Weekly Challenge #3

We have been living out of the cupboards lately.  The past week(s) have been a jumbled mess of activities that have taken time out of my days and evenings making grocery shopping almost impossible to get done.  I'm really not complaining though.

This week we have done more of the same except for dinners.  I tried to plan as  many no cook meals as I could possibly imagine.  I'm thinking salads and sandwiches until we can't possibly stand lettuce any more.  It has been so hot and humid here.  I don't want to turn on the lights, let alone the stove.

Last weeks successes:

• Flat bread pizzas
• This was made on a taekwondo night, so it had to be fast.  We don't get home until after 6, and I'm trying to get the kids showered and in bed by 8-830.  There isn't much leeway on these nights.  I bought canned biscuits (I know, sue me!), rolled them out until they were kind of thin, and baked them for 8 minutes.  I warmed refried beans and tossed in some cheddar cheese.  I topped these with black beans, corn, and more cheese and put it back in the oven until the cheese was melted.  To top it all off, I threw on some tomatoes and spring mix greens and called that a meal.  Very quick, very easy, very yummy!
• Creamy citrus basil pasta
• I love to add citrus flavors to cooking and baking.  Any kind of small pasta will work, penne, rigatoni, even bowties.  Cook according to package directions.  In a small pot I melted some butter, added lemon juice, and basil and let this come to a simmer.  I whisked in a half pint of cream and some shredded parmesan cheese.  Whisk like your life depends on it until it comes to a simmer or your sauce will be lumpy.  Toss with the pasta.  I added baked chicken breasts to make it more filling for my 3 bottomless pits, otherwise known as children.  I served it with salad.  It was simple, tasty, and filling.  

**All my dinner ideas come from various cookbooks and other resources.  My favorite cookbook author is Nigella Lawson.  Her recipes are delicious and the comments to the recipes are fun.  You can tell from her writing that she absolutely loves the food she makes and is writing about.  

Happy eating!

Fingerprints and Propane

Jay and I have dreams about our future house.  I'm pretty sure it is going to have to be a custom build.  We know we want to have land for the kids to roam around on.  The house will have to have enough space for us and a few guests, but we really don't want anything too big.  The fewer bathrooms the better since my least favorite chore is cleaning up the bathrooms.

Jay is very specific about the guy things, built in surround sound, outlets, the space needed for an office, a game room etc.  I am very specific about two places in the house, kitchen and a creativity workshop.

I have visions of a beautiful yet fully functional kitchen.  Marble topped island would be perfect for rolling out pastry doughs.  A corner cabinet built to store my kitchen aid mixer and raise it up to the counter level.  Drawers that make organizing those pesky plastic-ware items a breeze.  There is this item I would like to have as a centerpiece to the kitchen.  I think it is beautiful.  It has double ovens and gas burners.  

It just poses one problem... the fridge and dishwasher.  Both would have to be stainless steel.  What is the problem with that?  Fingerprints.  There is something that really bothers me about having visible fingerprints and with 3 kids, it's hard to keep up.  I think it has something to do with being in a restaurant for most of my working life, but that is a whole other story to be tackled much, much later.  I think it is unreasonable to expect the kids to stay out of the fridge.  Maybe they could just wear white gloves in the kitchen!  Ha!  I crack myself up sometimes.  Hopefully by the time we are ready to build, fingerprints will be a thing of the past.

My creativity workshop will probably have to be away from the house some.  It doesn't need to be big.  Hooks on the wall for yarn organization.  A comfortable, cushy rocking chair.  I need to have a workbench with a comfortable stool and a good light.   I need a propane line, an oxygen line, and an industrial strength outlet (I'm not the technical one!).  Don't let me forget ventilation!  It's not a lot,  but it's enough to allow me to have a spot to go to work on my creativity burps.  

To the future!

Time

Where does it all go?

Today is one of those days when I look back and can't put my finger on what exactly I did today.  I just know that I am tired.  This week has been a taxing one with many ups and downs.  Although, it seems like more ups may be on the way.

The kids go back to school in a little less than 3 weeks.  Everyone will be in school this year.  Jacob is going into kindergarten and is over the moon about going to a "big" school.  Xavier is excited and nervous about being in a different school.  Paige is transitioning into intermediate school and an honors program.

Paige is going to be 10 this year.  I'm not sure why that seems like it is such a big deal.  It's probably because it will be the very first double digit birthday.  She will never be a single digit again.  How have we survived almost 10 years of being parents?  10 years... That's a decade!  Holy smokes!

We have lived in Franklin for 3 years.  As much as I miss my family (even though they are 3 hours away) and Jay misses his in CA, this feels like home.  This area has offered us so many wonderful things.  We have found an amazing church and lifelong friends.  Our kids are in amazing schools with amazing teachers and staff!  I have stumbled onto an amazing nursing program with dedicated instructors.  This is such a wonderful area to grow a family.

The "L" Word

Laundry.  That's right I said it!  L A U N D R Y... Ugh!  It is almost a bad word in our house.  I have yet to meet someone that happily skips from the hamper to the washer humming show tunes because they enjoy doing laundry so much.  Why is that?  (If that is you, you have an open invitation to my house any time!)

I have five people wearing at least 3 pieces of clothing a day in my house, more in the colder months.  That is 21 pieces plus PJ's, kitchen, and bath towels in just one week.  Let's just say 3 hampers are filled by the time the weekend rolls around.  I won't even mention the weeks when the laundry has gone more than a week before it gets done...  Mounds and mounds and mounds of clothes.  When I am busy, this is the chore that I always seem to give up on.

I have been successful at teaching the kids to separate the clothes into three hampers - whites, brights, and darks.  It does make the job more manageable.  Paige is just getting to the age of being able to do her own clothes.  She is still working on getting the clothes upstairs and put away neatly.  It's the baby steps that count, right?

Let me not forget the other fun laundry item... white scrubs, nursing uniform, whatever you want to call it.  As a nursing student, we have to dress from head to toe in blinding, unflattering white.  It is the kind of get up that makes you pull up you pants and tip toe through the parking lot so you don't accidentally splash parking lot sludge on the back of the pants or the shirt.  A drop of coffee or a splash from a puddle will instantly show up.  Bleach should be the easiest thing to keep it clean, right?  WRONG!  Bleach will turn the white to a dull, aged yellow in only a few washings.  My answer, baking soda.  Yep, that stuff that is sitting in the back of your fridge collecting the nasty odors that are coming from inside the fridge.  It cleans and keeps white shockingly white. 

Today's post was inspired by the delve into the laundry hamper today.  I can celebrate because all 3 of my hampers were empty for a full 15 minutes before the kids jumped in the shower.  It was a short lived victory but a victory none the less.

Things I've Learned This Week

1. School for the kids is starting very soon.  Although a part of me is very excited to have structure come into their lives by a source other then myself, I'm going to miss their sweaty heads being around so much.
2. I have not been studying as much as I probably should.  I feel bad on one side, but the other side says, "Pfft!"
3. There cannot be rules without a relationship, no matter the type of relationship.
4. I'm not a fan of going out on Friday nights.  It is far too crowded and loud.  Does this mean I'm old?
5. I think my food can stack up against a restaurant's.  This isn't arrogance, at least I don't think so.  The fact that I don't like to cook doesn't stop me from making some pretty darn tasty food for the dinner table.  Weird... I know!
6. I want to learn how to fly even though I am terrified of heights.  A friend jumped out of a plane this weekend.  She had a blast doing it.  I admire her for doing it.  I'm pretty sure I would have to wear a diaper, extra absorbent, and it would have to be changed when I was back on the ground.
7. In stressful times, I laugh.  I figure it is better to laugh than cry, which would be my second choice.
8. I have huge knots in my shoulders.
9. I have more ideas and creative bursts than I have time to do something with them.  It's a bummer!
10. Mystery is still my favorite book genre.

Laughter

Wipeout is a show that comes on ABC on Tuesdays 8/7 central.  It is nothing more than a glorified obstacle course that makes people fall.  My kids and husband find it hysterical.  They are all are convinced they could win the whole thing.  I'm pretty sure Xavier's world will come crashing down once school starts and he's not able to stay up to watch then entire thing.

When times are tough and something to laugh at seems hard to come by, I pull up this YouTube video my mom introduced to me.  It is completely juvenile, but doesn't fail to bring a smile to my face, or hers.  Farting dinosaur  It does help that a friend was called out and labeled as the pig in the video.    

Fun facts about laughing:

• Did you know laughing can burn calories?  A study has shown that laughing for 15 minutes burns 40 calories.  If you laugh for 15 minutes a day, you can lose 1-4 pounds a year. 
• The sound of laughter is contagious.  It is more contagious than yawning.  I bet you cannot be in a room full of laughing people, or better yet kiddos, without laughing yourself.
• Laughter relaxes the whole body.  A good laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
• Laughter can boost the immune system.  It decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies.  This can improve your resistance to disease.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins.  Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

What's the point?  Just a reminder to find something to laugh about each day!

Organizing and Purging

Yesterday was a major clean up day upstairs.  It was time to tackle the kiddo's rooms.  I wish I could say that they put things in the their place and value the ease of being able to find what they are looking for, but we are definitely not there or anywhere in the neighborhood.

Tools required: trash bags, label maker, patience.  I love my label maker. I would label everything in our house if I thought I could get away with it!

Xavier and Jacob's room was the easiest.  I started by organizing and labeling their storage bins.  A huge benefit of Jacob being able to read now is being able to label things and seeing the spark of understanding when he puts the right toys in the right bins.  Xavier was steadily working on picking up his Star Wars Lego pieces that were spread from one corner of the room to the next.  He worked so hard when he heard that the vacuum is going to eat the Lego's if they don't get picked up, and I am not willing to cut open the bag to fish them out!  The next project was the desk.  I will admit it wasn't too bad once there was a place for all the little pieces and parts in the storage bins.  The one place that is still left to organize is the closet... another day... when I regain my strength.

Paige's room... what a different story!  Paige is my pack rat.  I'm not sure where she got this from because I am the very opposite of a pack rat.  If there isn't a place for it, it goes into a give away box or the recycle bins.  We filled up 2 trash bags with papers, workbooks, and little grab bag toys.  Yes, some of it could have been recycled, but at some point my sanity level comes above how many trash bags we fill up.  Then, I completely rearranging her entire room.   I thought this would be a good time to give her more work space for projects, homework, and reading since she is going to a new school this year.  Our school district has broken up the schools.  K-4 is elementary, 5-6 is intermediate, 7-8 is middle, and 9-12 is high school.   We went through her stuffed animals, saved 5, and bagged up the rest.  We went through her entire wardrobe and filled up an entire box of clothes that are too small.  Paige was amazingly willing to help with the whole process.  I was happy we did not have to wade through a melt down as we filled the bags and boxes of her once prized possessions.

It is hard to imagine having to do this whole process over again, but it will happen all over again in about 6 months.  I am NOT counting the days!

Things I've Learned This Week

 I have a lot more endurance than I thought I did.

Sometimes the easiest entertainment really is the best.

Fresh ginger is easier to peel with a spoon than a knife.

Canary melons are a mix between honey dew and cantaloupe.

Nap time for parents is like icing on a cake, a sweet indulgence.

Jacob is very protective of Mommy.  He went with me to get blood drawn for school (he loves anatomy, especially the brain) and became very worried when the nurse asked me to lay down.  I asked if he wanted to hold my hand and he said he would rather keep an eye on the nurse taking my blood.

A food processor is a must for the kitchen.

Not all organic fruits and vegetables are made equal.  If you are on a budget and not able to load your entire shopping cart with organic fruits and veggies, keep these at the top of your organic to by list: nectarines, celery, pears, peaches, apples, cherries, strawberries, grapes, spinach, potatoes, bell peppers, and raspberries.

Little boys like to play war, fighting, and hurting a little too much for my taste.

My family is a flexible, forgiving, fun, loving unit.

Distance Covered this week 12.52

Weekly Challenge #2

The plan:

• Breakfasts - Oatmeal and mixed berries
• Lunch - Almond butter & honey sandwiches with apples, carrots, or grapes
• Dinner - More meatless meals, only 2 dinners this week will have meat
• Snacks - Grapes, apples, carrots, graham crackers
• New stuff we are trying - Quinoa

Total this week $112.  I'm pretty sure the price went up because we added a lot more fresh vegetables into the meal plan, but we are still under budget so it's okay.

Successes last week:

• Ginger Citrus Shrimp 
• This was super easy and full of flavor
• Reduce orange juice in a pot with freshly chopped ginger and minced garlic until it has a syrup consistency
• Pour enough olive oil over the shrimp to coat, season with salt and pepper
• In a hot pan, pour in the shrimp and orange juice ginger mixture and cook until the shrimp is pink (pay close attention, overcooked shrimp is like eating a bouncy ball)
• I served this over spring greens
• Almond Butter
• Easy and much cheaper to make than buying it in the store
• Strawberry Lime Bars
• Who doesn't like an easy version of cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, strawberry and lime flavored filling?  No one in this house!

Books, books, books

My secret pleasure of summer is being able to devour a book... a book of my choosing.  It is almost like clockwork.  I finish up finals, have a celebratory margarita with some of the girls (usually), and head over the library.  I will then check out 3 books, giggle evilly, and head home to begin my week of freedom and entry into another world.  Each week thereafter, I will take the kids to the library.  While they are checking out what books to get, I sneak out to the adult section and pick another one to read.  I haven't met a guilty pleasure book I didn't like, yet.  Even if I did, I could take the dud back to the library.  No harm, no foul.

My bane of the summer, for another whole semester really,  is another type of book.  This book is overwhelmingly large and completely intimidating.  This is the book I speak of:

This book is probably 10 pounds and completely awkward to lug around.  I would say it would make a good paperweight, but it would end up taking the whole desk.  Just to give you an idea of what is yet to come.  The colored tabs in the book are from last semester, probably 10 chapters that we were responsible for.  This is our other book from last semester - the "bible:"

There are 41 colored tabs in this book and too many highlighted pages to count.  51 chapters of background, diagnoses, and skills that are locked away in the gray matter in between our ears, hopefully anyway.    There is so much to know in the business of saving lives.  Who'd a thunk it?

Bananas

Have you ever seen a cooking show and thought I can totally  do what they are doing?  How hard could that be?  Yeah, so did I.  Tonight, I thought I would make a dish based on what I saw on one of those shows.  A chef had browned bananas like scallops and served it with some foamy stuff as a dessert.  I thought I could make a side dish inspired from this to go with our Spanish inspired pork roast, rice and  black beans, and veggies, kind of like fried plantains but without all the hard work of plantains.  How hard could it possibly be, right?  I threw a little butter and olive oil in the pan to heat up, sliced bananas, sprinkled them with a little cayenne pepper, and placed them in the pan.  I ended up with browned bananas, but they did not hold up so well on the plate.  This was definitely not the beautiful masterpiece I had pictured in my mind - more like browned, mushy discs for a side.  At least they tasted good.  A little sweet and spice to go with cumin, cilantro, and garlic flavored pork.  Oh well, another experiment in the books under the "not quite there yet" column.

On a side note.  I went wogging this morning in the rain.  The park was cleared out due to the light rain.  No joggers with their puppies in strollers to dodge (don't even get me started on that subject!). Nothing but the sound of my feet hitting the pavement path, birds gorging themselves on the fresh feast of worms, and the cooling effect of the drops hitting my body.  The robins and cardinals were out in full force this morning, bright red and orange.  The grass and leaves seemed even greener from the raindrops.  It really was an AWEsome experience.

Wogging

I made a commitment to myself to devote 30 minutes, 6 times a week to doing a healthy activity.  For me, this ranges from pilates to my new found favorite, wogging.  I would love to be able to call myself a runner, but I think that means you actually have to run at an even pace for an extended period of time.  I'm not to that point yet.  I have determined I am a wogger.  I jog and walk. 

I have never been a runner.  The sedentary lifestyle that was half adopted, half appointed by nursing school due to insane amounts study times really needed to be changed.  This summer, I started a program called couch to 5k (http://www.c25k.com/) this summer.  It has really made me love getting up and outside in the mornings.  It has a slower more manageable pace to those of us that aren't runners.  There are even people that have put up podcasts up music and notifications of when to change pace.  

Another thing I love about wogging, it's cheap and easy.  The only major expense to wogging is the shoes.   Good shoes are a must to prevent injuries.  You don't kneed to have a membership, just open space and some time.  I usually go early in the morning before the heat and humidity have a chance to kick in.  

 I am hoping that by the end of summer I can safely call myself a runner.

Cooking vs. Baking

I am going to reveal a secret today.  I don't like to cook.  I do it because I have constantly starving children and a husband who works his butt off 6 days out of the week.  If I ever win the lottery, which isn't likely because we don't buy tickets, I'm going to hire a personal chef!  Don't get me wrong.  I like the satisfaction of knowing I have prepared a great, healthy meal, but my heart really lies in the oven.  I am a baker.

What is the difference?  Satisfaction.  I have made many meals that have flopped.  The meals have been charcoal, bricks, or seasoned in ways they shouldn't have been.  I am truly thankful for my kids.  They have yet to meet a meal they didn't like.  They will even fight over the blackest piece because it is the crispiest.  Bless them!  I laugh because it sounds like I am a horrible cook.  I'm not now, but there was a steep learning curve.  On the other hand, I have yet to meet a baked good that hasn't been edible.  Granted, I have yet to burn a goodie.  Even when the goods don't come out as expected, no one has turned down anything from the oven.  Would you turn down an undercooked cookie or an overly chocolate brownie?  Don't worry, I wouldn't either.

The world of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs just makes more sense to me.  It's calming to beat the butter, sugar, and eggs within an inch of their life.  Add flour, vanilla, and baking powder.  Pour the mixture into a pan.  Bake it for 45 minutes.  Viola!  A freshly baked cake.  It just seems to make sense.  Where else can you make something tie dyed and get rave reviews?

I can calm down WW3 between the kids with simple sugar cookie baking and decoration.  I can remind my hubby that he is loved with a chocolate Guinness cake with Baileys Irish Cream frosting.

Baking is so much more creative for my mind than cooking.  Maybe it's because cooking is a must do and baking is a want to.  Speaking of which, I'm going to make my sweet treat for the week, strawberry lemon bars.  Have a great one everyone!

The Weekly Challenge #1

Grocery shopping is a test of patience for me.  Usually I have 3 kids with me.  The two boys playing some sort of kill each other game and flopping on the ground in front of other people and their carts.  Paige is almost to the age that she is extremely helpful by being able to grab items for me.  She is just starting to remember how to read and compare unit prices.  Not only do I have to manage the 3 kids, but I am a devoted label reader.  We, as a family, have decided to try to stay away from high fructose corn syrup and lower the amount of sodium ingested.  Sounds easy right?  Well, it's not, especially when you are on a budget.  We have approximately $125 a week to feed five people 3 fantastic meals and at least one snack a day.

This week was a success.  I only had to take the boys, and they didn't flop in front of a cart, and the total for week was $102 (including TP and dishwasher soap)!  The plan:

• Oatmeal with frozen blueberries for breakfast
• Freshly ground almond butter on 100% whole wheat bread, apples or grapes, and carrots for lunch
• Apples, grapes, carrots, or graham crackers for snack
• Dinner plans include one meatless night, one semi-meatless (depending on how you classify eggs), two fish, and 2 chicken dinners.  Each dinner has salad and a veggie side.  
• One planned sweet treat - strawberry, lime bars

As you can already tell, I have decided to take on a lot of preparation myself.  I'm hoping that if I devote one day to some preparation each week, having to prepare 21 meals won't see so overwhelming.  I'm planning on making a batch of black beans in the crock pot, grind almonds into almond butter, and making our own sweet treat.  Doesn't sound so bad written out on the page, but keep in mind this is also on top of endless laundry, piles of dishes, 3 bathrooms to be cleaned, floors to be swept and mopped, trying to get ahead for the next semester of nursing school and so on and so on.

Why did we decide to make such a drastic change in the way we were eating?  Honestly, I'm scared of juvenile diabetes.  I want our kids to be fantastically healthy now, so they can maintain or be even healthy adults.  There have been studies that have linked the obesity epidemic in America to the high levels of high fructose corn syrup and the highly processed food so desired by the majority of the American public.  Watch Food, Inc (available on Netflix instant queue)!  It will definitely make an impact on the choices you put on the plates of your family.  Ok, I'm getting off my soap box for the evening!  I think we might play a rousing game of charades.  

Strength

"the degree to which something is strong or powerful"


I love going through photos.  I have a box of family heirloom photos and a ton of pictures of the kids.  I have every intention of neatly organizing all of them into a series of scrapbooks that will be cherished by the generations to come.  I'm just lacking in time.  My mom said she would help if she ever got the flu and took time off of work.  I'm still waiting.


I came across this picture and couldn't help smiling.  (Before anyone gets worked up, finish scrolling down.  No calls to human services, please!)  This is my strong little girl.  She has had many bumps throughout her few years, but never falls without getting back up.

This is Paige when she was 2.  Xavier was only 6 weeks old.  We packed everyone up to spend Christmas with my grandparents in Mississippi.  Everything was going great.  We were there for a few days without any incident.  We opened presents on Christmas morning without any catastrophes.  Pretty amazing with a 2 year old and 6 week old!  Just as we were sitting down to breakfast, Paige did a face plant (maybe eye plant would be more accurate?) into a brick mantle.  Jay, my mom, aunt, and grandmother all loaded up to take Paige to the emergency room.  2 or 3 hours later they were back.  Paige had 7 stitches, a bright purple swollen shut eye, and nifty hand sewn bear.  She was ready to play.  The grown ups were ready for a nap.

It really is amazing how resilient kids are.  Paige bounced back.  She was back to her smiling, playing, loud self in no time.  She was very willing to help back Daddy a cake for New Years Eve, as long as she could help with (and by help, I mean stick her hold hand in) the frosting.  

The Beginning

Ok, it's not really the beginning, but we all have to start somewhere. This blog is going to be about life and and how we overcome obstacles and celebrate wins together. Anyhow, down to the nitty gritty... the introduction.

I am a wife... I have been married to a devoted family man for 11 years in August. We have had our ups and downs, more ups than downs but continue to grow stronger in our love for each other. Together we are applying the teachings of Jesus to make our family stronger, wiser, and more humble.

I am a mother... We have 3 funny, active kids. Paige is 9, Xavier is 7, and Jacob is 5. Paige is creative. She loves animals and loves to teach. Next school year, she is going to play the clarinet in the school band. Xavier is going to be a ladies man. He has a smile (with 2 dimples) that can melt the toughest heart and is the most sensitive of the three. Jacob is a pocket full of love and happiness. Both boys are taking a Taekwondo class twice a week. It has really made a difference in their attitudes and discipline. I would recommend it to any parent, especially those with little boys.

I am a student... I decided a year or so ago to go back to school to pursue a nursing degree. I want to be able to impact the world around me one life at a time. I am going to graduate in December of 2011. I was inspired to go into nursing after having my kids. Nursing is more about treating the patient rather than whatever is ailing them. This is what draws me into the nursing field. While diseases are interesting (some very interesting and totally disgusting), there is still a person underneath it all that needs to be comforted and educated. I'm not sure there could be a more perfect career for me.