I'm a SAHM and wife. I have two kids (7 & 4). I've been vegetarian for over 2 years now. I'm completely addicted to yarn crafts, especially crochet and now learning to knit. Working at rediscovering me and figuring out what's next as a new chapter as mom of school-aged kids begins.
Ok so for honesty's sake, this is a picture from Day 49. Yep, that's right. I missed a day. Lucky number 50. Ah well. Keep going.
This little potty has been seeing a lot of action lately. It's exciting stuff!
DAY 51
My daughter loves the Skippyjon Jones books (and so does her Daddy & Momma). She picked this one up with her Christmas money along with a little stuffed Skippyjon cat. He's a siamese cat that thinks he's a chihuahua. Very fun books. Tonight listened to the author read this book on CD. It was fun to hear the correct pronunciation of some of the Spanish words that I'm not so familiar with in the book.
DAY 52
A few ladies in my playgroup got together for a brunch at this great little restaurant in Lancaster city. It's called Wish You Were Here. They serve a lot of local foods, cage-free eggs, vegan and vegetarian options. Our table all decided to get the Swedish Oatmeal Pancakes which were pretty amazing. If you find yourself in the area you should definitely check it out.
DAY 53
I was crocheting and she was snoozing.
Anyone else think that the eye thing is rather creepy.
DAY 54
We were having dinner with our friends this night and "N" had an extremely wiggly tooth. I don't even think wiggly was the word for it as it was just hanging in all these weird positions. She was not interested in the little help that it would have taken to get it out. Finally by the end of the evening, after a little coaxing she got the tooth out. I couldn't miss the opportunity to get a picture of K-Girl and N showing their first missing tooth. It seems like not too long ago that they were just getting those teeth. Time flies.
DAY 55
It was only fair to get a picture of the other pup passed out as well.
DAY 56
The time I turned on the car to head back home after picking K-Girl up from the bus.
I had it all planned that I was taking the picture of the time the bus came, but then I looked out the window and there was a boy chasing...or rather watching his dog run out on the road. It's a pretty busy road and he was somewhat young so I jumped out of the car and helped him get his dog. I chased the darn thing off the road three times - one when the bus was sitting there - before the boy actually managed to grab it.
Tofu Tuesday is the place to share all of your vegetarian secrets. If you have a great recipe to share, a product to rave or rant about, or anything that has made being a vegetarian easier for you please share it. (And vegans of course are welcome too!!) Feel free to grab the little button over there to the right. After you post come back here and link up with your address in the comments. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts!
Prep time - 30 Minutes Start to Finish - 30 Minutes Servings - 6
1 Package (16 oz) uncooked spaghetti 2 cups cooked white rice 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) 1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs 1/4 cup milk 1 TBSP chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried basil leaves 2 TBSP chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne) 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup wheat germ 1 TBSP vegetable oil 2 cups tomato pasta sauce Finely shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired
1. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. 2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix rice, oats, onion, bread crumbs, milk, basil, oregano, red pepper, and egg. Shape mixture into 10 balls; roll in wheat germ to coat. 3. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add rice balls; cook about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until light golden brown. 4. Heat pasta sauce until hot. Serve sauce and rice balls over spaghetti; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.
These things are pretty awesome. There was a little spice to them which gave the entire dish a kick. And the best thing is that this was a meal that though the kids didn't want the rice balls, they could have plain jane spaghetti and be fine. Only thing is that with a lot of the recipes in this book it's white white white. I prefer using brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and will be changing that in recipes from this book from now on. But I still love this book. I'd definitely recommend it as everything is pretty quick and easy and everything I've tried I've really really liked. The link to the cookbook is up underneath the the name of the dish. Enjoy!
So I totally got burnt by shortcuts this week. I wondered why my link was for Week Six when I'm on Seven. When I went in to steal the coding from six I forgot to move to a different post. So I now am posting seven and going back to try to fix six.
DAY 43
Meet our neighbor. It's actually just one of the members of the neighbor family. The human neighbors in back of us own that pool. The deck on our side has that nice little gap there. It's the ideal place to live if you're a furry creature. Currently there is a family of raccoons calling it home. There are at least 2 large ones like the one pictured and we believe that a while back they had babies. There are definitely more than 2. They drive our dog, Molly, nuts. Typically they are just out at night, but after all this snow we got I caught this guy scaling the pool fence to get a look-see. He completely pays no attention to us, even to Molly even though she is barking the evil bark of death at them completely stretched as far as she can get on her lead.
Not the best picture, but there's only so much zoom in my little camera. And I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get the picture since I typically see them at night time and the camera is definitely not good enough for that. ;)
DAY 44
We were at a birthday party for my friend's daughter/E-Man's friend. While "A" was opening her gifts I looked over to see E-Man and K-Girl holding hands while sitting on the couch watching the birthday girl. This is such a rarity, especially this week when they both won't stop picking on the other for more five minutes.
DAY 45
Viewing #2. You need to watch this movie. Refer to this post if you haven't already read it. ;)
DAY 46
My Diet Mountain Dew ran out. I decided I wasn't replenishing my supply. I'm on day 3 with no soda. It's going alright - no major headaches so far. Luckily when I've felt one coming on (late morning) I brew a some coffee, have a cup, and life seems better.
I also started the 30 Day Shred Level 2. Let's see if I can do 30 days of Jillian and no soda.
DAY 47
Icicles are everywhere. The ones on the roof were too far away even though they deserve the credit for this post. I was dripped on every time I let the dogs in and out of the house. The bright side is that the snow is melting. In fact today nearly all of the icicles are gone it got so warm.
DAY 48
Nothing inspiring going on. Just standing in the backyard looking straight up.
DAY 49
Cookies. 60 of them (plus a few extras) actually. K-Girl's class is having their Valentine's Day, oops excuse me Friendship, Party tomorrow. I've never made royal icing before, but I decided to try it. I love my wonderful ideas. *note use of sarcasm* They always sound like a good idea, but I'm too much a procrastinator for such projects. It took about two hours to ice these bad boys, trying to make the icing actually look like hearts since my cookies don't so much after baking. I did an alright job, nothing that kindergarteners are going to complain about. Each of the kids will have one normal size heart (white with pink sprinkles) and two mini hearts that are just pink.
And in the interest of full disclosure, I totally licked the scraper at the end. ~sigh~ That's some good stuff. hehe
I am posting this today instead of my regular Tofu Tuesday post. It somewhat relates, but I need to share this now. Check back next week for another yummy recipe!
Twice this week I watched Food Inc. Yes, I said twice. Although the second time I didn't watch the last 20 - 30 minutes or so. My playgroup had a Mom's Time In here at my house to watch the movie and my husband was here, but had to do bedtime duty once the girls got here. Of course this is the night that since there was fun going on downstairs the kids did not want to sleep. This resulted in him missing the first hour or so of the movie. He was alright with that. But I wasn't. I insisted that he watched and he was happy that I did.
I hope you have at least heard of this movie. If you haven't here's the trailer...
It's good stuff in an uncomfortable kind of way. I believe that EVERY SINGLE PERSON should see this movie. We should no longer allow ourselves to go around blind to what is actually going on in the whole food industry because once we know we aren't going to stand for it. The amazing part of this movie is that it leaves you wanting to DO something about it. And you CAN! As they say in the movie, you get a vote each time you put food in your mouth. If we demand better we will get better. How truly empowering is that?!
Before I had a chance to see the movie, a friend posted on Facebook that Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules and The Omnivore's Dilemma, amongst others, was to be on Oprah (follow the link to the pages about that episode). I TiVo'ed the show and watched it that evening. Great show. From the show the one part that struck me and has stayed with me was this part...
Although "real" food is often more expensive, Michael says you either pay for real food now—or pay the doctor later. In 1960, Michael says 18 percent of our national income was spent on food, and only 5 percent on healthcare. Today, he says 9 percent of our income is spent on food and a whopping 17 percent on healthcare. "The less we spend on food, the more we spend on healthcare," he says.
I don't know about you, but I think I'd prefer to spend more on my food than pay the whole healthcare system even more. And this also reminds me of an often complained about thing in our family. The cost of our meals. When we are out I hate fast food. I was not much a fan before I became vegetarian, and now that I am they are that much worse. I prefer to go to Panera and Chipotle. Chipotle is pretty easy on the wallet, but Panera is rather pricey. I costs us about $31 for our family of 4 to eat there. When we go to Sonic and it costs us easily under $20. Honestly, I do think that Sonic is one of the most veggie friendly fast food restaurants as they have the grilled cheese sandwiches. But if you look at the quality of food, well I'd rather have Panera. It's a Tomato & Mozzarella Panini or a pick two with some awesome Mac & Cheese, and an apple or chips versus a grilled cheese on thick (yummy) white bread and a medium tater tot. But which of my meals is healthier? The one that costs a bit more.
Chef Jamie Oliver won this year's TED prize. What is a TED prize you ask? Well click over here to find out more, but basically it gives one person a bunch of money and resources to make their “One Wish to Change the World.” What was his wish?
Jamie Oliver’s Wish “I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”
You need to take 20 minutes and watch his speech. It was awesome. He speaks wonderfully and is very upbeat. Definitely a great way to spend those minutes. If you don't have time now, bookmark it and visit when you do. After you are done watching, take a moment and sign the petition for a food revolution!!
For a LOT of awesome recipes from Chef Jamie Oliver check out his recipe page. WOW!
I think one of the biggest things I got from watching his speech was that school lunches currently are no better than fast food. I had thought that K-Girl should be eating a "warm healthy meal" at school. Recently we started packing her to help with anxiety issues, but I think I'll continue to pack now for other reasons. At least packing I know exactly what she is eating. I have control and I know that it's up to me to know that I'm giving her a healthy lunch. I get it. I got it a bit after Food Inc, but this just drove it home.
Please though, take a few moments and watch the Jamie Oliver clip and get out and pick up a copy of Food Inc and watch it. If you're local and you'd like to borrow my copy just let me know. I bought it after the Oprah show had a special with Amazon that you could get it for just $9.99. I couldn't resist knowing that I can pass it around after I watched. Stop being blissfully ignorant and get informed!!
Cranberry and Vodka. Too many of these this evening resulting in my sleeping on the floor beside the bed. Yeeeeah.
DAY 37
20+ inches of snow was fun at first and great to look at, but E-Man found it a challenge to move in. He took many spills before finally deciding that he was ready to move inside for some hot cocoa.
DAY 38
The Husband prepared to go on the road again....however Mother Nature had other plans and he came back after his first leg of the trip. I'm alright with that.
DAY 39
Coffee in my favorite cup. Perfect drink to enjoy when it's cold outside. I painted this mug at Color Me Mine with a couple mommas from my playgroup. It was such a fun time. I think of my friend K when I see that orange ring. I thought it needed a splash of color and she agreed and said it needed to be bold. I'm so glad I listened to her. I love it.
DAY 40
Snowmageddon, snowpocalypse, whatever you want to call it, we're getting a second dose of the white stuff. We had 20+ inches on the ground and now we've gotten another 18"ish on top of that. It's crazy! I cannot remember this much snow.
This was a goof but I actually really like the way it turned out.
DAY 41
We're making valentines this year. K-Girl and I spent time this evening getting them started. We've got more work to do on them tomorrow.
DAY 42
Too much snow. I'm sick of my boots. The one has a hole in the lining which my heel gets stuck in each time I take them off. I'm really, really over snow. Spring, please!
On Monday I was doing some cleaning and I picked up a bag from Target that had been on our kitchen table. In the bag was a big bag of M&Ms that I had picked up as potty training incentives. I wasn't planning on starting quite yet, but it was coming soon. Well E-Man saw me get the bag of M&Ms out and immediately asked if he could have some. I told him that they were potty M&Ms and the only way he could get those were if he pee pee or poo-poos on the potty. Immediate he took off for the potty. I followed, took off his diaper, put him on the potty and he peed. We cleaned up and then got an M&M.
That morning we were in the bathroom more than we were out. He perfected the art of getting just a dribble out to get an M&M and then saying "I done!!" There wasn't much I could do without confusing the message though so we just went with it. Luckily the dribbles have decreased significantly and he's making great headway.
Now that he's wearing unders I don't want to put him back in diapers. Obviously he's in them for naps and night time. And I also put him in a diaper when we walked to the bus stop earlier this week as with snow pants and everything on and not being able to do anything about it if he needed to go I though better safe than sorry. But other than that he's been in unders and doing rather well. It's been a good time to do it since we're stuck here in the house under all this snow.
I do really enjoy cloth diapering, but I think I've reached the point where I'm ready to be done with diapers all together. Although ask me when we are officially potty trained and I'm sure there will be a period of mourning that my baby is really not a baby anymore.
I started the challenge before and made it through day 13 or 14 before I took a day off and then never resumed. This time I made it. It was not easy and I did almost give up a few times. Something that made this time different was the awesome support from my friends in my playgroup and the positive comments on Facebook when I posted each day being done. I could not have done it if it weren't for that. There was one day where I finished my workout at 11:00pm, but thanks to a friend giving me a kick in the pants I did it. I am SOOO happy I finished this. There's a huge feeling of satisfaction having started AND completed this challenge. Thirty days is a long time to commit to doing an intense workout Every.Single.Day.
I did take before and after pictures. The before pictures were taken on the arm of the sofa with auto timer, but they are what they are. I wanted BEFORE pictures so I had to do them myself since I forgot the prior day. I got my husband to snap some after pictures this evening. There's not a HUGE change, but I see things and more importantly than seeing - I FEEEEEEEL change.
At the start of this challenge I barely got through the workout. Pushups were horrible. I could do maybe 5 in each set. Today I counted as I went and finished with 16 and 12. I did 28 pushups. Yes, they were with my knees still but I could do them. The last 5 or 6 were difficult but easier than that 5 or 6 that I labored through the first couple days.
I went from doing almost every exercise following the modified versions with 3 pound weights to all the of advanced version (with the exception of pushups) with 5 pound weights (with the exception of still using 3 lbs for the side lunges/anterior raises - I'm positive that I don't have the muscles she's trying to work). I think that's huge for 30 days.
Which means that my TOTAL LOSS over this 30 day challenge were... Weight: -6 lbs Hips: -1" Waist: -2 1/4" Bust: -1 1/4" Thigh: -1/2" Tricep: Same
So wrapping this up, I'm happy to have shed some pounds, but who isn't?! I'm now 10.8 lbs away from where I would like to be and maintain. I lost a lot in my waist which is my definite trouble area. I've gotten closer to my goal of my waist measuring less than my bust. ;) Although in my defense, a sports bra does nothing to help make you feel good about the bust measurement. haha My thighs went down and then went back up and the same with my triceps, although they are firm now rather than all flabby as they were at the start. I'm very pleased.
I'm not sure what my next step is, but I'm going to think on that. I need a new challenge. I'll be giving my body a day or two off to let the joints recuperate a bit and then I'll start new.
Tofu Tuesday is the place to share all of your vegetarian secrets. If you have a great recipe to share, a product to rave or rant about, or anything that has made being a vegetarian easier for you please share it. (And vegans of course are welcome too!!) Feel free to grab the little button over there to the right. After you post come back here and link up with your address in the comments. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts!
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice 2 cups water 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine 1 large onion - 1 cup 1 (16 oz) loaf prepared cheese product, cut into cubes (come on people it's Velveeta) 1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup 2/3 cup milk 1/4 teaspoon pepper, if desired (added this) 2 cups fresh broccoli florets - 1/2 inch 1 cup fine soft bread crumbs (about 1 1/2 slices bread) 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 13x9" (3-qt) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook rice in water as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in cheese, soup, milk, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.
3. Stir in broccoli and rice. Spoon into baking dish. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and 1 Tbsp melted butter; sprinkle over rice mixture.
4. Bake uncovered 30 - 35 minutes or until light brown on top and bubbly around edges.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So not the healthiest thing I've made, but sooooooo good. And yes it has broccoli in it which is not a food that I'm well acquainted with. My Slap Chop is my best friend. I didn't leave the broccoli as large as it says, but I did add the entire 2 cups. But to get over the texture issues I just make it a bit smaller. This was a lot of work as much as sides go, but it was so good. It didn't pass the taste test with either kid, but seriously they are crazy. This was GOOOOOD. I'll definitely make it again. And it would rock for a potluck. Easily could be made healthier by choosing low-fat soup and the 2% cheese and whatnot.
Only thing I changed was that I only used about half an onion and thought that was plenty. And I used dried bread crumbs as I wasn't exactly sure what they were talking about. I'd do the same thing next time.
And I'm seriously loving this cook book. It's got a LOT of great recipes that I can't wait to make. Best of all? It's a vegetarian cookbook so I'm not working with substitutes or a tiny section of actual meatless dishes. It's my first vegetarian cookbook and I'm loving it!
We got hit with the biggest snow storm that we've had in a long while. It's the biggest snow storm since K-Girl's been around. It was talked up quite a bit and this time I decided to take it serious and made sure to get our groceries before the storm. I'm glad I did.
Friday during the afternoon the snow started. It didn't stop until sometime Saturday. When we went to bed on Friday night there were a few inches but nothing too terribly amazing. The heaviest snow was to fall overnight. When I woke up on Saturday and came down stairs I looked out the window to see what had happened...
Hmmm. Definitely got some snow, but still unsure exactly how much.
I removed the screen from the window and cranked it open to see this...
Pretty impressive.
It was quite a bit. In the back we had 19" and in the front there was more. We have quite a bunch of big trees which shields it a bit. There was so much that we had to shovel paths to take the dogs out. Molly, our beagle-lab, thought it was fun to race around in, but she didn't dare jump out of the path. Gabby, our mini-doxie, well she didn't stand a chance outside our little path.
After lunch, The Husband ventured out to start snow blowing. He was out there quite a while, but finally had the sidewalks and driveway done. A snow plow had not come through, but we weren't really expecting to see one that day anyway. After E-Man woke from his nap we all bundled up to get out and enjoy it.
I love the clean lines that the snow blower makes. I squatted down and got a picture looking down the sidewalk to our front door...
Here are the kids sitting on the main sidewalk...
Yes, E-Man has the unfortunate disadvantage of an older sister. He gets to wear her old pink mittens. Do you know how difficult it is to find waterproof gloves in February? Well even earlier. I've been looking since winter started and we finally found some for K-Girl. No luck for E-Man though. Ah well. Luckily he doesn't mind one bit.
A neighbor that lives further down our street decided to take his Suburban out earlier and we were thankful for his tracks. We walked down to the end of the street and got out onto our road. The main road that runs down beside our street had been plowed many times. I was standing on that road taking this picture looking down our street.
Then we spent a while playing on the road since it was slightly less than our yard. E-Man could actually walk out there. He and K-Girl made some snow angels in the path from under the Suburban.
As we started getting chilly and decided it was soon time to head back indoors, I decided that I needed a picture in the snow with the kids. So I got the camera back out, handed it to The Husband, got myself ready, and told the kids that they should climb in after me. Then I flopped. I miscalculated a bit and ended up flopping so far down that the snow started covering me. Ummm. It was cold. The kids did not join me, and before The Husband helped me up (because I was definitely stuck), he snapped a quick picture.
And what other way is there to warm up from a session of snow fun than hot cocoa?!
Mmmmmmm.
They are calling for more snow later this week. This weekend was fun, but I'm over it now. I'm ready for it to go. Bring on Spring. The school already has a 2 hour delay, but after we ventured out this evening I don't see how they should have it at all tomorrow. The roads were BAD. I'm thankful that The Husband decided to get a vehicle that could handle the snow (a Tahoe), but my little Jetta isn't going anywhere for a while. I don't think I could make it far right now.
K-Girl lost her first tooth. It was quite the traumatic experience for her. You can check out the whole post here.
DAY 30
I've lost count of how many rounds of Guess Who we have played in the last week. K-Girl loves this game (and so do I). I remember playing it when I was her age-ish. "Does your person have a mustache?"
DAY 31
This is my current blanket of choice. I can't sleep well at night unless the bed covers are heavy. I like the weight. We had to take our other blanket off to get washed and I decided to throw this afghan on top instead. My grandma made this and I'm intrigued by it. I'm still trying to figure out how she did it. It's crazy colors, very random, obvious that she used last bits of whatever she had around to make it. I think I'm too OCD to make something so mismatched, but I still love this blanket.
DAY 32
Waiting at the bus stop for K-Girl to get home.
DAY 33
The Princess and The Frog finally came to the cheap theater so K-Girl and I just had to go. I will say that this is my favorite Disney movie that they have made in several years. Very cute.
DAY 34
I broke the rules to get this picture and got my friend scolded in result. That's Ani DiFranco down there. This is the first time she's played York and it was awesome to get to see her without having to drive 2+ hours away. This was the 6th time I've gotten to see her preform. She's amazing! I went with The Husband and my best friend and her boyfriend.
DAY 35
Eggs from market. These eggs make me happy. :) It's nice to know where they came from, that they are cage free - truly, fed organically, and are a whole a lot happier chickens than the ones that grocery store eggs come from.
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