cake with Satiny Chocolate Glaze. We made it for The Hubs' birthday. The kids have both requested it for their birthday's now as well, and I'm trying to find any occasion I can make that puppy for. It was so good, but so bad. The only bad part about our fun times baking, is that I am now paying the piper, and am having to count every last calorie that goes into my mouth. Thank goodness there's an app for that. It's ugly. And hard. But I'd probably do it again.
10) You may be wondering (or not) where I was getting all of my delicious recipes from. Well, have you heard of Pintrest? Um, you should check it out. But be careful, you will be addicted. I love it way more than Facebook. Why? Because I would rather find an amazing recipe/craft/photography idea/decor idea/cute product/fashion/must have hair cut any day over reading strange status updates from people I barely remember and/or haven't spoken to in over a decade. Don't get me wrong, I love keeping in touch with people, but knowing all the details of someone's potty training accomplishments (and/or not), leaves me feeling like I could be spending my day doing something else.
Like finding the best desserts I have ever made.
Or pinning up ideas for the office that I may or may not ever re-decorate.
Hey, it's always good to have a plan...even if you never use it.
1) First up, the kids started school. About a month ago. The feelings of guilt that I have had about not blogging about their first day yet have plagued me. For a while I think that I actually convinced myself that I had actually blogged about that day. You would think that since it was The Little Man's first day of Kindergarten, that I would have gone on and on about it, but since it went off so smoothly, I guess I didn't feel too much pressure (obviously). I did take pictures, and have been keeping a mental note of all things note worthy since the first day.
Here they are:
Don't even get me started on how grown up The Girl looks, and my sweet Little Man? Poor dude had a horrible cold for his first day. He had such a good attitude though and was super excited to start at his new school as a Kindergartner. Until we got in the car. Then there were some tears again. I kept it together though, for the both of us.
When he came home he was so happy, and told me all about how he didn't even get lost once and he was able to find his carpool line really easily. I guess that was what all the tears were about in the car as well as the night before. Poor guy was scared silly that he was going to get lost, and that that car ride to school was the last time he was going to see his family. Once he figured out that he wasn't going to get lost, he was all good. He was even comfortable enough to start complaining about stuff again, you know, like homework and the uniform. (Side note: Never once has The Girl complained about her uniform, but The Little Man? he complained five times in the first eight days of school. I thought for sure since he was a boy he wouldn't care. I thought wrong.)
The Girl started her 3rd grade year without a single bump. It was smooth sailing for the four year veteran of the school. She was excited to see her friends, to start a new year of learning, and to meet her new teacher. For the first time in her lengthy academic career, she's been assigned a male teacher. I thought for sure it would freak her out, but she was really excited about it. Turns out, many of her friends were also assigned to the same class, making starting the new year even more exciting. Speaking of exciting, she was elated to find out that they now have a drama club for third through fourth grade. You used to have to be in fifth grade before you could try out for the school's Dinner Theater group. She's been anxiously awaiting the day when she could be apart of this group. Come to find out, her wait is over (kind of). She is currently part of the drama club and will be trying out for Annie Jr. in the next few days. She is very excited and really loves drama so far. I love that she loves it.
2) Speaking of activities, we are in full swing around here. We had a small hiatus after school started, but beginning last week that hiatus came to an end. We are now juggling school and homework with swimming, drama, and BSF. It actually hasn't been too bad. I realize it's only been a week, though.
I was killing myself trying to make the activity count equal between the kids. The Girl is participating in both drama and swimming, but The Little Man just has swimming. I thought for sure that I should find him something else to do because he would notice right away that he's only doing one thing while sister is doing two. I looked everywhere for something that was both affordable and worked in our schedule. Finally, I had an "ah-ha moment" and realized that not everything needs to be "Even Steven". Turns out, The Little Man could care less that he doesn't have a second activity. Besides not caring, I don't even think he's noticed. Maybe Kindergarten and swimming are enough for him right now.
3) Just when we were falling in love with our dog again (you know, after years of barely noticing her due to having little babies that needed tons of attention and care), we found out that she has a tumor on her leg. Of course, I just assumed that it was no big deal and didn't even think twice about asking The Girl to accompany me to the vet's visit.
Great job, Mom.
So, my sweet tender-hearted girl was sitting there hugging on our dog as the vet told us that he thought it could be serious and we should have it looked at. On the way home she asked me if I thought the dog had cancer.
Dang it.
I'm not ready to explain this to the kids. My own heart hurts as well. I can't imagine what theirs will feel like.
She goes in on Friday to have it removed and biopsied. I'm praying that it's benign, and I don't have to explain anything. On the good side of this, while she's out getting the tumor removed they're also going to brush her teeth. Fresh breath for the pooch is always a plus.
4) The Little Man just learned how to jump rope. I don't know what is cuter to me: his crazy body movements or his giant grin as he makes it over the rope one more time without tripping up.
5) In other Little Man Accomplishments, he officially can run the TV, Blue Ray player, DVR, and OnDemand like no one's business, proving that remote control ability is innate in the male species.
While trying to get ready for the upcoming Biggest Loser season, I found that my DVR was almost completely full. Which would have been totally awesome if I wanted to catch up on Phineas and Ferb, Tom and Jerry, Star Wars the Clone Wars, and Scooby Doo. When I asked him about it, he just said he needed to make sure he wasn't missing any of his favorite shows while he was in school.
*Ahem*
6) The kids are in L-O-V-E with Tom and Jerry. And I am in L-O-V-E with the fact that they love it. I have been known, on occasion, to kick off the old flip flops and settle in for an episode or two myself. I love it when an episode comes on that I can remember from my own childhood. I also love that I don't have to worry one single bit that there are any distasteful words or inappropriate body part/function jokes, you know, since no one talks at all. No, when I hear the full on belly laughs coming from the living room, I can rest assured no one has made a fart/butt joke, but instead that Tom probably just got annihilated by Jerry. So much better.
7) I recently became a subscriber to Door-to-Door Organics, and I love it. I had heard about this company a few years ago when my sister-in-law tried to convince me it was the best thing since sliced bread. I wasn't sold. I mean, I like to be able to pick out my own produce, you know? What if I got all sorts of nasty bruised apples? And there's nothing worse than getting over ripened fruit. I like my produce the way I like it, and that means I need to pick it out.
Well, I got a Groupon that made trying Door-to-Door ridiculously cheap, so I grabbed it and tried them out. I am a little embarrassed at how giddy I was, and the amount of happiness I felt when that first box arrived. I brought it inside and opened it. Awaiting me was all sorts of delicious and beautiful organic fruit and veggies. It was like Christmas. It was food that I didn't have to shop for. Since I don't get milk from the milk man, this whole "food to your door business" is new to me, and now I love it, and look forward to Thursday afternoons like they are some sort of food holiday.
8) In other food related news, our garden is on it's way out. I can't say that we had a very stellar year, either. I don't think I can do another garden for a while. It's fun, the kids really do love it, and, heck, I love growing our own food and feeling like we are eating for free, but it's also a lot of work. I feel like there should be an equal proportion to the amount of work put in to the amount of food brought out. Granted, it wasn't quite as horrible as last years crop, but it certainly wasn't great either. In fact, I'll be surprised if I get a single edible squash. Also, why in the world did I NOT plant zucchini? Seriously? All I want are some delicious zucchini and chocolate chip muffins, some zucchini bread, or Parmesan zucchini sticks. But, oh no, I had to plant the squash this year. I think I was all, "Variety is the spice of life!"
No, actually a good zucchini muffin is the spice of life.
Lesson learned.
If we have a garden next year, it will be only because I convinced The Hubs to install an automatic drip system.
9) Speaking of baked goods, this whole summer the kids and I experimented with all sorts of new dessert recipes. It was so fun, and so good. Now that schools back in session, I've slowed down quite a bit. We got to try all sorts of goodness, and I think our favorite was the Almost Too Much Chocolate Chocolate Cake with Satiny Chocolate Glaze. We made it for The Hubs' birthday. The kids have both requested it for their birthday's now as well, and I'm trying to find any occasion I can make that puppy for. It was so good, but so bad. The only bad part about our fun times baking, is that I am now paying the piper, and am having to count every last calorie that goes into my mouth. Thank goodness there's an app for that. It's ugly. And hard. But I'd probably do it again.
10) You may be wondering (or not) where I was getting all of my delicious recipes from. Well, have you heard of Pintrest? Um, you should check it out. But be careful, you will be addicted. I love it way more than Facebook. Why? Because I would rather find an amazing recipe/craft/photography idea/decor idea/cute product/fashion/must have hair cut any day over reading strange status updates from people I barely remember and/or haven't spoken to in over a decade. Don't get me wrong, I love keeping in touch with people, but knowing all the details of someone's potty training accomplishments (and/or not), leaves me feeling like I could be spending my day doing something else.
Like finding the best desserts I have ever made.
Or pinning up ideas for the office that I may or may not ever re-decorate.
Hey, it's always good to have a plan...even if you never use it.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
In Which my Blog Becomes a Photo Album
In my attempt to make sure that I am photographing my own children more, it seems as though I now have a lot of pictures to share. Also, I am trying to be very intentional in how we spend our time this summer, since this winter was a total blur, and I now realize how precious our time is together. So, about once a week, we have been going on little "field trips". Being more intentional about taking photos + being intentional about how we spend our time = LOTS OF PICTURES OF OUR ADVENTURES.
On this, here, blog.
Since I can hardly wait to tackle the "Blogger photo Uploader Monster" let's get at it.
First up: The Fourth of July.
Yup, just a little behind.
The Little Man came up with the idea of going to a MLS game (that's Major League Soccer for all you non-sport watching types) (Oh wait, that's me), and then watch the fireworks after the game. I have to say, it was a great idea, and the firework show was probably the best I've ever seen.
Two thumbs up, Little Man!
We started with a dinner that is reserved for special occasions. Not only because it's one of my most favorite burgers around, but because the calorie and fat count are so astronomical that it's a wonder we don't instantly clog an artery.
Look, all things good are going to cost ya, right? That's why we like to practice moderation when it comes to Smash Burger. (Note: I think the look of pure pleasure is clearly written all over The Girl's face in this pic):
Back to pure goofiness:
The man with the plan:
You can't go to a game with out Dippen' Dots. Plus, it was a little toasty out...even in the shade.
While the game and the side show (see above photos) were fun, this is what I came for:
It was after this night out that I was gifted with the whole family sleeping in until 9:45. It all started in the car:
The next day we enjoyed "hangin'" with our friends at the annual 4th of July picnic our church throws.
That's all I got from that event as I spent the afternoon eating my own body weight in potato chips and french onion dip. Hey, I was trying to make a healthier choice and avoid the hamburgers and hot dogs (I think I already mentioned the calorie count of the Smash Burger I so thoroughly enjoyed the night before). Moderation, people, moderation.
Ahem.
Later that week, we headed a bit out of town and took a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Factory. It was actually fairly interesting to see how they organized things, how all the machinery worked, and to see the mass amounts of tea. Seriously, I never knew that much tea existed in all the world let alone just in this factory. But our favorite parts, as if I have to tell you seeing as how I've already exposed you to my eating issues, was the free tea sampling. We got to try all sorts of teas, hot and cold, and for free. And not for free were some pretty amazing Biscotti. Perfect.
That's The Girl enjoying her tea time snack. What? You don't usually enjoy your tea with a bag of potato chips? Well, if you had a peanut allergy, that might be the only thing you find that is safe. So, you just roll with it.
OK. Here's the deal. This is a working factory. With food. That other people eat. There is no risking hair contamination. The only thing funnier, was the men with the beard protectors AND hair nets. Awesome. (That's my mom. She's been joining us for our little "field trips" and I'm sure she's thrilled to see herself, hairnet and all, on the blog. Way to be a good sport, Mom.)
Some souvenirs. If you know me in real life, you should ask me about my chap stick obsession. These little beauties joined the collection, and I'm fairly certain that they are rare finds:
Next up: The Aquarium. Little factoid for ya: I've never been. I know. How many times have I been to the zoo or the museum? Well, too many to count, but somehow I've passed up this place. So, since it was our first time, you know there are going to be a TON of pics. Here's what I whittled down to:
They each had a turn in the dive suit:
What's she looking at?
Oh! Well, hello.
We went with our cousin, aunt, and our field trip buddy, grandma:
I found out on this trip that The Little Man is fascinated by sharks. So when we saw this guy swim up to the glass, after freaking out for a bit, he had to have his picture taken. Not a great shot, but they swim fast.
"MOM! LOOK A SHARK!" Considering we were at an aquarium, I heard this a few times today.
The Girl taking in the hugeness of this fish:
This picture just makes me laugh. All three of them looking up into a tank:
Both kids were ecstatic to be able to touch a starfish. The Little Man was proud of how brave he was. Those starfish are frightening, I tell ya.
MOM! Look at this big fish with big teeth!
Oh, hi Mr Barracuda. Nice of you to show us your teeth.
You too, Mr. Shark.
Jelly fish are so beautiful to me.
The Girl was dying to get her pic taken with this fish. I'm not sure why, I just obliged.
SHARKS!
Every once in a while we would see a large sea turtle swim by the glass. This one came by just as I had my camera out, and like The Little Man, The Girl told me to quick take her pic with the turtle and sat down next to it. It quickly swam away. She then asked, "Did you get it? Did you get my picture with the sea turtle?" As I took a look at the LCD, I just looked up and said, "Yup. Sure did! You're good to go!"
I think she totally had a silhouette in mind when she asked.
On this, here, blog.
Since I can hardly wait to tackle the "Blogger photo Uploader Monster" let's get at it.
First up: The Fourth of July.
Yup, just a little behind.
The Little Man came up with the idea of going to a MLS game (that's Major League Soccer for all you non-sport watching types) (Oh wait, that's me), and then watch the fireworks after the game. I have to say, it was a great idea, and the firework show was probably the best I've ever seen.
Two thumbs up, Little Man!
We started with a dinner that is reserved for special occasions. Not only because it's one of my most favorite burgers around, but because the calorie and fat count are so astronomical that it's a wonder we don't instantly clog an artery.
Look, all things good are going to cost ya, right? That's why we like to practice moderation when it comes to Smash Burger. (Note: I think the look of pure pleasure is clearly written all over The Girl's face in this pic):
Back to pure goofiness:
The man with the plan:
You can't go to a game with out Dippen' Dots. Plus, it was a little toasty out...even in the shade.
While the game and the side show (see above photos) were fun, this is what I came for:
It was after this night out that I was gifted with the whole family sleeping in until 9:45. It all started in the car:
The next day we enjoyed "hangin'" with our friends at the annual 4th of July picnic our church throws.
That's all I got from that event as I spent the afternoon eating my own body weight in potato chips and french onion dip. Hey, I was trying to make a healthier choice and avoid the hamburgers and hot dogs (I think I already mentioned the calorie count of the Smash Burger I so thoroughly enjoyed the night before). Moderation, people, moderation.
Ahem.
Later that week, we headed a bit out of town and took a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Factory. It was actually fairly interesting to see how they organized things, how all the machinery worked, and to see the mass amounts of tea. Seriously, I never knew that much tea existed in all the world let alone just in this factory. But our favorite parts, as if I have to tell you seeing as how I've already exposed you to my eating issues, was the free tea sampling. We got to try all sorts of teas, hot and cold, and for free. And not for free were some pretty amazing Biscotti. Perfect.
That's The Girl enjoying her tea time snack. What? You don't usually enjoy your tea with a bag of potato chips? Well, if you had a peanut allergy, that might be the only thing you find that is safe. So, you just roll with it.
OK. Here's the deal. This is a working factory. With food. That other people eat. There is no risking hair contamination. The only thing funnier, was the men with the beard protectors AND hair nets. Awesome. (That's my mom. She's been joining us for our little "field trips" and I'm sure she's thrilled to see herself, hairnet and all, on the blog. Way to be a good sport, Mom.)
Some souvenirs. If you know me in real life, you should ask me about my chap stick obsession. These little beauties joined the collection, and I'm fairly certain that they are rare finds:
Next up: The Aquarium. Little factoid for ya: I've never been. I know. How many times have I been to the zoo or the museum? Well, too many to count, but somehow I've passed up this place. So, since it was our first time, you know there are going to be a TON of pics. Here's what I whittled down to:
They each had a turn in the dive suit:
What's she looking at?
Oh! Well, hello.
We went with our cousin, aunt, and our field trip buddy, grandma:
I found out on this trip that The Little Man is fascinated by sharks. So when we saw this guy swim up to the glass, after freaking out for a bit, he had to have his picture taken. Not a great shot, but they swim fast.
"MOM! LOOK A SHARK!" Considering we were at an aquarium, I heard this a few times today.
The Girl taking in the hugeness of this fish:
This picture just makes me laugh. All three of them looking up into a tank:
Both kids were ecstatic to be able to touch a starfish. The Little Man was proud of how brave he was. Those starfish are frightening, I tell ya.
MOM! Look at this big fish with big teeth!
Oh, hi Mr Barracuda. Nice of you to show us your teeth.
You too, Mr. Shark.
Jelly fish are so beautiful to me.
The Girl was dying to get her pic taken with this fish. I'm not sure why, I just obliged.
SHARKS!
Every once in a while we would see a large sea turtle swim by the glass. This one came by just as I had my camera out, and like The Little Man, The Girl told me to quick take her pic with the turtle and sat down next to it. It quickly swam away. She then asked, "Did you get it? Did you get my picture with the sea turtle?" As I took a look at the LCD, I just looked up and said, "Yup. Sure did! You're good to go!"
I think she totally had a silhouette in mind when she asked.
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