At least he was honest. . .

When I got home from work last night Mr. Man said to Spirit "Tell mom about your day" and Spirit looked at me for a few seconds and then said "Well, this evening I've been good."

Turns out he was "wild" at school and had to be talked to several times by his teacher. His teacher absolutely adores him and we adore her, BUT sometimes she will tell us about things he does at school and she excuses them by saying "He's just a boy! He's fine!"

I know he is a boy and does boy things, but I still want him to be respective and obedient when we aren't around. Whether that be school, church, guitar lessons, whatever!!

So, I asked Spirit what he had done and he hung his head and proceeded to tell me about how he was wrestling during story time, pulling on another boys hooded sweatshirt, he threw some girl's shoe across the room ..... so we had a talk to him. I told him I appreciated his honesty, but I really wanted him/ expect him to be better behaved than that at school.

(I must admit that when he said "well, this evening I've been good." I had a hard time not laughing!!!)

I've Been Tagged!

My long time friend Steph tagged me and since I love this kind of thing I will do my best to answer these:

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGIN? Since September 2007

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START A BLOG AND WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS? I actually was surfing the net one day looking for some new craft ideas and I stumbled upon this crafty little post on Scribbit. This site has become one of my faves! I check her site almost daily, she is a funny, creative, wise mommy to 4 children. Her stories have made me cry, laugh and think -- sometimes all in one story! So, after reading her blog daily for awhile, I started poking around at some of the commenter's on her blog and it was downhill from there! I was officially addicted. Pretty soon I wanted my own blog so I could share our family fun and frustrations.

ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE MONEY ON-LINE OR JUST DOING IT FOR FUN? I only do this for fun! It is a great way to catch up on friends and their families and for them to catch up on me and my family!

WHAT THREE (3) THINGS DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING ONLINE?

1. I love that I can get online at my convenience and read/write to anyone anywhere!
2. I love that there are so many neat and interesting people online.
3. I love that I can find long lost friends (or they can find you!)

WHAT THREE THINGS DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH ON-LINE?

1. I am addicted!
2. I shop too much!
3. I hate that I have to be so careful because of all the "bad people" in the world who steal identities and lie, etc!

I am tagging Andrea because I know she will have awesome answers and I can't wait to read what she says!

Our 8 year wedding anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary! There have been times in our marriage when I wasn't sure we'd make it another year!

Today, I can honestly say that I am thankful to have him in my life. He is my rock. I am thankful we have had children together and that for the most part we agree on how to raise to them. I am grateful that he is not a picky eater -- he is so much fun to cook for! I am thankful he had a good momma who raised him to be a good man. I am thankful we are together and plan to be together for a long time!

We met for lunch yesterday and then all of us (the kids too) went to dinner. He made me a card which was very sweet -- and I am such a loser I didn't even BUY him a card, let alone make one. Spirit and Lefty drew us pictures that said "Happy Anniversary" and Spirit also drew me a picture that said "Thank you for marrying dad"

Lady Bug's Birthday

Lady Bug will turn 3 on February 7th (I'm a little sad! That is only 2 years away from kindergarten!!) Two of my three sister's are excellent seamstresses and the oldest of those is the best of the best. She works for a theater in the town she lives and she is the paid costume designer/seamstress!!! So she made Lady Bug her very own princess dress for her birthday. I have been told the dress has been mailed and should be here as early as Friday but no later than Monday! I can not wait!

** I will be sure to get my camera figured out by then so I can post pictures**

Can you imagine my horror!?

When we were at my in-law's house on Sunday Spirit let out the loudest belch-- at the dinner table!

All three of the boys I live with belch in our house.... often.... and I always say "Don't you ever do that at Grandma's house! EVER!"

So, when he did it at grandma's house I looked at him and said "not appropriate!!" and my BIL (who I absolutely adore) started chuckling! So, then he got a talkin' to!!

I know "boys will be boys", but do they have to be that way at grandma's? Can't they just be sweet innocent and polite little angels?

Surprise Birthday Party

My SIL and her husband came to Denver from Missouri this weekend. We went to my MIL and FIL's house for lunch on Sunday. Then we just hung out and gabbed for a few hours. My SIL was complaining a little bit during lunch that this year on her 50th birthday her husband will be in Alaska for work. Her kids are all married and busy doing different things that week so she will be alone. She wasn't complaining too much, but you could tell she was a little hurt. So, the funniest thing happened. We decided to go to get some dessert at Perkins. Mr. Man and I (for some unknown reason) took off and in a little bit of a hurry and said we would go get a table for all of us. When my SIL got there her jaw dropped and her eyes lit up! There were streamers hung up, there were sparkling "50"'s hanging from the ceiling and there were signs above our table that said Happy Birthday!

Sadly, we did not plan this surprise for her! Perkin's actually turns 50 this year too! So it was all a coincidence but it sure made us all laugh! She thought it was funny too! She told her husband that this doesn't mean he doesn't have to do anything for her now! We laughed and took some pictures of her under the streamers and stuff!! It was fun!

Teriyaki Beef Bowl

I just tried this recipe a few days ago. It isn't real low-cal, but it also isn't real high in calories and is pretty tasty. Mr. Man isn't a fan of teriyaki, but he was pleasantly surprised by it. The kids loved it!

Teriyaki Beef Bowl:

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb linguine, uncooked
4 c broccoli florets
1/2 lb of baby carrots, cut in half or can leave whole too
1 1/2 lbs beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/3 c Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbls teriyaki sauce

Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 min. of cooking time.

Meanwhile, cook meat over medium heat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce; cook 2 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta mixture; place in large serving bowl. Add meat mixture; toss to coat.

**The recipe I use says you can increase the teriyaki sauce to as much as 1/4 c if desired.

Calico Beans

I got this recipe from someone I used to work with. She would bring this to all of our potlucks. It tastes good with cornbread! This can be served as a side dish or make it a whole meal by serving it with a side salad and cornbread.

Calico Beans
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into pieces
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef, browned
1/3 c ketchup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard
2 Tbls molasses
3/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 cans white beans
1 can butter beans (do not drain)

Cook ground beef until almost cooked, then add bacon and onion to skillet and continue cooking until meat is cooked through.

Add all ingredients to a Crock-pot and heat thoroughly.

Get a grip

I have some strong beliefs on certain things. I try to be open minded too though and I also do not force my beliefs and opinions on others. I have mine and my friends know where I stand on things, but I am not offended by some elses thinking and opinions (most of the time!)

Having said that.... I will stand up for my beliefs and my convictions when needed. I just read an article online about a Baptist Church group that will be picketing Heath Ledger's memorial service. This same group, according to this article, is known for picketing the funeral of American soldiers. I am so disgusted and outraged.

These people (soldiers and now Heath Ledger) that this church is picketing are gone from this life. Let the family and friends of those people grieve without your arrogant, brash comments hovering over them. I have lost a loved one very dear to me and do not appreciate this kind of thing happening in our world. Whether you agree with how that person lived or not, mind your own business during this time of grief. That person is no longer here to go against your beliefs so keep your comments to yourself.

UGH!!!

Maybe I am being opinionated now but so be it! :o)

Long time friend

I took off work a little early yesterday to go pick up a friend from the airport. "K" and I have known each other since I was 4 and she was 5. We grew up in the same neighborhood and have remained friends even though we have gone separate ways in our lives.

"K" moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1996 or so. Then she moved from there to San Antonio, Texas in 2002 (or so) because she had a job offer. The company she works for just recently re-located her to Austin and she loves it!

Her plane was 25 minutes late.... no biggie. I circled the airport for 30 minutes until she said she just picked up her bags and was heading to where I was going to meet her. I loaded her up and we headed to her sister's house. It was so good to see them both! I haven't seen "K" in 2 or 3 years, I do get to see her sister 2 or 3 times a year.

"K" brought some goodies, late Christmas presents and then some stuff from Mary Kay (she sells Mary Kay), so we went through the stuff and played like little girls, trying things on and laughing. It was fun!

Then we called another friend and we all went to Chili's for dinner. (Mannnnnnnn, were those Texas Cheese Fries YUMMMYYY!!!) After that, we went back to "K"'s sister's house for some chocolate chip chocolate cake! We laughed and talked about silly stuff until I had to head back home.

Tomorrow is "K"'s 36th birthday so a bunch of us are going to the melting pot for dinner. Mr. Man was invited, but declined, saying "it's just gonna be a bunch of silly girl talk!".... and it probably will be.

I am thankful to have these women in my lives. They know everything about me and still love me!!!

Sharing a closet

My boys have had to share a room in the past and with us looking at new houses, they most likely will be sharing a room again! Unfortunately they wear close to the same size clothes.

Now, I know which clothes belong to which boy, but sometimes Mr. Man has a harder time. I came up with a solution that has Worked For Me. I bought plastic hangers, one set of blue and one in white. Blue is for Spirit and white is for Lefty. I also try to hang one set of clothes on one side and the others on the other side, but this way, no matter who goes in there they can easily determine clothes for one boy or the other!

The catch is when Spirit out grows something and I move it from a blue to a white hanger, then Lefty says "noooooo, mom that isn't mine!!" -- that is a problem I do not have a solution for. Unfortunately, Lefty will always get the hand-me-downs, poor kid!

This is what works for me! For more tips, go to Rocks In My Dryer!

Multi-Vitamins and Clorox Wipes

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we had one sickness after another being passed around our house. Flu, strep, colds, you name it. So after that, I became the disinfectant queen. I am constantly wiping door handles, toilets, and faucets with disinfectant wipes. I spray Lysol disinfectant spray on couches, chairs, beds. I am giving the kids a multi-vitamin every morning with breakfast. So far, we have been healthy since about the beginning of January, maybe late December even with all this cold weather we are having!

*fingers crossed that we remain healthy*

Lefty's school project

Lefty (5 years old) had a school project to draw a map of his room. The instructions were for the kindergartners to do all the work themselves, with very little supervision from parents. He was to use a ruler and draw a map of his room. Here is what he did. The finished version was colored in, but I scanned this in before he colored it. The handwriting is mine, made on a copy and also not on his finished version. The picture isn't very clear, so I hope you can at least somwhat see the detail on the drawer handles, the blinds, the book shelves (some of his books are really laying down flat, just like he drew in the picture!)

He always amazes me with his drawing talents! I wonder where this will lead as he gets older???

Weight Loss

My weight loss kicked into over drive over the weekend and I have lost a total of 6 pounds!

I am very excited!

What is this world coming to?

Did you all hear about the girl who stole another girl's Girl Scout Cookie money? Read this story over at ParentDish.

I am just shocked. I know when I was 5 or so I took a little girl's dress up shoes, but my conscience wouldn't even let me sleep. A day or so later I watched for them to be gone and I took them back and placed them in her back yard (which was unfenced and opened to the street I lived on).

I know this is extremely judgmental and I shouldn't judge, but it makes me question her upbringing. In all fairness it scares me to death, because I want to raise my children to know that stealing is wrong.

Reminds me of the young man, Matthew Murray, who shot all the church people recently here in Colorado Springs and how people have said that he and his brother are so different from each other and yet they were raised in the same home.

So, I am very well aware that sometimes it isn't the upbringing of the child, but it sure made me question someone who would steal from a girl scout!!!! or for that matter enter 2 churches and shoot to kill.

Recipes

Today I am posting more than one recipe:

Easy Spaghetti sauce:
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb hamburger
diced onion to taste
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbls Italian seasoning
1 Tbls oregano
1 tsp basil
1 (4 oz) can mushroom stems and pieces
1/2 c water

Brown hamburger with onion and seasoning. Drain. Mix remainder ingredients together with meat in slow cooker. Cook on low 4-5 hours.

Serve the spaghetti with a nice Caesar salad (I don't like anchovies or anchovy paste so I omitted them and I also do not use egg in mine. Here is the recipe I use:
INGREDIENTS:
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 c olive oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
ground pepper to taste
1 head of Romaine lettuce
Juice from 1 lemon
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, mix together garlic, oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, dry mustard and ground pepper. Tear in lettuce. Toss. Squeeze in lemon juice. Toss. Add cheese. Serve right away.

Spiced Apples are also a good side dish for spaghetti. This recipe is microwavable and very tasty!
INGREDIENTS:
8 granny smith apples
2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c cinnamon red hot candies

Peel, core and slice apples. Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool or serve warm.

Neighborhood kid and his mom

I want to have a house that all the kids want to play at. I try to provide a fun and welcoming environment. Last summer we constantly had kids at our house and it was fun! But starting in about June of 2007, a school friend of Spirit's who happens to live about a block and a half away started coming over.... a lot. His mom will drop him off and then leave, not really asking me if it is even ok for him to come over! She doesn't call first, she doesn't come to the door with him or anything. It is plain weird.

The other day I got home from work and he was, of course, over at our house. OH, and let me say here, that he is a fairly good kid, he doesn't treat his mom very good, but he is always very polite at my house. So anyway, back to the other day... I got home and they were playing and everything was peachy. I started making dinner, just like I always do when I get home from work.

I had dinner ready and told "T" that Mr. Man would walk him home.

He said "But I'm supposed to stay here until 6:30 tonight."

I told him that it was time for us to eat dinner and so he needed to go home.

"But no one is home at my house."

I said "What do you mean 'no one is home'?"

He said that his mom dropped him off so she could go grocery shopping and wouldn't be back until 6:30

I looked at Mr. Man, he looked at me and we both just let our jaws fall to the floor. We didn't know what to do.

I asked if his dad was home and he didn't know so I called "T's" home and his dad answered. I told his dad we were bringing "T" home and he was very kind about it, not acting weird in anyway (also not offering to come get him though)

I find that weird. I would never assume it is ok for my kid to hang out at someones house. These kids are in 1st grade..... this is the age you need to talk to the other parents and see if it is ok.

One day when I opened the door to see "T's" big blue eyes and toothless grin staring at me, he came on in (before I invited him) and boldly announced "My mom says it is ok if I want to eat dinner here tonight." Now, normally I would take something like that with "a grain of salt", knowing that the words may have been twisted slightly and I wouldn't have been offended, I might have even been excited to have him stay for dinner, but with this family I find that his mom very easily could have said that to him and I get offended.

If the mother would call me or come to the door and just say, "I have errands to run would it be ok for him to stay here until I am done?" I would absolutely say no problem! I would not have the tiniest issue feeding him either.

Am I being over-sensitive or mean here?

A few updates

My life is pretty boring today, other than finding out that someone had put some food in the bathroom trash can so when I went to use the toilet this morning I looked over and saw a million -- no a gazillion ants crawling all over the floor and trash can (both outside and inside) Grooooossssss!!!!!

So I decided I would blog about a few odds & ends:

#1. My diet: I have been doing fairly well at it. Falling off the wagon a time or two so I have only lost 2 pounds in two weeks. Not bad, not great.

#2. Daycare issues: We still have them. Not sure where we will turn. We know we want to get rid of my friend and we have other options for Lady Bug, but it is the boys after school care that is turning out to be an issue! So I am still making calls and working on that.

#3. My SIL with Lou Gehrigs disease: She is living at home with nurses coming in to help care for her. My brother is still freaking out and unfortunately, his way of dealing with it is to bury his head in the sand and work from sun up til sun down. Not good!!!

#4. Our housing situation: We haven't found anything that is "perfect" for us, but we have found a couple that would be "do-able". We haven't made any offers on them. We are sort of hoping something else comes along soon. Since we aren't in any rush we are taking our time! We also still haven't changed realtors, but haven't talked with the one we were using either. My friend Steph gave me a realtor which she says is awesome (which is just what we need right now!) I plan to call this realtor, just haven't yet.

#5. Mr. Man's new job: He got a new position within the same company (I mentioned it briefly here)but can not start it until they find a replacement for him. So far they have interviewed 6 or 7 people and not one was a good fit for the job. Mr. Man's manager sat him down yesterday and told him they have been interviewing people, but can't find one with the qualifications. They are having another meeting today to try to get a game plan for his move to the new position.

Lady Bug

In the last week or so Lady Bug has said and done some funny things:

We were eating burritos the other night and her beans starting coming out the end. Since she has two big brothers sitting across from her, they loudly announced that her burrito was pooping. She started crying and told me to throw it away. I asked why we needed to throw it away, it was perfectly fine to just keep eating it. "No!" she said "It has poop on it."

Mr. Man was in the bathroom. She knocked and said she needed a tissue. He opened the door, just enough to slide the tissue through and she pushed on the door. She said "Do you have to poop or just pee?" (you can tell she is recently potty trained!) He told her he had to poop so she squatted down and said "Let me see." Mr. Man was completely horrified.... I laughed!

We have one of those potty seats that sits directly on the toilet, but we had taken it with us to a friend's house and forgot it there. Before we could go get it back, Lady Bug had to use the toilet. I told her I would just hold her on the toilet. She started to cry a little bit and said "but my tiny hiney will fall in!" -- tiny hiney? Where did she get that one??? Made me laugh though!

First tooth lost

We hit another milestone, albeit not as huge as first steps or first words, Spirit lost his first tooth. He is the first of our kids to lose a tooth. A second one is wiggly too.
Apparently, during reading time in school yesterday he was twisting it and whatever else kids do to a wiggly-almost falling out-can hardly bite into things for fear of swallowing it kinda tooth and it *in the words of the 7 year old* "Just fell out"!
I tried to get a picture of it but his overbite is so bad you can't even tell...... sheesh. We tried all different poses but the camera (even my brand new camera) just could not pick up the missing tooth. Oh well. :o(

Current Daycare Issues....

As you know, I work full time and so does Mr. Man. We have a friend who has been coming to the house to watch Lady Bug. We, of course, pay her to do this. She has had some times when she frustrated me because I am not sure she understands I can't just come and go from my job whenever I feel like it just because she wants the day off.
She has a bad habit of calling me an hour before she is supposed to be to my house and tell me things like her oldest son (who is 27) bought her tickets to see a show so she needs the day off or "My daughter doesn't want her dad taking her to the dentist so I am going to do it. I can't come over today." I get so frustrated with her. I tell her I can't just take off work. She will say things like "Maybe you could ask your boss if you could work on Saturday to make up the time." I am like "I don't want to work Saturday and I really don't think my boss would allow me to work Saturday." If she didn't love my daughter so much I would have to slap her and tell her to take a big fat hike......
Well, we may be telling her to take a hike anyway after this latest stunt she pulled on us.
Mr. Man talked to her several months ago about this new position at work because we would need her help picking up the boys from school in the afternoons. We offered to pay her more PLUS she would get every other Friday off. She said that it was fine and she would love to do that for us. This was so good, things were going great, Mr. Man accepted the new position and then whammmo, she came in this last Friday and told Mr. Man "I just won't be able to make that work."
So when I get home from work he tells me what she said and my head about came off and steam was coming out my ears. I called her and we talked and I explained that he wouldn't have accepted the position if I had known that. She said "well, I can still watch Lady Bug, but just not the boys. Maybe you can change your hours so you are off earlier to go get them." I told her that would not work... I am hourly and I can't afford to lose 2 hours pay in the afternoon, plus I highly doubt my boss would allow it.
I started making calls and found out none of the area daycare have spots available for after-school care for the boys. Even the school's own after-school program is full and they have an 11 person wait list.
I don't want to lose her friendship over this, but it I am so upset with her. This isn't the first time she has put us in a lurch. Last year she missed a lot of work, which also meant I missed work.
Mr. Man is so upset with the nanny that he is ready to fire her. He asked me to check into some other places for her to go. When we were looking for care before my friend started doing it Lady Bug was an infant then and the prices were outrageous!!!!! I mean one place wanted $1200 month. Who can afford that?
I called the YMCA by our house, which is where Spirit went to preschool and we love the teachers there.... Lady Bug will be 3 on February 7 and will be eligible for the preschool program there! YIPPEE!!! *doing my happy dance* And, the best news of all is that it will only be $6 more per week than what I am paying my friend now and I will have flexibility. I mean the hours are 6 am to 6 pm so, I will be able to drop Lady Bug off in the morning and then take the boys to school and then off to work! It will be so nice! Bad news is..... I have to put her on a wait list. Another friend of mine offered to help us out until Lady Bug gets into the YMCA so that will help a bunch.
Oh, and then this morning my friend comes in the door and says "What were you able to come up with for the boys?" I told her I couldn't find anything. That places are costly and even if we could afford it they are all full right now anyway. She said "wellllllll, I guess I could pick them and take them to my house with me and you could pick them up there?" I told her I appreciated that and I would discuss it with Mr. Man and get back to her. She then said something that made my jaw drop open.... "I didn't want to mention it earlier because I wanted to see if you could find something else first." WHAT????? Why would she add that comment? Why?
So anyway, here we go into a daycare adventure! Ugh!!!

Guitar lessons

Spirit asked for months before Christmas to get a guitar. We weren't sure why he wanted one so bad. Did he see someone with it? Does he just want to goof off with it or is he serious about learning how to play, yah-ta-yah-ta-yah. So we bought a fairly inexpensive,ok ok ok Cheap, we bought a cheap one, for us to see how serious he was about the guitar. Well, he immediately wanted to take lessons, he also asked if his piano book would work for the guitar.

So our wheels started turning and we remembered some friends of ours son is 15 and is an amazing musician, plays like 5 or 6 instruments, guitar being one of them! Woo Hoo!! So we called them up and talked to mom and dad about where we should take Spirit. Their 15 year old son agreed to give Spirit lessons, once a week for 45 minutes and 5 per lesson. Spirit is eating this up. Our intention wasn't neccessarily to burden their family, but they are pleased to do it! This family has a 15 year old boy and a 9 year old girl, so he is used to dealing with younger kids. He has been teaching his sister to play guitar too.

He has had 2 lessons now and is really doing pretty well with it. He practices faithfully --for practicing piano we have to force it, but guitar is not a fight at all. It makes me so happy to watch him glow after practice! Last week he had the whole family sit on the couch after dinner to hear the 2 chords he learned.....over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again!! It was cute and fun though!

Happy Birthday!

Saturday was Spirit's 7th birthday. He bought me 7 pink roses (isn't that cute?). He wanted waffles for breakfast and then he got to open presents. He got a Playstation 2 and some games for it, Lefty painted a t-shirt for him that had some cool pictures and said "Happy Birthday to you!" on the front and back. He also got a couple books. We decided that with 3 kids and 2 of which right after Christmas that we were not going to do a big birthday party each year and we will just have a special day as a family.

Saturday afternoon we took the light rail downtown. We went bowling, ordered some snacks there to nibble on while we played. After bowling, we walked over to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything movie. When we got home Spirit had requested ravioli for dinner so we ate dinner and played on the PS2.

I started a tradition when Spirit was born and I have continued it with the other 2 kids also. When I was in the hospital after having the baby, I wrote a letter describing the day, how I felt, special moments, etc. Then I sealed it up, addressed it to them and mailed it. I have done that with for every birthday since, recapping the year, things they learned, things I am proud of them for, etc. After it gets delivered I put it in a box to save for them until they are 16 or 18 or something (I obviously haven't worked out that detail.) I hope that these letters will be special for them.

Waffles

With my new waffle maker I got for Christmas I have been trying several waffle recipes and this is one we like the best. It is a little crispy on the outside and soft in the center. According to the recipe book, if use reduced fat sour cream and 1% milk one waffle will only cost 274 calories.

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 c flour
2 1/2 Tbls sugar
1 Tbls baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, separated
2 c sour cream
1 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron. Into a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks, sour cream and milk with a mixer on high. Stir into dry ingredients. Add butter. In a clean bowl, with clean beaters and the electric mixer on high, beat the egg white until stiff but not dry. Using a wire whisk, fold into the flour mixture just until the whites disappear. Bake the waffles according to the waffle iron manufacturer's directions. If the batter becomes too thick, add a little more milk.

For Blueberry Waffles: Prepare as above, folding 1 c washed, fresh blueberries and 1 tsp vanilla extract into batter just before folding in egg whites.

Some odd conversations in my house this morning:

Me: Are these clothes clean or dirty?
Spirit: Yes.
Me: NO, I asked if these clothes clean? or dirty?
Spirit: Yes.
Me: Listen to my question. Are these clean or are they dirty?
Spirit: YES! I said.
Me: So they are dirty?
Spirit: No.
Me: So they are clean?
Spirit: No.
Me: Ugh. What should I do with these clothes?
Spirit: Put them away. They are clean.
*************************************
Me: Could you please go brush your teeth before school?
Spirit: I did.
Me: Oh. I didn't know that. Ok.
After getting a little closer and getting a whiff....
Me: When did you brush your teeth?
Spirit: Last night.
*************************************
Me: Let's get our coats on. It's time for school.
Spirit: I don't know where my coat is.
Me: Then you aren't looking very hard beca....... (interrupted by Spirit)
Spirit: I've looked e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.
Me: Well, you haven't looked hard enough because it is.... (interrupted again by Spirit)
Spirit: Yesssssssssssss, I have looked hard enough.
Me: No, you didn't. The coat is right on the couch.
Spirit: I looked there and it wasn't there.
Me: It is there and it has been there this whole time. Go get it.
Spirit: Why did you put it on the couch?
Me: Me? I didn't put it on the couch. You did last night.
Spirit: Welllll....
I interrupt him this time and just tell him to get in the car thinking to myself that we are arguing like a couple of 3 year olds......

Sheesh.... was he in a mood or what???

Somber start to my day

This wasn't going to my post for today, but as I was writing my other post (which I will now save for later today or tomorrow) one of my brothers called me. His wife was diagnosed with ALS about 2 years ago and she has been getting progressively worse. Just before Christmas she fell and I am not sure if she broke anything at that time, but yesterday she fell again and broke 2 disks in her back. My brother is scared. The doctors are basically telling him this is the beginning of the end. They have 5 kids ranging in ages from 25-12. My brother was telling me that they are probably going to have to have hospice care in the home or possibly put her in a home. The home they own is a 2 level and she hasn't been able to go up or down the stairs for about a year. My SIL is in denial of the whole thing and does not realize how bad she has been getting. My brother said when he talks to her about it she says she doesn't think she is any worse than when they first diagnosed her. She has also become very angry -- outbursts of anger at my brother and the kids. The younger kids are having a hard time understanding that she isn't mad at them and that it is just the disease causing this.

My heart is broken today for their family.

The end of holiday vacation

Well, yesterday was the last day of the holiday break. I think overall the kids were ready to go back to school. They enjoyed being out and of course enjoyed the holiday hoopla, but all-in-all I think they are ready to get back to routine!

Yesterday, Lefty was so wound up... not really doing anything that terrible just wound up! He pulled Lady Bug's Petnet from the wall and so all her stuffed animals were all over the floor. He sat on a lego container and broke it. He was spinning and spinning and ended up falling and whacking his head on the wall (large gooseegg to prove it!) I mean, nothing terrible, just wound tight and driving us all nuts!

I know this sounds mean, but I was so thankful to drop him off at school today! I know he will have fun with his friends and seeing his favorite teacher again!

What a weekend we had!

It all started Friday when I got off work. I rushed out of the office so I could get home and shower. While I was showering Mr. Man went off to pick up the babysitter. After I got out of the shower I got on the phone and ordered pizza for the kids. Then rushed around and got my hair done and makeup on. Then the pizza came and I paid for it. As soon as Mr. Man got back we explained some rules to the babysitter and left our numbers, where we would be, etc. Then we dashed off to Mr. Man's company party (they always do the company holiday party in January which is so cool I think). We took the light rail transit system downtown to the party. The party was from 7 pm to 11 pm and they had a raffle every hour on the hour for lots of really cool prizes (you had to present to win) -- we finally won a prize at the final drawing of the evening.... we won this, which also came with this and this! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO incredibly excited!!! You all know how badly I wanted a new camera for Christmas so even though it was Mr. Man's holiday party and technically it was his raffle ticket that won he has graciously given me the camera. I said he could use it too, but in reality he never thinks to take pictures so it is usually me who takes all the pictures anyway!

Oh, I sort of got off the subject.... I was so excited to tell you about my new camera I forgot about the rest of the weekend!

Ok, so after we won we headed out to catch the light rail home.... missed it. The next one was 30 minutes. So we called the sitter and told her we would be late. Waited in the cold for the next train and finally got home at 12:35 am!!!! Fortunately for us, the sitter's mom is a friend of ours and she happened to be in our area (long story.... the shortest version is she is working part time for her old boss and so she goes in nights and weekends to do work for him) so she came over to pick up her daughter and she wasn't even mad that we were late! phew! We always pay her daughter pretty well so I hope that helps! LOL

Then Saturday morning, Mr. Man had to work (hee hee) then he did his usual breakfast with a couple of his buddies. When he got home he immediately left again with the boys to go to Home Depot for a kids workshop. When they all got back we went to the store and picked up some essentials to deliver to a family that we found out was in desperate need of some food. Then it was off to deliver that to the family. After we did that, we headed home for some lunch. While Lady Bug and Mr. Man napped the boys and I went to the grocery store for this weeks meals. Saturday evening we all bundled up in layers and went to the zoo for Zoo Lights since this was the last weekend for it.

Sunday, we got up a little later than normal. I made waffles and then we went to church. After church we went to lunch with a group of people (21 of us total!!). We got home about 3 and Lady Bug laid down for a nap so the boys and I went for a bike ride for about 45 minutes. Then I made Ham and scalloped potatoes for dinner. Mr. Man got called to work so he left about 7:30 pm and the kids and I watched a movie. Then I put them to bed and crashed myself!

It was a good weekend, just busy!

Lemon Lime Chicken Breasts

Now, just because I am on a diet does not mean I have to post a diet-y recipe.... does it? I don't have any so I sure hope not! LOL

Actually, I didn't get this one from a diet book or anything but I enjoy making this and the chicken is quite tasty.

I serve this with steamed rice and a veggie of some sort (usually something green to add color to the plate -- I am wierd that way) This is one I can safely eat on my diet (I think) and my family enjoys it too!

Lemon Lime Chicken Breasts:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c lime juice
2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
Italian seasoning to taste
Seasoning salt to taste

In a large ziplock bag, mix together the lemon juice, lime juice, and oil. Place chicken pieces in the mixture, seal bag and let marinate for at least 45 minutes to an 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven broiler. Line a cookie sheet with foil and arrange chicken pieces on sheet. Season chicken with Italian seasoning and seasoning salt. Transfer remaining marinade to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Broil chicken 10 minutes in the preheated oven, basting frequently with the boiled marinade. Turn chicken, season again with Italian seasoning and seasoning salt, and continue broiling and basting 10 minutes, or until well browned and juices run clear.

Dieting in 2008

I started dieting yesterday in hopes of losing about 20 lbs before my niece's wedding in August. I figure that is plenty of time to lose the weight. I actually would love to lose more like 30 lbs to get down to my pre-marriage weight, but realistically I want to set a goal that is reachable!

In the past when I have been dieting and exercising, I lose about 10 lbs and then I hit a brick wall. I still diet and exercise but no weight comes off. That is when I get discouraged and give up. I spoke with a friend who used to be a personal trainer and she said when that happens I should change my exercise routine and/or go back and do like I was at the beginning of the diet and take out a lot of things, go low carb high protien type thing or reduce the calorie intake for 5 days, those types of things. She told me that sometimes when we get down to a weight we have been at before our body gets comfortable as if to say "Oh. We've been here before. We're good." so what you need to do is jump-start the metabolism again to start losing weight.

This morning I did a workout video at home and then had a half of grapefruit for breakfast. Then I will have a small morning snack of a low fat yogurt. Then for lunch I have some low fat Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup with bottled water. Then my afternoon snack is a few almonds. Dinner is a low fat turkey chili (without crackers and cheese *wahhhh*).

I am feeling like I am off to a good start and I hope I can maintain this! Dieting is so hard with kids -- AND A husband who can eat a stick of butter and not gain a pound! I can do this and will feel better about myself for it!!! *fingers crossed*

I just read on Money Saving Mom about a website similar to weight watchers only it is FREE! It is SparkPeople.com so I signed up there and maybe that will help keep me motivated?? Maybe!!

2008 Goals

I don't make resolutions.... because I won't keep them....., but this year I have several goals I want to accomplish. (I know this is the same thing but people always break their resolutions so I am thinking if I call them goal instead then I will be able to accomplish them!- dumb logic I know!!)

1. Lose 20 lbs before niece's wedding in August
2. Be a better housekeeper
3. Live in a house that feels welcoming
4. Set aside more money into savings
5. Own a china hutch to display my crystal
6. Not let things get to me so much
7. Read more
8. Get a family photo taken
9. Spend more time with family (meaning in-laws, cousins, etc.)
10. Be more organized for Christmas 2009 ;0)

My First post in 2008

Here we are in 2008. Doesn't seem that long ago that we were all worried about what 2000 (Y2k) was going to do to us and here we are 8 years later! WOW!

We didn't do much on New Years Eve, watched some movies, started taking down Christmas stuff, made cookies (and ate some dough!) and I think that is about it. Yesterday we slept in and then cleaned house. Pretty boring!

Our house looks a little bare because some of the stuff I had taken down to put up Christmas decorations I didn't put back out. Since we are moving in the spring I just decided to start packing up some stuff that we don't need. The last 2 moves we made I didn't get packed up soon enough and so moving day I was up at 3:00 A.M. to finish packing which makes me pretty worthless for moving anything later in the day!! So this time I want to be more prepared!

Not much else to report today! I hope everyone is safe and had a great New Years Day!