Meal Plan - 4/1/12

Monday - Rice, Bean and Cheese Casserole
Tuesday - Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa *
Wednesday - Pot Roast, potatoes and carrots in the crock pot
Thursday - Pesto Halibut, green beans and Olive Oil Bread
Friday - Chicken Enchilada Quiche
Saturday - leftovers
Sunday - Chicken Pesto Pizza

Other stuff:Easy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars *
Homemade Pretzels *

* These are new recipes that I will review next week!

Since I can't post my status updates on Facebook...

...I will post them here. Because, some days, I just have to tell the world the ridiculous things that are in my head. This is the only way I will be able to stay off Facebook the entire month of March! (it's my 2012 goal of the month)

3/6/12 - I have become reacquainted with Food Network recently, since discovering Pioneer Woman's new show.  It's like welcoming home an old friend! The kids love watching with me...especially Jason.

3/7/12 - Did you know that Paula Dean has a commercial-looking fry station in her kitchen island?  She made fried sweet potatoes on her show today and they looked AMAZING.

3/8/12 - I'm officially down to one of each earring. One (or both) of each pair seems to disappear when Jason's in my room.  I'm fairly confident that if I emptied the vacuum, I'd find the lost earrings. But that's just gross.

3/9/12 - Um, when did I get so out of shape???

3/9/12 - Looking forward to a date night with my honey tonight. We haven't been out since our anniversary nearly a month ago and that's a LONG time for us!

3/11/12 - So when my rule-following 5 year old says, "don't look" ... Apparently I should not assume that she is planning a family game or surprise (as she has in the past). Instead, I should ask if she's sneaking red and green food coloring up to her room and staining her tablecloth and carpet with her colored water creation. (*sigh*)

3/12/12 - Ryan is suddenly VERY interested in talking on the phone. He asks to answer the phone (kids answering the phone is a pet peeve of mine, so the answer is "no" unless it's Dad or Grandma) and call people every day. He's getting so old!

3/13/12 - Why do the Bubble Guppies have the ability to fly in airplanes...underwater?  The show is so realistic, other than that small fact. (insert sarcasm here) The horses and cows have two front legs, but a fish tail instead of back legs.  It seriously kinda freak me out.

3/14/12 - Why are the cords for my Apple products so short? It's maddening.

3/15/12 - "Operation: Get My Body Back" is in full swing. I have worked out five days IN A ROW, which hasn't happened in months. I am so terribly out of shape!

3/17/12 - I just watched Friends on Nick at Nite.  I'm officially old. It was the episode when Phoebe got married and I swear everyone's voices sounded like they were on helium.  Must have been a problem with the station.

3/19/12 - My kids run everywhere, all the time. Especially Kaylin.  If I ran everywhere, do you have any idea how SKINNY I'd be?!?!?

3/21/12 - I was asked to leave the gym today because Jason bit Kaylin.  They have a zero-tolerance policy on biting, but because he bit his sister, they decided to give me a warning instead of suspending him from the child care for three months.  Just when I started working out consistently again...

3/27/12 - The weather is incredible today! I can't bring myself to force the kids inside to homeschool. They're having so much fun playing outside...I'm calling this a recess day.

3/30/31 - Instead of going to the gym, I just took the boys on a long bike ride ending in a picnic lunch. It snowed this week on the east coast and we're basking in 80* weather out here in Phoenix...THIS is why I live here!

The Teeter-Totter of Life

It seems that whenever one thing in my life is flying high, something else suffers a bit.  Then when that area of my life stops going well, another area improves.

Is it just me?

People ask me all the time how I get so much done, but I'm noticing that everything can't succeed all of the time.  Something's gotta give. The teeter-totter can't physically have both seats at the top at the same time.

My business is rockin' right now. Homeschooling is also going really well. My relationship with Mike is consistently a 9.5 out of 10 for the first time in years. The kids have been getting along nicely. (I attribute the last two to our goals for Lent...that and the fact that Mike's much more comfortable at his new job) We're in a position where we're no longer stressed about money. (another reason Mike's mood is likely more positive) My email inbox has been caught up every day. I get eight hours of sleep every night. I'm all caught up on American Idol and The Biggest Loser. (though I watch both in fast forward) I have solved the mystery of my annoying, bad hair days. Jason's on the down-hill slope of the terrible twos. Life is good.

Yet, it's not all rainbows and puppy dogs around here.

I can't seem to keep up on my laundry anymore. (I empty the laundry basket and there's already a pile of dirty clothes waiting to fill it...my family selfishly just keeps wearing their clean clothes every. day.)

Food disappears from my pantry like we've been invaded by a bunch of hungry teen boys. (didn't I JUST drop $200 at the store last week?!?!)

My weight is stuck at a yucky number and I don't have the time or energy to push past the slump. (it doesn't help that Kaylin's been sick and I couldn't go to the gym for a week)

I haven't been keeping up with my picture-of-the-day as I have since 2009.

I have no idea what's going on in my friends' lives. (mostly because I'm not on Facebook right now)

I don't remember the last time I read a blog other than my own.

I miss all of the good sales at the grocery stores.

I haven't scrapbooked in months.  Many, many months.

I can't see the top of my desk. (I think it's some type of wood...really can't be sure)

My calendar is very full lately and the day-to-day stuff just isn't on the top of my priority list when I have free time. I'd rather take the kids to the park. Or take a nap. Or watch The Pioneer Woman on Food Network. It seems that when the daily "little" stuff (household chores) is going well, the big stuff suffers.  And when the big stuff goes well, I slack when it comes to keeping up with the little stuff.

But for now, my family is happy. My marriage is going well. As long as my kitchen is clean, I am happy.  So I certainly can't complain! Just please call before coming over so I can kick the toys back into the playroom...otherwise you might hurt yourself.

My Concerned Husband

The other night, I was at a party and Mike was checking up on our recent credit card transactions in Quicken.  Hey, don't judge: he's an Accountant and apparently that's what he enjoys doing when there's nothing good on t.v.

Anyhoo, he saw some questionable vendors and sent me the following email along with a screen shot of our Quicken account:

Katie,

Please tell me if the following charges below are legit:

1. Geisha a Go Go (WTH??? Sounds like someplace a desperate guy would go.)
2. 20 Lounge (Are you a drunk?)
3. Southwest Airlines (Where are you going?  Are you leaving me???????????????????????)

- Mike

I cracked up. The first two were charges from the bachelorette party I attended last weekend (Geisha a Go Go was a sushi restaurant and 20 Lounge was where we went for manicures and pedicures) and the Southwest ticket was for an upcoming convention this summer.

But I could see how he got the wrong idea.

Little Miss Entrepreneur

During her brief afternoon quiet time today, Kaylin created a "store" in her room. After dinner, she invited everyone to come shopping so she could make a little extra money.

She had no ideas that her prices were outrageous...I love her enthusiasm!

"Culr Papre 2$" = Color Paper $2

"Pictures to lwoc at 1$" = Pictures to look at $1

"Bucs to luc at: free" = Books to look at: free

"Mac upe 1$ ore 2$" = Make up $1 or $2
"Hare 1$" = Hair $1

"Pictures to: ceep 2$" = Pictures to keep $2

Earlier this week, Ryan and Kaylin made a sign and sold books in the front yard.  The only customer was my mom, who bought 2/$1.  I talked them down from $2 per book to $.50 each.  We need to have a serious discussion about supply and demand...!

Creating Independence

Since deciding to incorporate the gym into my daily morning routine, our homeschooling flow has been slightly disrupted.  The past couple of weeks, I've made it to the gym every single day, with Ryan and Kaylin doing their Spelling and Phonics books in the car.  It worked pretty well, but somehow, Ryan's other subjects seemed to suffer a bit. 

I read a blog post about teaching homeschooling kids to work independently and decided to give it a try.  Ryan is much younger than the kids in the post, but I'm hoping by outlining each day's "assignments," he'll have a better understanding of what needs to be completed each day before he has free time.

I started with a daily list...
_ Spelling: 1 lesson
_ Phonics: 2 lessons (they're short)
_ Math: 3 workbook pages
_ Writing: narration/letter practice
_ Reading: 30-45 minutes
_ History: (Mom directed, every other day)
_ Grammar: (Mom directed, every other day)

Most of the things on the list are items that Ryan can do on his own with little direction or instruction from me.  I'll start each of his "subjects" explaining what he will be learning that day, then he can work until he needs help from me.  Instead of ME deciding what order he does each subject, I'm going to leave it up to him.  He gets to choose, as long as it gets done.

He understands that he can't have free time in the afternoons until the checklist is complete. I'm hoping this will give him the motivation he needs to work diligently on his work without getting distracted. We're breaking up our day by going to the gym (where he chose to do some of his schoolwork during Spring Break to allow more time to play with neighbors) and, of course, we break for lunch. I'm excited to pass some of the control on to him in this area.

Apparently, it's a 5-year old thing

Disclaimer: this is Kaylin with two of her BFF's...which this post is NOT written about, by the way. It's the only recent picture of her with friends that I could find.  Just wanted to clear that up!

I got myself into some hot water a few months back for calling another child's attitude "horrific". If you weren't around for the fun, I won't go into details, but my dramatic word choice hit a nerve with some of my readers and for that, I apologize. Since that time, I've cautiously made every attempt not to be unnecessarily harsh on others, inside my head and heart in addition to what I say publically, seeing as it could manifest into judgement and contempt.

But lately, it seems that I'm hearing a lot of complaining from other mothers about their 5-6 year old girls. And many are attributing the problems to an expected shift that comes around this age.

Out of no where, their daughters have a bad attitude. They are moody and rude to others. They don't listen or obey and they are disrespectful to their parents. They have a problem with everything and everyone and seem to rebel against the "good" little girl that they've been their entire life.

It occurred to me recently that, months ago, I was blaming Kaylin's sudden sassyness on the behaviors she saw in other children. Because she is so easily hurt and saddened, I assumed that she was following the old saying, "Hurting people hurt people."  Yes, some of her playmates might be contributing to her newfound 'tude, but what if it's an age thing?  What if what "they" are saying is true and the sudden attitude is normal for this stage in a girl's development?  Not only is Kaylin going through this, but other girls are as well. And they seem to be feeding off each other's bossy, self-centered, "I'll hurt you before you hurt me" mentality.

Whatever the reason, I'm ready to have my little girl back.  Please, someone pu-leeease tell me that I'll get her back before she goes through menopause in 40 years!!!

Such a great weekend

It's been a while since I've felt like I had a genuinely productive weekend, while also having fun with friends and family.  This weekend was so great on so many levels.

Friday night, we decided to go out to dinner as a family because Ryan will be doing football every Friday started next weekend. At the last minute, some friends invited us to join them in celebrating at a tepanyaki restaurant (where they cook the food in front of you) and, although that's normally not in our budget, I'm getting ready to be promoted for the third time in my Tastefully Simple business and we've only celebrated once. So we agreed (actually, I agreed and called Mike and asked him to be flexible) and we had SO much fun. After spending a fortune and eating to the point of feeling sick, we decided to treat the kids to cookies at a neighboring bakery. I mean, the night was shot anyway, so why not? Bedtime was preceded with meltdowns and sugar crashes, which was to be expected.

Kaylin's first "Shirley Temple"

On Saturday, we spent time as a family in the morning, cleaning the house, reading Little House on the Prairie and relaxing.  Then that afternoon, I ran some errands (alone!) before going to a bachelorette day for a friend on my Tastefully Simple team. We got manicures and pedicures, then went out to dinner in downtown Scottsdale.  Being that it was St. Patrick's Day and baseball Spring Training (that's a big deal around here) the restaurant was packed. And being that our friend was wearing a veil and a bright pink "Bride" sash, a TON of...um...intoxicated gentlemen continued to send us rounds of drinks all night long. One of them even ended up picking up our WHOLE appetizer/dinner/dessert bill. Hanging out with beautiful {mostly} single ladies was something I haven't done in ages. It made for a very cheap evening!!!

On Sunday, we woke up to cold, wonderfully fun, rainy day.  After getting drenched on our way to the car after church, we came home and had cookies and cocoa.  At 10:30am.  Then after lunch, I got a call from one of my past Tastefully Simple hostesses asking if we could meet to discuss her signing up to be a consultant. As I pulled out of the driveway, the rain had stopped and Mike and the big kids were planting flowers in the front yard. My hostess and I sat and chatted for almost three hours (we have lots in common!) and she went home to sign up to join my team.  To celebrate, I brought home Chipotle and we ended the night playing Jenga and making Domino creations on the kitchen table. I felt like the poster family for a Milton Bradley commercial.

It was just a really great weekend, all around. And I hope it will linger in my memory for quite a while!

An Idea for your Freezer Meals

On Sunday, Ryan helped me make a gazillion freezer meals using some Tastefully Simple recipes with leftover product samples I had lying around. The new catalog has an awesome freezer meal collection that has me longing to spend a couple of hours every other weekend filling my freezer with ready-to-cook meals.

Before buying the kit from the catalog, I used some sale ground beef and chicken to prepare some recipes that I already had on hand.

Having a freezer full of Ziplock bags is one thing, but when I'm in a hurry, sometimes I don't have time to thaw a giant blob of ice before throwing it into a pan. Then I remembered an idea I saw years ago.

This is about half of the meals Ryan and I made. And Ryan begged to be in the picture since he helped!

I grabbed the pans that I planned to use for the meatloaf and casseroles, pressed the unfrozen blob into the shape of the pan, and froze each IN the Ziplock IN the pan until it was firm.  Then I popped the bag out of the pan, returned the bagged meal to the freezer and washed the pan so I can use it in the meantime.

The crockpot meals were left to freeze in a giant blob form, but the grill meals were frozen flat and the oven meals were frozen in their intended-to-be-cooked-in pans. I felt like a genius for remembering that tip! My freezer is now full of ready-to-cook dinners and I won't have to cook for weeks!!!

A Big-Deal Day!

Yesterday was a big day in our house.  Not only did Kaylin start a new tumbling class (after being away from gymnastics for many months) but Ryan is officially a Cub Scout. 

Kaylin hasn't had routine, physical exercise since last summer. This was brought to my attention when I took the kids on a bike ride recently and Kaylin pouted, cried and complained the ENTIRE time: "This is too hard!" and "My legs hurt!" and "I want to stop...can we go home???" I knew we were in trouble when the whining started two blocks from our house.

Both kids are excited about their new activities, but I hesitate to use the word "excited" to describe Ryan.  It's like saying that the Grand Canyon is a "pretty big hole."

I can honestly say that I have never seen this child act this way about anything.  Not football, not one of his birthday parties, not even Disneyland.  He's the type of boy who doesn't handle anticipation well...he asks 1,000 times when we are going somewhere or when so-and-so is coming over or when an event is going to begin. Because of this, I tend to give him little notice when there's something to look forward to. You would think the self-control over his excitement would improve over time, but I haven't noticed that yet. 

So the day Mike and I got the green light that there was room in a 2nd grade Cub Scout Wolf Den (oh yes, I know all of the lingo now), I took him to the Boy Scout Shop (and yes, there is a whole store dedicated to all things Scouting) to get his uniform and handbook.

For days, every time the doorbell rang, he threw on his uniform and hat. He loves to carry the handbook under his arm and he can often be seen standing at attention for no reason. He begs to wear the neckerchief during meals. He wears the hat to pick Kaylin up from the bus stop.

"Excited" just isn't the right word.

Last night's meeting couldn't come fast enough. During the loooong six days since we agreed he could join the scouts, my mom has tirelessly been sewing on patch after patch to get him all ready for this first meeting.  Unfortunately, there's only a couple of months left before his den breaks for summer, but I think it's the perfect amount of time for him to get his feet wet and meet some of the boys that he will advance with over the years. And he fully intends to try to catch up and get his Wolf patch, which the other boys took months to earn.

Ryan desperately needs this.  He has missed being a part of a group.  Football ended at the same time we began homeschooling in November, so he's been a lone ranger for several months...and I can tell that it bugs him.  I truly hope this fills his bucket and meets that need of hanging out regularly with other boys!

Extreme Consequences

In addition to our "No More Yelling" rule, I've added another annoying habit to the dry erase board on our fridge: Meal-time is for EATING.  My kids' main goal when sitting at the dinner table is to make the other laugh, and when Kaylin already takes an eternity to eat her food, meals can take up to an hour to consume. It has become my newest pet peeve.

We've tried everything with her: threats, bribes, timers, ignoring the issue completely...I'm really over it.  Then last week, I had an epiphany: all week, the kids were looking forward to a "Pajama Party" in the library of the school on Thursday night. They were bouncing off the walls all day, were showered and in their PJs by 4:00 when the event started at 6pm, they were pumped.  I sat them down to eat dinner around 5:15ish and Kaylin, which this event was technically hers, proceeded to fool around for more than 30 minutes without touching her food.  At 5:45, I let got the boys' shoes on, did the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, and let Kaylin know that we weren't leaving until she finished her dinner. (knowing there would be cookies and milk there and that she wouldn't get any unless she ate her teeny bowl of pasta) 

She spent the next TWENTY minutes eating the pasta one noodle at a time, chewing it thoroughly, washing it down with her water, then slowing taking another bite. The boys and I sat on the couch, ready to walk out the door, watching her eat for twenty. minutes. Around 6:00, I threatened that if her bowl wasn't empty by 6:05, we weren't going because we'd be so late, we'd miss the storytime and most of the activities.

The fact that she still barely finished her food in time (it was really more like 6:07) made me realize that this might not be a deliberate problem. Sure, she giggles and messes around before eating, but the way she eats is actually ridiculously slooooooooooooooow. (*sigh*)

Going back to the point of my post: I told the big kids that we will spend 30 minutes at the table for every meal, not a second more.  If they are not finished eating after 30 minutes, they will get a chance to eat again at the next meal/snack...or the next morning in the case of dinner.  Period.

I also explained that there will be consequences for fooling around at the table. The faster they eat, the faster they can be excused to play and laugh and joke around all they want. In addition to the eating-all-day issue, I also want to teach them good table manners.  And burping, flailing around (which results in spilling drinks and meals), and all of the other "how can I get everyone to laugh" antics are not good table manners. I don't want to get to a point where everyone dreads mealtimes...there are enough issues with eating disorders and weight problems in our society!  Meals should be pleasant and enjoyable and a great time to chat as a family.

I asked for the kids' input in the consequence. Ryan immediately said, "No Wii for a week!" and Kaylin chimed in, "For me...no t.v. for a week!" It sounded extreme, but I wondered if that would get them to take this exercise seriously...?  So I posted it on the board.

It took 5 meals before Ryan lost the Wii.  Five glorious meals. He lost the Wii at breakfast, then that night at dinner.  But no Wii for 2 weeks...already?  It seemed a bit harsh.

Now I need to have a conversation with them about appropriate consequences for negative actions. Let's not make mountains out of molehills, people! I still don't know what the consequence should be...maybe we'll just go back to $.25 for each offense...? I just feel like we're working on so many things at once. (*sigh*) Parenting is a never-ending job...

For the sake of my waistline, a new schedule is needed!

Since we began our homeschooling journey in November, going to the gym has become a sporadic activity, if that. At first, we were getting used to our new routine, then came the holidays, then ridiculous traveling in a relatively short period of time, and now...well, now I have no idea what my excuse is other than I'm just flat out of the habit of making fitness a priority.

I used to go to the gym every morning except Sundays, but now we spend our mornings in the school room. I've tried going after Kaylin gets off the bus in the afternoons, but the kids are so excited to play with their friends in the beautiful weather, I hate to pull them away.  When I'm motivated, workout videos are nice, but motivation has been quite a problem recently.

Last night, I noticed that I have merely five weeks until our trip to Cancun. Five short weeks to shed a few pounds and feel comfortable in my summer wardrobe again. I've been hiding out in jeans and baggy shirts all winter...but I'm done hiding. Enough is enough.

So I've decided that I need to make working out a part of our morning routine again and utilize our drive time by having the big kids do their self-directed workbook activities. Then, when Kaylin's home this summer, we'll do the majority of our schoolwork in the afternoons when it's 100++ degrees outside.  

For now, here is how I'd like our days to look:

7am - Wake up, breakfast
7:30 - Jason in playroom while we do our morning chores
8am - History lesson while the kids color.  As the temperatures rise over the next few months, we'll spend this time playing in the backyard before the heat of the day becomes unbearable.
8:30 - Grammar lesson
9am - Spelling and Phonics review
9:15 - Snack time
9:30 - Leave for the gym; kids work on Spelling and Phonics workbooks in the van
10:30 - Drive home from the gym; kids finish Spelling and Phonics workbooks (if necessary)
11am - Lunch
11:30 - Kaylin leaves for the bus, boys play together while I clean up lunch
12:00 - Jason naps, Ryan does Math
12:30 - Ryan reads while I work
1:30 - Freetime
3pm - Jason wakes up, Kaylin home from school, snack time
3:30 - Kids play outside

The rest of the day will be the same until May.  I'm hoping this will get me back in the habit of exercising and will take the wiggle out of my jiggle!  

Confession time...

In the last couple of weeks, I've realized a few things.

I've realized that, now that I can get email on my iPhone, I hardly sit down to a real computer anymore.

I've realized that if I don't blog about a topic within 24 hours of thinking of an idea, the inspiration disappears forever.

I've realized that I miss blogging more regularly. It keeps my head clear of extra "stuff" floating around all the time.

I've realized that I eat healthy throughout the week, then ruin everything by blowing it on the weekends. I then need to take the week to balance my weight with healthier eating until Friday hits, then the cycle starts over.

I've realized that without regular workouts, eating healthy during the week might not undo the weekend damage.  Yes, it's that bad.

I've realized that the 3:00 hour is bad for me. Since Ryan began Kindergarten a few years back, the "after school snack" concept has turned into a daily sweet treat habit that is difficult to break.

I've realized, since starting our "no yelling for Lent" idea, that I don't raise my voice nearly as often as I thought. I still get frustrated, but I'm as loud about it as I used to be.

I've realized that when I get loud, it happens quickly and seemingly out of the blue.

I've realized that I tend to yell when I have a one-track mind about something and I'm thrown off course with bickering, begging or other short-people interruptions.

I've realized that Jason interrupts me. A lot.

I've realized that I don't like hurrying around and that, since we began homeschooling, rushing has become a pet peeve.

I've realized that I've developed a bit of a bad attitude about the "disruption" that sending Kaylin to afternoon Kindergarten has become every day.

I've realized that half-day Kindergarten half-days are a complete waste of time. I drove Kaylin to school at noon on Friday, only to realize that it was a half-day and that everyone was already gone. I can thank the fact that Outlook crashed for my ignorance about the school schedule change!

I've realized that I don't enjoy working my life around someone else's time table. (read: Kaylin's school) This seemed selfish and controlling until I compared it to someone who has run their own business by their own rules but is suddenly thrown back into working for a regimented government office with little flexibility. We get into a morning groove with homeschooling, then if I'm not paying attention to the clock, I need to stop everything to rush through lunch and race Kaylin to the bus stop. I can't wait to have her home with us all day.

I've realized that there are days that I don't step outside until its time to round up the kids from the front yard for dinner. Years ago, this would have bothered me beyond measure, but now, not so much.

I've realized that I was so grateful for February to be over and that I didn't have to wake up early every day anymore, that I completely forgot about my March goal of not using Facebook for month. OOPS. So if it's March 5th today, I suppose I can't check Facebook until April 5th. That sounds fair.

I've realized that Pinterest is not my enemy.  A friend explained that she peeks around for 15 minutes each night before bed and that's it.  So, after weeks (months?) of having an account and refusing to log in, I am officially enjoying Pinterest. In healthy doses.

I've realized that since losing all of my Outlook files, my virtual organization is a mess. I've enjoyed synching my new iPhone with my new Macbook, but I'm still not doing things as efficiently as I was way back at the beginning of February. That was an eternity ago...

I've realized that keeping my "Picture of the Day" project organized is much more difficult with my Mac. I'm not used to how my photos download and where to store them and haven't taken the time to mess around with it enough. So I have dozens upon dozens of pictures on my camera just waiting to be downloaded. But I avoid.

I've realized that I would love to do some Spring Cleaning, but I just don't have the time. Or think I don't have the time.  I could probably squeeze in a little each day.  I should probably squeeze in a little each day. Stay tuned for more on that.

I realize that this post wasn't nearly as juicy as the title inferred, but I had to get your attention somehow! Life's not exactly interesting these days, which is fine by me.