Still making changes

I posted last week about needing to make some changes in my eating and generally trying to get (everyone) healthier. It's been 6 days and I'm still doing ok. The 1st 3 days I did great! Lots of whole natural foods,no processed meals,no fast food,fruit smoothies,whole wheat pastas,veggies,etc I felt good and energetic. I've had some slip-ups and not so great days,(thank you dear hubby for bringing home 2 giant pizzas wed night,lol) but all in all I've been ok. One thing I'm very proud of myself for is staying away from fast food for almost a week, which is no easy task but I feel better for it.

I have eaten some frozen diet meals but I think compared to other things I could be eating it aint too awful!

I've also been working a little tiny bit (baby steps) with some light weights and hopping on the tread mill when I get a chance. This is going to be a long road,I knew that going in. I'm comitted to this tho, I totally want and need to do this for ME.

Above is my mid-day snack I've been eating every day,I got the recipe from Oprah.com. She has lost a ton of weight and looks fantastic so I thought I'd try it. It's chocked full of fiber and very little fat or calories.It's filling for a snack, tasty and full of all the good stuff for you! Pretty soon I'm just going to be so healthy I won't be able to stand myself.lol!

flooded

Seriously now,when is it going to stop raining? A couple weeks ago we were in a drought now we're in flood conditions.My yard looks like a small fishing lake and my cat even refuses to go outside.

I'm going to need a small ark soon.

Word of caution

DO NOT leave your hair spray and the Lysol sitting right next to each other in the bathroom,especially when you are pre-occupied with 3 screaming kids and you're in a hurry.
Enough said.

Taco Salad~lighter

I can not remember where I got this recipe but I've had it for years and have seen many versions of it. Here is the one I've always used,I've made a few changes to make it a bit lighter.;o) I make it almost every 4th of July and I seriously have to hide some away if I want to get a taste!

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb ground turkey

1 head lettuce~chopped and washed

3 tomatoes chopped

1 med onion~chopped

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 bottle light ranch dressing

1 bad light nacho doritos~crushed

brown meat,add taco seasoning.and drain

add to lettuce,top with remaining ingredients and toss well. (you will need a good sized bowl for this!) it's best if refrigerated for a few hrs before you eat it.

So much bad

It seems to me lately that there is just so much well,evil is the only word that seems fitting.

The pregnant woman in Ohio who (along with her full term baby) was just wiped off the face of the earth by her married boyfriend,the wrestling person who just killed his family and himself in one swoop,the innocent baby who was shaken into a coma by the babysitter,the young father who got tired of his 3 month old baby crying so he pushed her off the bed and kicked her in the head,etc etc.

I know this goes on every day but it seems almost too much to take all at once right now. What is happening in the world? Is this what we will all become at some point? We get mad or irritated so we just start extinguishing each other at whim?

I hurt and ache for these people and the families. I don't know them,but out of simple human compassion I feel very deeply for them.

I just refuse to believe that these random acts of evil represent what we as the human race truly are. I can't believe that there is bad in all of us if we let it in or succumb to it,I won't believe it.

If you dwell too much on these things it takes it's toll,I think I let that happen to me recently.I was feeling dark,depressed,even fearful.

Through all this sadness and heartache that is present in our world today we must look for the good and see it,feel it,and pass it on.

That's the only way we will all survive.

"Flushed"

My 14 month old has learned a new trick that he finds hysterical,me....not so much.
When he sees me heading to the "ladies room" he runs at top speed to make it in before I shut the door,now if I do shut it he stands at the door screeching so I always let him in.
Well,that was no big deal till yesterday.
As soon as he sees me uhhhhmmmm sit down,he flushes the toilet and runs out laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is not a pleasant experience for me but it seems that it's one of the highlights of his day.
Oh the endless joys of mommy-hood.

HOT!

It is hot here today! I mean like hot and humid,where you never feel cool and your clothes stick to you.

I don't do well in this weather,never have. I get tired and run down and I always get a headache in this kind of weather.

I've been up since 5 in the am,yes 5:00 am! My hubby woke me up with his wonderful snoring and I could never get back to sleep till I went down on the couch.Right about that time Logan got up. MMMHMMM,it figures.The weird thing is hubby has NEVER snored till this past year.I told him his nose must be getting old.

I have a mountain of dishes,another mountain of dirty clothes,and floors I barely want to stand on let alone ever eat off of.

I'm in for a long day.

My little artists

Meghan and Justin have been hard at work on their masterpieces all morning,I think they're fabulous.

Squash~my new friend

Ok,have you ever had something in your fridge or freezer that you'd had and seen in there for awhile but you really just didn't know what to do with? This was the case with a little frozen slab of "Cooked Winter Squash" that had been looking back at me from the freezer door for months.

I think I bought it around last thanksgiving for a recipe that I ended up not having the time or energy to try.

I got up the nerve to pull that little frozen block of yellow stuff out of the freezer today and thought about what I could do with it. What follows is the recipe or sort of recipe that I ended up with.Stay with me,it REALLY is suprising.

1 pkg frozen cooked winter squash

2 tsp butter

fat free 1/2 and 1/2

dash of salt and pepper

Ok,I put the little slab in a covered casserole and cooked it for 4 min,stirred it up,added the other ingredients and stirred again.Cooked another minute or so and VOILA!

It smelled good,kinda reminded me of pumkin pie filling. I tasted ......and YES!!! It really was a pleasure for my little taste buds!!!!

Here's the best part,it has NO FAT and very few calories! (even with the butter,which in small amts is better for you than spreads etc)

I'm thinking this little winter squash is a very versatile veggie.(particularly in this frozen form) You could add some nutmeg or brown sugar and it would be a tasty sweet treat,even chilled sounds good. The possibilities are truly endless!

Ok,don't be afraid now,TRY it!!! I bet you'll like it.

Sunday~RAIN!

Well a week ago we were all hoping for rain now it won't stop! It's not really pouring down rain but it's dreary and drizzly.(is that a word?) I guess they are saying no sunshine till Thursday either. YUK!
We were going to try to head to the Zoo today but I can't see that happening now. I haven't been to the zoo for years and I know the little ones would love love love to see the animals!
I'm hoping to be able to do it next weekend.
I'm pretty tired too considering my little 14 month old blonde alarm clock named Logan woke me up at 6 am again today! I have no idea why he does this and it makes no difference what time he goes to bed,it's still the same wake-up call every day. What kills me is that NO ONE in the whole house wakes up except me,and he is LOUD! I guess it's those bat radar "MOMMY EARS".
Alex made breakfast this morning,he asked me to walk him thru scrambled eggs and I did . My controlling nature found it hard to let him do this on his own but I used all the strenghth I could muster up and let him do it all. You know what,I swore that when my kids went to college or out on their own that they would be able to cook and do laundry for themselves at least. I really had to learn it all by trial and error due to the fact that I had the overprotective,controlling,people pleasing (and wonderful!) mom growing up. I do remember cooking and asking to learn by the time I was 13-14 and she let me do it too,now I know how difficult that must have been for her to not do it for me and clean it all up as I destroyed the kitchen.
Anyway......... he did a great job and everyone ate the eggs!
I'm still up in the air about what to do today,we all need to get out of the house for sure. (meaning me!) I guess I'll play it by ear.

Feeling better

I'm feeling very optimistic and really hoping to get moving and get healthier. I want to get my house together too, I think it's sucking all my positive energy right out of me.I'll be doing that all weekend,sure the hubby is going to be thrilled.

It's been a good day,I like fridays.

time for a CHANGE!

I've known this for a long time now but actually getting motivated enough to see it thorough has been a real issue for me. That changed last night.

I went to Sams Club (I absolutely have to shop there now) then went to Kroger to get a few things that I couldn't get at Sams. I sat in the car for awhile in the parking lot,my feet throbbing,my legs aching,and my back feeling like someone had kicked me over and over. I seriously wondered if I could get out and make it through the store.Something is very very wrong here. This is not an isolated incident either,I feel like this (to some degree) almost every day.I have good energetic days but they are very few and far between these days. I'm too young to feel like an old lady.

I've had every blood test known,my BP is good,my heart is good,not anemic,no arthritis.I've had 3 Drs so far tell me I had "Fibromyalgia",which I guess is possible but there is no real definitive diagnosis with it.

My little voice in my head and pretty much everything else knows that I need to make a change.

I need to change the way we eat,I need to exercise more,and I need to simlify my life. The stress,the clutter,all the worry,it has huge impact on our mental and physical health.I never understood what my mom meant when she said"You'll worry yourself sick".I do now.

My brain knows this and now I must put it into action.I want the energy to play with my kids,I want to feel my age not 70.

I guess there comes a time in your life when a big coffee and a diet pill won't get you thru the day anymore. All the abuse that you have subjected your body and soul to catches up and takes a giant bite out of your butt!

How do we get to this point? How do we neglect ourselves to the point of illness? I never in a million years thought this would happen to me but it has.This is not really a big lightening strike revelation either,these thoughts have been bubbling under the surface for a long time now. I needed that one moment to kick my butt into gear,I think I got it crying in the car last night.

I hope to have many more years ahead,with my kids and grandkids and any other adventures life has to offer. I want to be a particapant,I want to be there.

Time for a change~

My teen

I'm telling you if I make it thru my sons teen years it will be a miracle. We're only 1 year in and my head is ready to explode.
He won't talk and when he does he tells me things that I'm pretty sure are meant to shock the living daylights out of me. He's messy, moody,secretive,and hungry.I mean HUNGRY all the time. I get up in the morning to see the remains of snacks and drinks he's gotten up in the middle of the night to consume!He's skinny as a rail so where this is going boggles my mind.
I know that in general he's a good kid and for the most part makes semi-ok decisions but his friends are questionable and at times so is he!
I just have so much respect for the parents out there who have come thru this time unscathed,(as much as possible I guess) because I'm convinced it will take lots of prayer and Prozac to get thru it.
Please don't remind me that he's the 1st in a line of 6 more.;o)

My daily whine

My kitchen floor has been flooded for the last 3 days and we finally figured out last night that the leak was coming from the faucet. (originally we assumed it was the dishwasher so I just stopped using it)I can't wash dishes or run the dishwasher at this point and my wood floor in front of the sink is warped and bubbling. A house full of 9 people go thru a heck of alot of dishes in 3 days let me tell you. I guess I'm going to resort to the bathtub soon. Ok,that's all for my Thrusday gripe session.

chicken talk~cluck cluck!

I made this today and I must say it's good. It's my own recipe and I came up with it when I was low-carbing. You could easily make it lower in fat by using boneless skinless breasts.

The outside is crispy and flavorful and just yummy!

TUSCAN CHICKEN~

1 whole chicken fryer,halved (you can also use skinless boneless breasts)

2-3 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP Grey Poupon

1 TBSP each of~

black pepper

sea salt

oregano

garlic powder

thyme

sage

rosemary

basil

1 TSP crushed red pepper(I know you can probably get all these spices in one rub or something like that if you look)

Ok,this is totally easy to make~ wash chicken and dry w/paper towels

slather the puppy with olive oil and grey poupon

mix all spices together and slap it on the chicken,making sure to coat it all really good.

Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour. If you're using the boneless breasts I would say about 45 min or so.

Hubby liked it,kids sorta liked it, so I'm declaring it a keeper.

Beautiful day/mom guilt

Well,it is just a gorgeous day outside today.It's sunny and summery but not too hot. I like this kind of day.
My kids have been on Summer break for 2 weeks now and I'm thinking that the mind-numbing TV watching and video game playing is going to have to end. My 2 oldest only surface when they smell food or hear the crinkling of plastic grocery bags.
My 8 yr old daughter has fled to grandmas house where the pool and horses are and only makes an appearance every 2 days for clean clothes.
This was a nice break at first but now the mom guilt has set in.I'm going to have to plan some sort of family thing for us this weekend.
They'll moan and groan but in the end it will be a wondeful adventure,I hope!
Now if only I can think of something that requires very little work on my part.;o) Oh shoot,we know nothing like that would be any fun.
More details later...................................

Daddys Day Breakfast~

All my hard work was devoured in about 3 minutes flat,he read the card,smiled at the boring shirt,sniffed the smelly body spray,but when he saw the violent guy flick..........yep,that's when his eyes LIT up.

"Thank You!" he says.

Ok whatever, just don't make me watch it with you.

This better mean I get a new copy of "The Notebook" next Mothers day.

Recipe for the day~

I came across this recently on another blog,forgive me because I don't recall which one or I would give due credit. It sounds so good and I'm going to make it one night this week.

I'm thinking the kids won't eat it but I can pop some nuggets in the oven and they'll live.;o)

SPINACH-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

YUM

ok,had to settle for this.It was really good!



http://www.totalmom.com/HHT/HHTmocha.html

order please?

Daddys day

Today is Fathers day,the one day out of the year I let my hubby sleep in. I don't complain,scream,or insist he does stuff around the house. My "good wife" day.

I'm making him breakfast and even letting him sit at the table with a placemat! Whole wheat pancakes,bacon,and coffee. We got him some smelly body spray and a boring shirt.My oldest son picked out a nice violent "guy" movie as well. He'll probably love it.

Just waiting now for the bacon smell to drift upstairs to his sleeping nose,shouldn't be long now.

Pics to come later.

~sidenote~I wasn't even done writing this before the kids came running down yelling"BACON"! hubby,still snoring. funny

What can I say?

Sunglasses,lip gloss,and cell phone.

I would never even tell her the glasses are upside down,she's still the Litl Diva.

That's my girl!

Stripper Pole update

Sad to say my horrendous cold has kept me from pursuing my "inner sex pot" this week.
Thinking maybe a runny nose and hacking cough just isn't that sexy.:o)
Oh well....always next week!

My new guru

I have found a new idol. I guess she's been doing this for awhile now but I just saw her for the 1st time today on TV. She's the stay-at-home-mom of 7 who has written 3 books on managing life,home,and the kids. Very useful and practical advice. I think I might get her book, I'll take any help I can get!
The tips and ideas on her website that I've read so far would be great for any mom who had 2 kids or 10!
She looks fabulous too,need to read her tips on how she does that!!!!!

www.totalmom.com

Officially sick

It's official,Ihave lost my voice and I feel like I have a horse sitting on my chest. I'm pretty sure my kids are happy about the former.

Heartbreaking

If you would like to know more
www.myspace.com/kristyreynolds

I have found it!

Well,I'm looking for it anyway,my inner SEXPOT! That's right.
Todays Oprah~"Stripper Pole 101"~How to realease your inner sexpot"
(Yes,I watch Oprah,I like her and I'm not ashamed)
I'm pretty sure that my inner sexpot is long gone but today I'm gaurenteed to find it again!!!! Wooo-hoooo!
Question is.......do I want it??? ;o
Another question.......where would I install a stripper pole that my 7 pairs of wandering eyes would never see??!!! No where that I can think.
Maybe in a closet?
C'mon honey.......lets's go to the closet! mmmmhmmmm,right.
Update on my search later.................................

Sick in June

Well here it is the middle of June and I'm sick. My throat hurts,I have a terrible hacking cough and my whole body just aches. Only I could get sick in the midst of all this nice weather.It's HOT here right now but it's still soo nice.Sun shining,blue sky,just really beautiful outside.

I hate being sick,I hate not feeling like myself. Of course the whole house and everyone in it will go to pot till I can get well again. Ok then,off to drink some more "Wellness" tea! I think I downed about a gallon of it yesterday.All I can say is I feek YUCK and want to feel good again.(well,as good as I ever feel anyway)

Life is sweet

Oh,the joys of being 3.A popsicle in one hand,a corn dog in the other.Could life GET any better??

I hate weeds

Weeds are surely from the devil.They must be. No matter what spray or pellet I put on the beds they come back and multiply by a hundred within 2 weeks time. I spent my ENTIRE day pulling hard,spikey,evil weeds yesterday. It didn't even help that I had pretty little gloves with pink roses all over them,because by the end of the day they were black and falling apart.My kids would not leave me alone while I was trying to complete this thankless task so I got out the sprinkler.It's truly amazing how it can keep kids happy and screaming with glee for a whole afternoon.See pics.;o)

(and it watered my lovely brown grass, a two for one deal)

There is also a pic of my hubby doing what he does best. Yep,that's right laying down.(an art he has truly MASTERED)The hammock swinging was cut short tho when I got frustrated and started chasing him with the hoe. He went and got his gloves after that.

My new "DO"

This past weekend I dyed my hair.This is a HUGE event for me.I've been blonde the better part of 25 years and changing my color has never worked well for me. I guess maybe I'm tired of the kids asking me why I have a black streak down the middle of my head when I let the roots go a bit too long, and possibly I'm just needing a change.We all need that at times right?

So far,the reactions have been mixed. The kids were shocked,my hubby has mentioned 3 times that he really likes it.(which is pretty crazy since he's soooo a"blonde" kind of guy)I've gotten some wordless stares from family members and some chuckles from my oldest son.

Me,I'm still on the fence. It's a nice change but I'm thinkin I might still be a blonde at heart!

~FIREFLIES~

A few weeks ago I read an article from USA today about fireflies. In a nutshell the "experts" who study these types of things are saying that all these little magical creatures will be extinct in 10 years time. Something about too much light,not enough mating,etc

Well,this made me very sad. I could not imagine my little ones not having the experience of running around in the dark trying to capture just one to keep in a jar overnight. I have so many wonderful memories of this as a kid.

Where I live there has always been tons of them this time of year,but I had noticed less and less the last year or two.In fact I don't recall seeing ANY last summer.

Well.............................................................this past Saturday night our yard was literally LIT up with these little twinkling "lighty bugs" (as my kids call them) The trees were a glow with thousands of them!!! I wish I was a better picture taker or had a better camera,maybe I could have gotten a good photo of them.It truly was a light show.

Maybe the "Experts" are wrong,at least I hope so. I'm pretty sure there was quite a bit of "firefly lovin" going on in my yard that night!I was so happy that my kids(especially the younger ones that had never even seen one before)got to have this experience!

Here are a few pics,I'm not sure why they turned out like that.My battery was charged and I had it on the right setting. I kind of think they look neat anyway.

Lots of "Prettys"

If you like Shabby chic/Vintage/Victorian~

Look at this site,just beautiful stuff~

If I could get there I would go just to look around!

http://www.thefadedroseltd.com/fadedrose1.html

Mu Uncle

My favorite uncle passed away this morning.This post is just to honor him and his memory.
I remember him very fondly growing up,he was always laughing and joking and poking fun.He had such a warm smile and a hearty laugh.I always thought he seemed larger than life.He was a big man too,6'4" and I knew (and heard as much)that he must have been a heartbreaker in his day.He was a smoker,a drinker,and a gambler,he lived life to the fullest and never took ---- off of anyone. He was also a loving father and grandfather.
He has suffered through many illnesses these last several years and I think finally now he is at peace and in no more pain.
These are just some of my memories of you, and I'm quite sure that anyone who ever knew you will never forget you.
May you forever rest in peace.