Meal Plan - 3/30/09

I know the week is already in full swing, but I wanted to link my recipes all in one place for the rest of the week. Last night's shepherd's pie was a stretch...I'm not able to do some of the healthier recipes without gagging lately. Such a shame!

Breakfast:
Cereal
Oatmeal
Waffles

Lunch:
Turkey Pesto Panini (a recent craving)
Salad with new apple cider vinegar dressing

Dinner:
Monday - Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Tuesday - Ravioli with Balsalmic Brown Butter Sauce (this is DIVINE and EASY!)
Wednesday - Beef Stir Fry with brown rice
Thursday - Creamy Parmesean Chicken with Pasta
Friday - Hawaiian Chicken with Kumquats (got them in the produce co-op and haven't known what to do with the darn things!)
Saturday - Mike camping - having a girls sleepover with the wives!
Sunday - Lasagna Roll Ups

Dessert:
Apple Crisp

Tuesday's Time Saving {On The Go} Tips

Before I needed a diaper bag, I never had anything pre-packed and ready-to-go, other than my purse. But now that I have kids, I've established a few different "On The Go" type bags that are packed and ready to go at a moment's notice. I keep all of these in our back hall closet by the garage door.

Water bag

When Ryan was little, we didn't have a pool, but we were often invited to friends' houses for swim dates. I quickly tired of gathering all of the pool toys, swim diapers, towels, and floaties each and every time we wanted to swim with friends. I came up with the idea of putting together (and keeping together) a water bag. All of the contents are in a wicker-like basket I got with a shower gift (thanks, Jenn!) and it works well for the pool, beach, water parks or splash pads.

Contents: a swim suit for each child, a sun hat for each child, a visor for me, spare sunglasses for all, sunscreen, pool toys (cups, water balls, dive sticks) and a swim diaper (when we needed them). I throw a towel or two on top of the bag as I walk out the door and make sure everyone is in flip flops and we're good to go. It's worth it to have an extra sunscreen and a second set of each item for the bag to simplify the process.

Car Bag
When I know we'll be driving more than 15-20 minutes to our destination, or will be sitting in a waiting room somewhere, I bring our car bag. If we're going somewhere that will take over an hour, I also charge up our portable DVD player and bring that along for movies.
Contents: smaller Dr. Seuss board books (I don't rotate these, this way they're "new" for the kids and they keep their interest), Ryan's Leapster with spare games, coloring book and crayons (I have a Ziplock with spare crayons we collect from restaurants), Kaylin's pretend camera and cell phone, an Etch-a-Sketch and an erasable doodle pad.

Gym Bag

Mike goes to the gym during his lunch hour, so this one's for him. He just grabs a towel and his shoes before he walks out the door. When he gets home, he takes out the dirty gym clothes and puts clean ones in, so he's ready to go the next morning.

Contents: shampoo, shower gel, hair gel, deodorant, comb, cologne. Back when I worked, I also had a magazine and my Walkman (yes, I said "Walkman" - I still don't have an ipod) in my bag.

Cosmetic Bag

I got this idea from my BFF, who spends at least one weekend a month at her in laws' house who live an hour outside of town. It's easier for her to keep duplicates of most items and just keep this bag packed. I noticed on a girls getaway weekend that she had everything needed in her cosmetic bag, and I had forgotten several little things. That's when I found out that she keeps the bag stocked and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Contents: shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, hair products, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, make up, Q-tips, Band aids, a few tampons, tweezers, nail clippers, nail file, clear fingernail polish, contact case and travel-sized contact solution.

Park Bag

Similar to the Water Bag, but with sand toys. (mine is a plastic basket so the sand can fall through the bottom)

Contents: sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, sand toys and baby wipes case for dirty hands.

Errand Bag

I don't have one of these yet, but I know people who swear by them.

Contents: library books to return, movies to return, packages or letters to mail, dry cleaning to drop off, etc.

I hope one or all of these ideas are helpful!

Random Thoughts

What a day. I loaded the kids and a sack lunch into the car at 10:30 and headed off to pick Mike up at work. We all drove WAY across town to check out a great deal on a minivan. Mike had a cashiers check made out in the exact amount he'd negotiated over the phone and we were convinced we'd own the vehicle this afternoon.

But whoa. I'm a big believer in first impressions. Before listing my own car on Craigs List, I have every intention of getting the thing completely detailed. There will be no crushed Cheerios crammed into the seats or smeared sippy cup remnants to be seen. No one will be able to trace children back to my car.

So please...if you're going to sell a car, would you consider taking it through a full service car wash and at least getting the thing vacuumed out? This vehicle was dirty. Not "just returned home from a cross country drive to Disney World" kind of dirty, but still, it was gross. When we opened the door, I looked at the carpets and asked Mike, "We'd rip out these carpets, right?" How many Diet Cokes had been spilled in that car, I'll never know. But it had crumbs and grime everywhere. And when we propped up the cupholders, there was a giant black hair dangling from the thing. (I'm still shuddering at the thought) Now, I understand that 99% of the owners of minivans have kids. I get that. But sellers, please: get...the car...cleaned.

Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I can complain about getting home at 2:00. Three and a half hours of my life that I'll never get back. The poor kids were in the car almost the entire time, except when we had to take potty breaks. We could have driven over halfway to the beach in that time! I was so disappointed that I self medicated treated myself to a Chick-Fil-A Cookies and Cream milkshake. And it just occurred to me that it was laced with chocolate, which I gave up for Lent. OOPS.

I haven't bought a REALLY used car since I was 16. And all of the cars I've purchased since then have been from dealerships, so they were emaculate. I guess my standards are too high. And I'm realizing that, for our price point, the van we get will likely be stained, scratched and might actually look and feel...really used.

Part of the problem may be my hound-dog-like sense of smell these days. My nose is so incredibly sensitive. Even the scent of my own deoderant bothers me. Who knows what kinds of spills are set into the carpet and seats of pre-owned mini-vans.

Moving on. Last week, Ryan was into pushing Kaylin around. Literally. She climbed into a plastic bin and he "bowled" with her. She was the ball and he pushed her across the kitchen floor toward the pins.

Then he pushed her into the front hall to have their morning snack at the table near the front door. It was all very sweet. It was one of the days I was laid up on the couch all day...they were trying to be creative to entertain themselves. At one point, under a pile of stuffed animals and dolls that Kaylin had loaded on top of me "for the baby," I must have dosed off and noticed that it was 1:00. "Naptime, everybody upstairs," I announced. Ryan got tears in his eyes and said, "But Mommy, what about lunch??" Oh, were those 10am pretzels NOT lunch? I forget that just because I don't want to eat, I still have to feed the munchkins!

Next topic: who stands like this? I saw this ad on Facebook. Do you know any teens who walk around their school, angry and all contorted with their hair blowing around, like this poor chick?

Last thing: without getting specific, a male family member mentioned that my pillow talk post this weekend was too candid. Apparently, it was inappropriate and in bad taste. So if anyone else was offended that I used the word "boob" in a post or that I shared this child's first intimate Daddy moment with the world, I'm offering a blanket apology. My intention is never to offend, but I'm not deleting the post. That's me being real. Now I'm going to go walk around the house like chickdowntown and see if anyone notices...

Pillow Talk

Last night was a long one for me. I'm entering the exhausted-yet-can't-sleep-at-night insomnia phase of my pregnancy, so it took me over an hour to fall asleep. Then at 3am, Kaylin was screaming. Super Mommy raced into the room to be told, "I have a booger!" Seriously? I fell back asleep around 4:30 after that little episode.

So when I felt a hand creeping over to my side of the sheets at 6:30am, I was not amused. This was the conversation that followed:

Me: "Don't even think about it. I'm exhausted."

Mike: "What - I can't touch my wife?"
Me: "No. I may puke on you."

Mike: "Oh stop. It's not like that."
Me: "Ha! I don't believe you."
Mike: "Promise."
Me: "Consider yourself warned: my stomach is really queasy."

(I felt my shirt moving)

Me: "Okay, let me clarify - you can touch me, but you can't grab my boob."

Mike: "I'm not going to grab your boob." (yeah, right - "...anymore...")

Me: "So where exactly is your hand headed?"
Mike: "Your stomach."

Me: "Uh huh..."
Mike: "I can't touch my pregnant wife's stomach?"

And that was it. The first time Mike has showed interest in Baby #3. Up until this point, there have been so many dollar signs clouding his vision, I think it's been hard for him to enjoy this little surprise of ours. But now that the insurance thing is settled and he's been researching minivans (realizing that we can get a used van for a reasonable price, especially after selling my car) - the financial drama in is head is vanishing.

I'm glad he's starting to get excited. It was getting a bit lonely enjoying this pregnancy all by myself!

Simple Teaching Tools for Parents

This tip is brought to you by BiblicalParenting.org. I'm loving their weekly email tips and will likely continue sharing them with you, on occasion. If you'd like to receive these tips yourself, you can sign up HERE.

We want to be practical with children. That means that we give specific instructions about what we want them to do, not just what they shouldn't do. One way to be practical as we help children develop character is to use working definitions. We use these a lot in our counseling to help children understand life more. Here are some examples, but you can be creative and think of many more.

Obedience is doing what someone says, right away, without being reminded.

Honor is treating people as special, doing more than what's expected, and having a good attitude.

Perseverance is hanging in there even after you feel like quitting.

Attentiveness is showing people you love them by looking at them when they say their words.

Patience is waiting with a happy heart.

Self-discipline is putting off present rewards for future benefits.

Gratefulness is being thankful for the things I have instead of grumbling about the things I don't have.

You don't have to use them all. Just choose the one that your child needs right now and teach how to put that character quality into practice. Put definitions up around the house. This is a very positive way to give kids a vision for what you want.

These are such great principles; I'm going to print them off and put them on my fridge.

Photoshop HELP

This is a plea to my local friends...unless one of my blogging buddies is willing to give me a phone tutorial. I finally have Photoshop, finally have a system that can upload it and has enough memory to USE the thing and I am fumbling around with it like an idiot. There has to be an easier way.

Does anyone know Adobe Photoshop Elements? I have version 6.0. Nothing fancy, but I don't get it yet.

I'd accept a 10 minute phone call to get me in the right direction, an hour lesson, whatever. (we all know I have time on my hands) I want to start with the basics and get comfortable there, first. Minimal edits, text on prints, uploading my modifications directly to the websites to be printed, stuff like that. I've never seen a program that didn't come with an instruction manual. I'm overwhelmed! HELP!

Oh Happy Day!

It's been pretty frustrating lately being sick and tired, and on top of that getting a head cold/allergies, then last night my eye was bright red and goopey - probably pink eye. I'm slowly falling apart...

But this morning, I am a new woman!

First, I should start by saying that because this pregnancy was a surprise, we didn't have maternity insurance. I've been calling and researching and getting recommendations for how to deliver this baby with the least expense possible. Having a hospital birth runs at least $10,000, if you're a cash patient. And that's WITH the discounts. (Did you know the anesthesiologist gets paid anywhere from $1500-3500, depending on how long he has to hang around the hospital to monitor the epidural???) We have a savings account and could go that route, but with the upcoming purchase of a minivan, we were not excited about dropping $10,000 like that.

It only seemed logical to continue my research into doing a home birth. As natural as I like to think I am, I must admit that a home birth did not appeal to me. We tend to use medication in our house as a last resort, preferring to let our bodies get rid of viruses on their own and taking care of things homeopathically. But when it comes to the pain of childbirth: drug...me...up. I was a wimp and couldn't handle the pain of contractions when I was merely 2 cm dialated...I can't imagine breathing my way through another 8 cm!

Regardless, a home birth was going to cost about $3000. Was the pain worth $7000? Ugh, yes it was, but I was scared to death. I know many people who have used midwives and doulas both at home and in the hospital. I heard their stories and was amazingly unphased by the romantic, comfortable, all-natural experiences they each had. I was strictly doing this to save money. I further talked myself into it by realizing that women have been having home births for thousands of years and hospital births only became common, like, 50-60 years ago. Women were made to have babies. I am woman, hear me roar. (Do you hear the excitement in my voice? No? Because it's not there.)

As I was doing all of my research to present to my over-analytical Accountant husband, he was busy on his end petitioning to apply for his company's insurance during open enrollment in July. Yes, yes, I know I'm pregnant and that it's a pre-existing condition. I thought his efforts were futile, too.

Until they accepted us. Starting April 1st, even! What are they, nuts? I don't really care. All I know is that we're insured and even though we'll be paying $500+/month for coverage (that's just for the two of us, the kids will still be under a different carrier), it will work out to be less than half the cost of a cash-payment hospital birth. So I get to be drugged up in a hospital, just like I wanted! WOO HOO! (if you're one of my natural friends who gave me wonderful advice and council, please don't be sad...when push comes to shove, I am just too chicken to have a home birth)

Okay, so this gets better. A guy in our Bible study is a chiropractor and has been seeing me for free to work on an issue with my shoulder. With my new insurance, he's going to start getting paid - I am so excited that his kindness will be rewarded for the next 8 months! But that's not the best part. Apparently, he's a preferred provider for my health insurance carrier and along with my adjustments, I will get to have FREE pregnancy massages!!! I can't tell you how beyond excited I am about this. I am one who LOVES to be pampered with massages and pedicures, yet rarely get to do either because of our strict budget.

I am on cloud 9. With my goopey red eye, sniffley Rudolf nose and overtired, queasy stomach pains, I have something to look forward to in the short term. My first massage is scheduled in 2 weeks and I can't wait!

Helpful links

Sorry I don't have much to say these days...laying on the couch all day proves to be quite mind-numbing. I have gotten some good information I wanted to pass along for those who are interested:

* Do you use your Yellow Pages phone books? Yeah, me neither. Since discovering 411.com, I immediately toss mine into the recycle bin when they're dumped on the porch. I just learned that you can OPT OUT of receiving stacks of phone books and save them the time, money and TREES that it takes to make these unnecessary phone books. Click here then click on "Opt Out" under the "Join Us" tab.

* Trouble deciphering what's healthy for your household? The Good Deal Gal just posted about a site called GoodGuide.com. Since "all natural" products aren't accountable to anyone for claiming they're natural, this site is a good resource that "uses expert recommendations to tell you which products are the wisest choices -- everything from food, household items, personal care, and even toys! You'll find the latest recall information and you can even compare prices of your favorite products to help save a few bucks!"

* Do consumers REALLY save money by shopping at Walmart? Emily at Little Home did some research and has the answer. Click here to read her thoughts.

So there you go. That's a little of what I've been reading about lately. I have been bored. Really bored. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. Yes, already. There's just nothing on t.v. anymore. I'm usually a Food Network junkie, but watching them make good food that I can't eat is absolute torture. I am, however, almost done with a book. A real, fiction, won't-help-me-with-my-marriage-or-my-parenting book. The first one I've read since I can remember. 5 years, maybe? Pathetic!

A theory about calm kids

I've mentioned that I'm an avid watcher of Jon & Kate Plus 8, right? Well, there's a NEW show starting soon, called Table for 12. This couple has 2 sets of (older) twins and 4 year old sextuplets. CRAZY.

So there was an intro-type show about this family that I watched in my sick-and-tired pregnancy boredom the other day. While I (somewhat shamefully) often identify with Kate from Jon & Kate Plus 8, I was intrigued by this new couple with the even larger family. And I formed a theory.

They were relaxed. Busy, yet very laid back parents. Sometimes the kids on Jon & Kate are a little high strung (just like their amazingly organized, yet typically over-controlling mother can be). But I noticed that the kids on Table for 12 were fairly well behaved, pretty calm and still...happy. Now granted, this was an hour show about them; much of the "reality" may have been edited out. But the 4 year old sextuplets weren't in trouble all the time or running around crazy. The poor mom goes non-stop from 6am to midnight each day, doing 8 loads of laundry and making daily grocery trips to keep up with the family's appetite. Yet she's still pleasant and patient in her dealings with the kids.

I just couldn't get past how well everyone got along and how relaxed the parents were. On Jon & Kate, their life appears to be controlled chaos. Much like I feel my life can be, but with only 2 kids.

This got me thinking about all of the "calm" parents I know. There aren't many, but the ones who are pretty laid back about life - the handful I know - have pretty well behaved kids. Not perfect, but overall good kids. The parents are pretty unemotional about crises and they don't sweat the small stuff. They use spilled milk and Sharpie markers on the kitchen counter (that happened on Table for 12) as teachable moments. As parents, they consistently put their needs on the back burner for their kids, while still (seemingly) keeping a bit of a balance.

I want a more relaxed house. I want less meltdowns and more smiles. Maybe that's too much to ask when you have a suddenly-independent and highly-emotional two-year-old, but a girl can dream, right?

So I've tested this theory. Partially out of necessity (I was in bed most of the day Friday and Saturday fighting off a cold/the flu - oh, and I wasn't allowed to take any meds - in addition to feeling nauseous) but I've been pretty intentional about it. I've said, "yes" more and "no" less (within reason). I've let the kids dirty cups and bowls for the sake of putting leaves in water so they won't die. We put rollie pollies in a bucket with rocks and twigs and brought them in the house to watch a movie with us. I allowed Kaylin to go out to dinner wearing her bunny ears and a bright blue wristband that looked ridiculous with her pink and brown outfit. By request, I made the kids tuna sandwiches at 9:15am. Being so sick, I've put Ryan "in charge" more and allowed him to "take care of" his little sister while I laid on the couch, immobile and dozing off. On Friday, they watched an insane amount of t.v. and their brains actually didn't start oozing out of their ears - quite intriguing.

And they've been content. And sweet to each other. And well behaved. Not perfect, but good enough.

Mike wasn't completely on board with this whole concept, so the kids still got time outs from Dad. But I noticed a huge change in their behavior, personally. I saw that Mike was a little stressed and a bit over-controlling about non-issues. I watched as the kids reacted negatively and saw how things could be different if handled with my new mentality.

I'm sick of having expectations that are too high. I'm ready to relax and let my kids be kids. With this pregnancy, I don't have the energy to care as much about the little issues, and I'm sure it will only get worse once the baby arrives. I'm very curious to see if my attitude will affect their behavior in the long run. Only time will tell, I guess.

He's Just Not That Into You

*Disclaimer: If you planned on seeing this movie, I'm about to ruin it for you, so you may not want to read my review. Consider yourself warned.

Mike and I had a last minute date night last night and saw the first movie playing when we arrived at the theatre: He's Just Not That Into You. It's packed with A-listers (Jennifer Anistan, Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck and Scarlette Johansson, to name a few) so I figured it would be a good romantic comedy about the perils of dating.

At the very beginning of the movie, the only married male character was tempted by a beautiful blonde. I looked at Mike and said, "This better not end up in an affair." I was pleasantly surprised when the married character was noble enough to shut off communication with the blonde, more than once. To his credit, he tried. But he was weak and called back and that's when it happened: he let her in just a little. He justified taking the blonde's yoga class by saying, "Why can't I have a hot friend? We can be friends even though I'm married!" I was beyond frustrated with this dude. Why even GO there?

Now, maybe I am a pregnant, over-emotional basket-case right now, but when they finally hooked up, I was devastated. I fought back tears through the whole next scene and was truly disgusted that Hollywood couldn't resist the temptation to have them sleep together.

Amazingly, when the wife found out about the affair, she realized the reasons he fell into another woman's arms and chose to fight for her man. She forgave him and immediately began making changes to bring the spark back into their marriage. It was quite refreshing.

The whole storyline is a perfect example of why I have very old fashioned opinions when it comes to the types of relationships married people should have to keep themselves out of trouble. I have male friends, don't get me wrong, but I never hang out with them alone. It's always as couples or with groups of friends. My marriage means too much to me to allow any suspicions to creep in. Period.

I remember the first time I heard the term "above reproach." A married male friend wouldn't drive home from a church retreat with my single girlfriend because they'd be in the car alone together. I think I was 20 years old when this happened and the fact that several other people had to adjust their travel times to accommodate this situation was ridiculous to me. Then I got married and it all became clear.

By living "above reproach," you make intentional choices that won't leave room for misinterpretation. For instance, when Mike worked for our church, they had a staff rule that employees can't be behind closed doors (or in a car or out to lunch or on a business trip) with someone of the opposite gender if either of them were married. Our pastor won't be alone with another woman unless it's his wife or one of his daughters. While on staff, Mike had a conference he was going to out of state with his male boss and a female employee. The boss had something come up and couldn't go, so the female employee's trip was canceled and Mike went alone.

If this sounds extreme to you, think about it for a minute: when you see married people alone with someone of the opposite gender, isn't there room for suspect? Couldn't someone misinterpret their friendship as something more? People's imaginations get away from them, even if everything is harmless. And opinions form. And gossip begins. All of this can be avoided!

What if things aren't harmless? If one person is attracted to the other or if flirting starts, it's impossible to have an affair if the two are never alone together privately. It's a conscious choice that people have to make. I know this concept may sound old fashioned, but do you realize how many marriages might still be together right now if everyone chose to live above reproach?

If you think I'm out of my gourd for what I'm saying, please take a minute to pray about using this concept in your own life. I'm sure there are a million excuses you could come up with for reasons you'd need to go to lunch with your male boss or ask your neighbor to come over when you're home alone to fix a leaky faucet, but if you're intentional about it, following through with this principle is not tough. Mike and I have been successful doing it for over nine years.

The movie ended with a couple of pathetic story lines turning for the better, which had me in tears for the fluffy romantic reasons, but I still wouldn't recommend this movie. Maybe single women could get something out of it, but I can sum up the premise of the whole film in one line from the script: "If a guy is interested in you, he'll do what it takes to be with you." All of the excuses women tell themselves about why he's not calling are garbage. Men aren't that deep. If he doesn't call, he's just not that into you, so get over it and move on.

Oh, and can I just say how GLAD I am that I'm not in the dating scene anymore? I don't miss those days at all. Not even a little.

Okay. I'm done ranting now. I know some of you out there have opinions, so bring 'em on. Leave me a comment with your thoughts - I'm curious as to where you stand on this issue. Bring on a little healthy debate!

Anger Confuses Correction

This parenting tip is taken from the book, Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character In You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

A good correction routine teaches children that they must change. Their current course of action will not work. It's unacceptable and needs adjusting. Unfortunately the clear message that the child has a problem and needs to work on it is sometimes missed because of parental anger.

A parent's harshness can confuse the learning process. Instead of thinking, "I'm here taking a Break because I did something wrong," the child thinks, "I'm here taking a Break because I made Mom mad."

The child's focus changes from correcting what he or she did wrong to avoiding parental anger. It's important to remember that your anger is good for identifying problems but not good for solving them. When you're tempted to respond harshly, be careful to take a moment and think about what you need to teach in the situation. It's easy to react with anger when your kids do the wrong thing but it's more helpful to move into a constructive correction routine.

For example, Dad yells, "I've had it! I called you five times and you didn't come, so I'm not taking you to the party!" The child gets a mixed message. Is missing the party the consequence for not coming when called, or is it the consequence for making Dad angry?

Children who grow up with explosive parents learn to focus more on pleasing people than on living with convictions about right and wrong. They may learn to make changes in life, but not because they're determined to do what's right. Rather, they make changes to avoid upsetting people; they become people pleasers or just plain sneaky. Kids then believe that what they did was okay as long as Mom or Dad didn't find out. As long as no one gets angry, then there's no problem.

When you make a mistake and correct in anger, it's important to come back to your child and talk about it afterward. Clarify what was wrong, why the consequence was given, and apologize for your harshness.

If you'd like to continue to receive these types of parenting tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.

A better day

There's just no pleasing me, really! Today I have felt 100 times better. I woke up around 5:15 to pee for the 4th time, but couldn't fall back to sleep (and wasn't even sick) so I finally rolled out of bed around 6:00. Before the kids woke up at 7:00, I was on my 2nd load of laundry, I'd done my quiet time with the Lord, my emails were checked, the dishwasher was emptied, my house was picked up and the sheets were stripped off my bed.

The morning continued to be productive, since I was trying to get as much done as possible before the sickness set in. I got a ton accomplished, sat outside while the kids played for a while, made a nice picnic lunch - it was great. And I've continued to feel really good.

Which suddenly makes me nervous. I had a similar experience before I was pregnant with Ryan.

Out of the blue, I felt fine. Then at my 8 week ultrasound, the baby had no heartbeat and had stopped growing 2 weeks before.

Can't there be a happy medium? Or an at-home ultrasound machine where you can check out the little lima bean to make sure everything's going okay in utero?

The good news is that I'm completely exhausted. Of course, I've been up since 5:15 and done more in the last few hours than I have in the last 2 weeks combined. With that, I'm off to nap.

Real quick, though, if you have kids...think about planning some fun green stuff on the agenda for tomorrow - St. Patrick's Day. You can do Green Eggs and Ham for breakfast, add food coloring to most anything for lunch and dinner (egg salad, chicken salad, tuna, mashed potatoes, pasta with pesto, not to mention the gazillion green veggies as side items), make clover sugar cookies, clover-shaped cupcakes, green Jell-O, the easy ideas are endless. Check out Family Fun's website for more crafy ideas.

AMAZING Peanut Butter Cookies

Oh my - I went to a pot luck this weekend and these amazing, thick, HUGE cookies were there. I haven't tasted anything so soft, moist, rich and delicious in a LONG time!

There are two steps, which is odd. (you can see the layers in the picture) I wonder if it would work if you mixed both altogether into one cookie ball, because the "filling" on top baked up into the same consistency as the cookie? If you're not feeling daring, try this recipe as-is. I made with a small cookie scoop, not the giant coffee shop sized cookies and they were still delish!

Deluxe Sticky Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookie Dough:
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c butter-flavored shortening (or use all butter)
1 c peanut butter
1 c white sugar
1/2 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c chopped Reese's peanut butter cups
You will need parchment paper for baking (it keeps them from getting too brown on the bottom)

Ooey-Gooey Filling:

(I wouldn't call this "ooey-gooey" after it was cooked - it was the same consistency as the cookie)
3/4 c peanut butter
1/3 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 c confectioner's sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, softened

- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
- Stack two baking sheets together and line top sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and shortening together until well-blended. Add peanut butter and sugars and blend well. Fold in eggs and vanilla.
- Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to make a soft dough. Fold in chocolate chips and peanut butter cup candies.
- For Ooey-Gooey Filling: In a food processor or mixer, blend all ingredients together 2-3 minutes.
- For each cookie: form a golf-ball size round of dough and gently press flat on prepared baking sheet. (I used a small cookie scoop, then the back of the scoop to indent the top) Deposit a spoonful of filling onto each round of cookie dough, mostly in the center.
- Bake until just set, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets at least 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack or plate to finish cooling.
- Yields: 5 dozen small cookies.

Meal Plan - 3/16/09

I'm just posting about dinners this week...breakfast and lunch will be whatever's easy since I'm feeling so sick and tired lately!

Monday - Chicken Enchiladas
Tuesday - St. Patrick's Day - Eat GREEN all day! Bowties with Sausage and Broccoli (with eggplant added in)
Wednesday - Southwestern Chicken and Bean Pasta (I'm going to try this with brown rice instead of pasta to make it taste more Chipotle-like)
Thursday - Baked Potato Bar with salad
Friday - Spaghetti Carbonara
Saturday - Eat out!
Sunday - Grilled Chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli

Baby Got Book

Getting Bored

The last few times I've blogged about being "bored," someone has either thrown up on me within 10 minutes or something major happened the next day. I've been waiting for several days to complain about this, but I am officially getting BORED. I've debated about whining about such petty matters, especially considering the fact that I have several friends who would give anything to be pregnant and sick in bed right now, but I have to get this out. So please, bear with me and my tantrum.

It is so boring feeling sick. And tired. And just...blah. When I wake up (in the morning or from my daily nap), I'm groggy for at least an hour. Then that turns into feeling sluggish and sick to my stomach. After a couple of hours, I get about a 30-45 minute window of feeling "normal" and that's when I race around like a whirlwind getting everything done that requires standing: dishes, laundry, playing with the kids, picking up the filth that's accumulated all over the house, showering, making sandwiches to pull out of the fridge at lunchtime. Then I'm exhausted again, sluggish, ready for a nap and the process repeats itself in the afternoon.

I have this strange need to be productive. I like having an agenda for my day. Sitting/laying around watching the kids play is not fun for me. Or worse, when they're sleeping, I don't even have them to entertain me, so I flip through the nothingness on t.v. looking for something to pass the time. I actually watched the entire hour of "True Hollywood Story: Bret Michaels."

The good news is that in my boredom, I finally started reading my book. You know - the one book I want to read for #11 on my list of 101 Goals in 1001 Days. I have high hopes, don't I? Thankfully, that kept me occupied for a few hours yesterday, which was good.

We've also been watching home movies to prepare the kids for my growing belly, what a newborn baby looks like, what they looked like when they were first born...that's been fun. Kaylin keeps asking to "watch the babies movies." So we've watched an hour or two of home videos every day or two.

It's pretty pathetic that I'm in what - week 7 - and I'm already sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. The kids understand that the baby growing in me takes most of my energy and that it's making my tummy hurt. They've been amazingly understanding and even a little empathetic. Except when they say they have to throw up or lie down because they don't feel well, either. That's a little too hypochondriatic for my taste. (I know that's not a word...just go with it.)

(*sigh*) So I'm bored. And what's worse is that I have things to do, I just have no energy or motivation to DO them. Whatever would I do if I were on bedrest? Forced to lie down even when you're feeling well? That might send me over the edge. I just pray that these next few weeks pass quickly...or that I get more energy soon...or (most importantly) that this exhaustion will only last the first trimester! I have friends who have been down and out all 9 months of all of their pregnancies. Ugh - I've had it so easy!

Thanks for letting me vent. I just needed to pout out loud for a few minutes. Sorry to be such a wimp!

Questions, Questions, Questions

My kids talk constantly. Ryan, especially. He has to be talking. All. The. Time. Even if he's speaking non-sense or asking questions that he already knows the answers to. As an only child, some days this trait drives me nuts.

I remember when Ryan was two and I used to take him on walks in the stroller. A girlfriend with a daughter the same age would call me from her cell phone across town while she was walking with her stroller. She could talk on the phone uninterrupted, and when we hung up, she listened to her ipod. Not me. I don't think I've gotten away with that since Ryan's first birthday. He's constantly talking and asking about things on our walks as I huff and puff away, pushing the stroller with (now) 70+ pounds of kids in it.

Half of you who read this will think I'm a horrible mother for complaining about such petty things, but I'm sure the other half of you will nod along in sympathy. And for those of you who know me in real life are personally invited to ZIP IT if you're thinking of some cleaver comment like, "I wonder why he talks so much? It's a mystery - I wonder where he gets it from???"

Today was a long day for me, so by the time we got in the car to meet Mike for a last minute dinner date, the constant line of questioning was particularly annoying. I hate to admit it, but before we'd even left the neighborhood, I reinstituted an old rule to keep myself temporarily sane: "You each may ask THREE questions before we get to the restaurant. Choose them wisely." Those next few moments were delightfully silent, but then it began again.

Ryan: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes?"

Ryan: "Are we..."

Me: "Is this going to be one of your questions?"
Ryan: "Oh. Um, no."

(10 seconds later...)

Ryan: "Mommy?"
Me: "Yes?"
Ryan: "The next time we go to the zoo, can I feed the tigers?"

Me: "Do you want this to be one of your questions?"

Ryan: "Yes."
Me: "No, they don't let you feed tigers. They get angry when they eat and would probably bite you."

Ryan: "Oh. Why do they get angry?"

Me: "Is that going to be your second question?"
Ryan: "Well, um...no. I'll save it."

Kaylin: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes?"

Kaylin: "When we go..."

Me: "Is this one of your questions?"

Kaylin: "Um, yes. When we go to the zoo, can I feed the ballerinas?"

Me: "The zoo doesn't have ballerinas, so no, unfortunately not."

Kaylin: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes?"

Kaylin: "Why do all of the people chew all of the gum?"

Me: "Really? You want to use your second question to ask me that?"

Kaylin: (smiling - I think she just wanted to participate) "Yeah."

Me: "I don't really know what you're asking, but people chew gum because that's what you do with gum. You chew it."

Ryan: "Why did you slow down?"
Me: "Do you realize that this is your second question?"

Ryan: "Yes."
Me: "Because the car in front of me slowed down and I didn't want to run into him."

Ryan: "Mommy?"

Me: "Ryan, this is your last question."

Ryan: "When are we going over to Grandma and Grandpa's house?"

Me: "I don't know."

Ryan: "I said, 'when,' Mommy?"

Me: "I heard you, Ryan. I. Don't. Know."

Ryan: "Mommy, tell me. When are we going back?" (He doesn't accept "I don't know" as an answer to anything. He thinks I'm a psychic information genius.)

Me: "I really don't know. We have no plans to go to Grandma and Grandpa's anytime soon. Now, please stop asking me questions. Mommy's getting a headache."
Ryan: (singing) "SommmeWHERE ov-er the toot-toot!"
Me: "Ryan, don't use potty language."
Ryan: "Language?"
Me: "Potty words. Don't use potty words."
Ryan: "What's language?"
Me: "No more questions."
Ryan: "Why did you roll your window down?"

Me: "You've already asked me three questions."

(10 seconds later)

Ryan: "Are we going to see Daddy's car driving on the way to the restaurant?"
Me: "Please stop asking me questions, Ryan."

(Ryan sighed)

Ryan: "Is a restaurant where you rest?"
Me: (silence)
Ryan: "Kaylin, a restaurant is where you rest when you're eating."
Kaylin: "Yeah and Daddy is going to be taking a nap when we get there because he is VERY tired."

That conversation took place over the course of about two miles. And it is very typical of the dialog we have when we drive. This example was just 2 minutes of the 10 minute travel time to get to our destination.

I wish I could remember to institute the 3 question rule every time we get in the car. Not that I want to discourage my kids from asking questions - I know that inquiring about certain things will make them smart - but I just can't handle the interrogation every time we get in the car, every time we sit down to a meal, every time we watch a movie, pretty much every time we are both conscious and in the same room together. It's maddening.

After dinner, the kids wanted to ride home with Mike. Is it wrong that I was elated?

Bunking Up

We've tried to let our kids have sleepovers in each other's rooms. Dozens of times. Until recently, 100% of the time, the efforts resulted in two overtired kids getting reprimanded and separated 2-3 hours after they "went to bed."

Everyone whose kids share a room insist that I need to stick with it to let the novelty wear off, but I couldn't take the exhausted, whiney, crabby pair the day after the attempted slumber party. One day was bad, two days was awful.

My kids are talkers. They ask a gazillion questions all day long and our house is rarely quiet. They talk and talk and talk. And, even after playing together all day, when they get together to sleep in the same room, they talk some more. Ryan used to be the culprit, but now it's Kaylin who can't keep quiet. Ryan even comes out of his room to tattle on her for continuing to talk.

Once baby #3 arrives, it's likely that the kids are going to have to share a room for about a year. I realize I have almost 9 months to prepare for this, but I decided to give it another try this week. On Tuesday, out of the blue, Kaylin asked if they could sleep in Ryan's tent that night. I reluctantly agreed and (as usual) they were beside themselves with excitement.

They're bedtime is 7:30, 8:00 if we're running late or feeling lazy. At 10:00 on Tuesday night, both kids were up and in the bathroom getting a forbidden drink of water. (we're still working on nighttime dry-ness) I pulled Ryan aside and pleaded with him, trying to get him to understand 10% of what I was saying, though I know he got much more. "Ryan, you're the big brother. You need to set a good example for your sister. She's going to be tempted to talk, but you need to do your best to not talk back. Say, 'We're not supposed to be talking, we're supposed to be sleeping,' or something like that. If she keeps talking, ignore her or pretend to be asleep. Do you want to have sleepovers more often, buddy? Because if you guys can make this work, you can have sleepovers all the time. But if we keep having to separate you, it's not worth it. I'll just keep you alone in your own rooms. I'm counting on you to help me out. I need you to do your best to fall asleep without talking all night long. Do you think you can do that? Can you be a big helper?"

Now I know what you're thinking, "He's four. You're wasting your breath. He doesn't understand when you talk to him like an adult." Oh yes, he does! He nodded throughout my speech, eyes lighting up at the possibility of being "counted on" and being "in charge" of stopping the conversation and getting to have future sleepovers. I think until this point, he's thought, "This happens so rarely, I may as well make the most of it."

I didn't hear much after that little chat. But Kaylin did wake Ryan up at her first opportunity at the crack of dawn. And that day, of course, she was exhausted and crabby. And took a 4.5 hour nap instead of her usual 1.5-2 hour nap.

We tried again last night, but in the bunk beds instead of the tent to keep them separated. Kaylin wouldn't stay in her bed, Ryan couldn't get her to climb back down to her own bed, I had to intercede several times, but they went to sleep much quicker. Today, Ryan was the exhausted one. He asked to go back to bed all morning, even though he was at school. The meltdowns were a-plenty. THIS is why we don't let them sleep together!

Tonight, when they asked to sleep together again, my habit has been to decline the request, since everyone's overtired and Kaylin has proven that she can't handle the temptation to talk and play once the lights are out. But I pressed on. No one came out of the room to go potty. Or get a drink. Or tattle. Or grab ONE more thing that they forgot to bring to bed. It was quiet. And when I went in to peek at them at 9:30 (which is earlier than my last visit in there the last two nights) - all I heard was snoring.

Third time's a charm! This has to get easier. Kids have been sharing rooms for centuries - why am I experiencing such drama? My kids need their sleep and I certainly need them rested to function at my drained, pregnant, already half capacity.

I feel like a new mom whose child finally fell asleep on their own for the first time without crying. Tonight was seriously a victory for my kids sleeping in the same room!

12 Food Additives to Avoid

I realize there are many people who think I'm strange for trying to eat naturally, but the things on this list seriously freak me out. It seems like EVERYthing lining the store shelves is laced with cancer-causing additives these days. Foods just aren't as pure as they used to be. Our parents (unknowingly) allowed us to fill up on foods with additives and preservatives and we're allowing our kids to do the same, even with warnings like these. I don't trust everything that passes the FDA standards and you shouldn't either. Personally, I'm ready to stop this ridiculous cycle.

Here are the Top 12 Food Additives to Avoid:

1. Sodium nitrite - Commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef to stabilize the red color and add flavor.

2. BHA and BHT - Both of these keep fats and oils from going rancid and are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils, but there is concern that they may cause cancer.

3. Propyl gallate - This additive is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum.

4. MSG/Monosodium glutamate - An amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. (commonly in Asian foods)

5. Trans fats - Manufacturers have modified product ingredients lists to reduce the amount of trans fats, and are required to label trans fats amounts, but restaurant food, especially fast food chains, still serve foods laden with trans fats.

6. Aspartame - In so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks.

7. Acesulfame-K - Found in soft drinks, baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts.

8. Food colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; and Yellow 6 - You may think that all dangerous artificial food colorings were banned by the FDA long ago, but these five are still on the market and are linked with cancer in animal testing.

9. Olestra - Mostly found in low fat potato chips, Olestra inhibits healthy vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids that are found in fruits and vegetables and thought to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

10. Potassium bromate - Potassium bromate is rare, but still legal in the U.S., and used as an additive to increase volume in white flour, breads, and rolls.

11. White sugar - Simple sugars shouldn't take up more than about 10 percent of the total calories you consume daily, yet most Americans consume 20-40% of their calories from simple sugars.

12. Salt/Sodium chloride - Excessive amounts of salt can become dangerous for your health, affecting cardiovascular function, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Someone I know was recently diagnosed with cancer (at 38 years old) and was told to immediately eliminate most of these items from her diet. Hmmm...I wonder why?

Check out this link for more details (and example pictures) about each item.

#5 will be checked off in 2009!

My husband finally gave me the go-ahead to tell everyone...we're due November 1st! I'm thinking that means I need to change my fun blog name. Somehow I got away with coloring my hair and keeping the name. Hmmm...I'm open to suggestions! (of course, my babies are bald for at least a year, so we'll see...)

I am extremely excited, ridiculously tired and if I'm not shoving food in my mouth (specifically carbs) - I feel sick. So I think I'm going for a 100 pound weight gain with this one. I mean, I'm already starting 15 pounds ahead of the game. I weigh the same today as I did when I came home from the hospital with Kaylin. I'm planning on sitting around, just eating junk food all day long. Doesn't that sound disgustingly gluttonous of me? And the weight will come quickly, because I'm in no mood to work out. This is going to be a LONG nine months!

#102, again - Effective Time Management Tips

A couple of months ago, I posted about being featured on another blog, which was my pipe-dream addition to my 101 Goals in 1001 Days. Well, to add to that fun fantasy, my first official "guest post" was posted today!

Check out my Top 10 Tips for Effective Time Management over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee.

They grow up so fast!

Last week, I signed Kaylin up for pre-school. It's the same school where Ryan attends, which she gets to experience every Thursday when I volunteer, but the fact that she'll actually be in her own little class with her own little friends learning new things two days a week makes her seem so OLD. What happened to my little baby?

(Speaking of baby, I found this picture while we were converting to our new computer last weekend. Ryan took this picture with his birthday camera in July, 2007. I think it's the only picture I have of Kaylin completely in the splits, even though she sat around like this for months and months until she learned to crawl on all fours.)

I just switched out all of Kaylin's clothes to the 3T hand-me-downs we've received. A few weeks ago, she started taking 3 hour naps and eating everything in sight, so I'm not sure why I was so surprised that her clothes suddenly didn't fit. (I'm not one to catch on to growth spurts quickly!)

Then there's Ryan. My little buddy is now officially signed up for Kindergarten for the fall. As I was sitting in his new school this morning filling out paperwork, it seemed surreal. The kids running around were so BIG and he still seems so SMALL to already be in elementary school. Even though he, too, is growing. Considering he's already the size of most of the 1st graders in our neighborhood! But I noticed that his portions are suddenly huge. For breakfast one day last week, he ate FOUR bowls of cereal, a waffle and was still hungry. I brought granola bars for the kids to have as a snack after the gym, but he begged for his as soon as we left the house. Kaylin followed suit, but wasn't really hungry, so he ate BOTH of the granola bars in addition to that huge breakfast. All before 8am!

When did my kids get so big? I don't know that I'm ready for homework and school buses. It's all so soon. I'm starting to feel old now. No wonder I'm getting gray hairs!

Meal Plan - 3/9/09

*Update on some recipes from 3/2: I made the Southwestern Chicken and Bean Pasta and the Ranchero Mexi-Chicken Crostada for the first time last week. Oh. My. Both were amazing. The pasta could have been replaced with rice (in the Southwestern Chicken and Bean Pasta) and would taste exactly like a Chipotle bowl! I'm trying that next time. And the Ranchero Mexi-Chicken Crostada had no leftovers. I used fresh tomatoes with a can of green chilis instead of the Rotel (just because I had a TON of fresh tomatoes) and added some corn and it turned out great. If you like Mexican, try both of these recipes - YUM.

Breakfast
Oatmeal
Leftover Pancakes
Eggs and toast

Lunch
Tuna sandwiches
PB&J
Salad for me

Dinner
Monday - Sloppy Joes with salad
Tuesday - Chicken Pesto Pizza (easy recipe: I spread pre-made pesto over Trader Joes' whole wheat pizza dough, then sprinkle chopped grilled chicken and mozzarella on top...it is DIVINE!)
Wednesday - Corn Soup with homemade wheat bread (didn't have it last week)
Thursday - no cooking - meal swap with Julie
Friday - Chicken on the grill with veggies
Saturday - going to a dinner meeting
Sunday - Baked Penne with salad

Pictures say it all

I'm really capturing a lot by taking pictures every day for Project 365. It's amazing what kind of stories can be told with very little explanation. But I will explain some of the pictures below.

For instance, this is what I saw when I peeked on Kaylin at naptime on Wednesday. OCD much? Like mother, like daughter...

The kids keeping occupied while Mike transferred everything to our new computer last weekend...

Here's what the kids did while I made dinner earlier this week. They watched planes and hot air balloons for half an hour, laying in the grass...

Ryan has been into wearing a button down shirt every day this week. He also walks around the house saying, "I can't see without my glasses" until he finds his dress up glasses. Today, it occurred to me WHY he's been doing this. Notice any similarities below?

Ah yes. Mike wears button down shirts to work during the week and has glasses. Ryan obviously wants to look just like his daddy.

And Kaylin wants to be just like her brother. They walk around the house in these glasses all day...

And finally, this is my picture of the day for yesterday...


For those of you who don't live in the desert, this is a scorpion. In my UPSTAIRS bathtub. On the upper rim, that my husband was convinced was too steep for this little bugger to climb. We don't even live that close to a mountain! What on earth?!?!

I was getting ready to load Kaylin into the tub when I happened to see it in the corner. I don't do bugs. I actually had a nightmare last night about being at someone's house with bugs everywhere and one was so big that I had to step on it with my full body weight to squish it and guts came squirting out everywhere...it was disgusting.

Sorry to leave you with that visual!