Meals, meals, meals

March meal plan is done, check! I'm still doing daily pics and blogging more so three of my goals are still being accomplished :)

A weird month but better than a sharp stick in the eye:
3/1 - baked tilapia
3/2 - out with Dad visiting - Seafood Noodle House
3/3 - deer shank, mashed potatoes, corn
3/4 - italian sausage sandwiches, squash stir-fry, cantaloupe
3/5 - baked pork chops, risotto, peas
3/6 - southern fried chicken strips, baked french fries, applesauce
3/7 - bonless chuck roast (crockpot)/carrots, green beans, mushroom over creamy polenta
3/8 - quesadillas/bean burrito (Mom busy, lol)
3/9 - cheesy shells and sausage, steamed broccoli
3/10 - chicken enchiladas, mexican rice
3/11 - lasagna, caesar salad, garlic bread
3/12 - meatloaf (beef/turkey), baked macaroni, green beans
3/13 - chicken stir-fry, fried rice
3/14 - chili, cornbread, broccoli casserole
3/15 - crab cakes w/ lemon aioli, salad, ranch potatoes (had a skip day from last month)
3/16 - corned beef, cabbage, black-eyed peas (St. Pat's a little early)
3/17 - *gala at MTV
3/18 - red beans and rice, french bread
3/19 - Shrimp boil/ baby reds/ corn (Ian's birthday request)
3/20 - spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread
3/21 - take-n-bake pizza (Mom busy, lol)
3/22 - tuna melts, fruit salad
3/23 - chef salad
3/24 - roasted tri-tip, baked sweet potato, green beans
3/25 - breakfast for dinner (eggs, pancakes or french toast, bacon)
3/26 - tacos, refried beans
3/27 - soup and grilled cheese
3/28 - hot dogs with chili, fruit
3/29 - all packed, dinner out
3/30 - on the road.............

It's nice to have a plan overall but some days are better than others. Like yesterday, groceries were needed/ pork chops hadn't been purchased/ homework was busy/ Amanda had opening for Wizard of Oz/ so Wendy's it was. I need to remember that in the big picture of life my kids are getting homemade meals more often than not and some days are going to result in take-out. I'm sure we will have enough take-out over the course of our cross-country move that will get them their junk food fix and they will be asking for home cookin' again. Well, one can at least hope.

And, now I have officially blogged half as much as I did in ALL of 2012 and its only March. Yeah.

What was that other goal.......something about exercise..........

Chaos reigns....

Moving across the country is stressful enough. Add four kids. And a dog. And an absent husband because he is working his new job. And my 27-hr. a week job. And you have the chaos of the moving countdown.

Meals still need to get planned.....especially to empty the pantry
Packing happens slowly......yet we have to live here for a few more weeks
School work needs to get done......b/c "your grades come with you!"
Appts. on the calendar remain.....hair, check - kids eye exam, check

Yet, I am trying to find the calm in the chaos because my van needs to be repaired to the tune of $2,000!!!!!!! (yes, it requires that many exclamation points when we are trying to buy a house) and I had to leave work early because a neighbor called to say he saw Fritz out but couldn't find him when he went to look for him.

Calm.......deep breath.....thank you God for the dog being home safely when I rushed home (he was paling around with the neighbor's house painter) and, an even bigger blessing, we were NOT on the road in the middle of no-where when my van decided to die.

I would like a basket to crawl into as well, but for now it's big girl pants and one foot in front of the other.

May he always be amazing.....

Here is the dedication to my Sean; I can't believe he's 13. Thirteen things (or so) I love about him:
1) He's a great big brother.....teaches his siblings things (and maybe a few he shouldn't)

2) He will share even when it isn't easy to.

3) He is brave and adventurous; although watching him snow-ski makes me cringe b/c he is Kamakazi man.

4) He always has a smile on his face.

5) He LOVES dogs and if Fritz slept with him it would be perfection.

6) Much like his Momma - LOVES seafood and would eat crab, shrimp, fish everyday if he could.

7) He loves to be outdoors; he prefers sunshine, surf, snow, and fresh air to video games anyday of the week.

8) He humors me with constant photo ops; never-ending nicknames; and even kissing me before he leaves for school.

9) He enjoys team sports and respects his coaches. Coach Eric is his favorite baseball coach ever. We will miss him terribly.

 

10) He is fiercely competitive. He will give you everything he has and leave it all on the table.

 

11) He loves New Orleans Saints football; Angels baseball; and the LSU Tigers. Looking forward to attending all sorts of sports in the Dallas area that involve our favorite teams.....first up Angels vs. Rangers this summer :)

12) He is a great friend. He is loyal, funny, and wears his heart on his sleeve.

13) He is handsome....his curly blond hair (when it's long) and his blue eyes melt my heart. How did this 8lb.6oz. bald baby become a teenager so fast.

Now I have to go and measure to see if he is officially taller than me. He said "it's my present to you, Mom." I'll grab a tissue on the way because typing this post has made me cry.

 

 

Sometimes survival mode is good enough

Things have been pretty routine and smooth overall. Ya know, the regular routine of work, homework, making dinner, dishes, etc. 

Today started off better than usual, with warm grits on the stove and hot chicken soup in thermoses for lunches. I've been battling a sore throat and a bit of a cold so they sounded good. The day was rolling along nicely. Work went smoothly then I lost track of time at the park with the kids afterschool and forget to pick up Maggie on time. Oooops......then it sorta went down hill. She and I headed to Sprint to get Sean's 13th(!) bday gift; it only took two hours. Thanks to security questions and passwords we can't remember, combined with a husband in TX who is the main account holder, it was a bit of a fiasco to get my dear son his Iphone 4S. (His excitement will outweigh the annoyance I'm sure.)  Disaster averted, I headed home to toss together dinner and my voice is d.o.n.e. My cold has settled into laryngitis (last time I had this was when Amanda was in ICU; so stress = laryngitis for me I guess). Not my best dinner.....popcorn-coated chicken, Kraft mac n' cheese, and raw carrots/cucumbers with ranch.....sad, but they got feed. I tossed some extra chicken strips into the oven to bake so I could make chicken salad and off I trotted to attempt to read with Amanda. Well, let's just say, the strips got forgotten. I won't even feed it to Fritz.

It makes for a funny picture-of-the-day I guess.

Completely voice-less I stumbled through bedtime routine and tackled the mound of dishes. Here, I sit drinking the remains of my hours-old caramel latte and munching an oatmeal raisin cookie. Not even, chocolate chip because I gave that up for Lent.

I'll pass on a do-over of today, but can I go back to Monday when Ian made homemade dot-to-dot messages for me to complete......





I'm so glad that I'm still rolling with my picture-a-day goal because sometimes looking back makes looking forward easier. Looking forward to tomorrow isn't easy when my 2nd child turns 13!

"Holding it together"

Before Collin left for Texas, Ian informed him that he wasn't sure I could "hold it together" for very long. (I think this is hilarious, albeit true) So it's been a week and I'm doing ok 'holding it together'. I've surely had my moments of insanity but I had those long before the added miles between my husband and I. It's pretty much our hamster wheel of a routine so I can't complain. It's just really lonely. Sigh. Doing this solo isn't easy but now we have a light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, our contract on a house started today!!!! We will soon exit this little cracker box we call home. The kids are beyond excited to have their own rooms; I am excited that the Xbox will be OUT of my living room; and we are all excited about some elbow room. Not sure we have an official countdown timeline just yet, but I'm sure the time will fly. For now, I'm thinking Spring Break........

Here is a picture of the new place we hope to call home soon -

Happy to have a house that ISN'T STUCCO!!!!!!

Food, glorious Food

Meal planning time again......all set until March 1st! Feel free to share some ideas and/or snag some of mine:
2/2 - baked potato bar with cantaloupe and strawberries
2/3 - Superbowl! hamburger/hot dogs, chips, etc......NOT counting calories
2/4 - beef stew over creamy polenta
2/5 - baked ziti with Italian sausage; baked eggplant
2/6 - pork chops, perogies, stmd. broccoli
2/7 - oven-fried chicken, beans, salad
2/8 - take n' bake pizza (Mom scrapbooking)
2/9 - bbq shrimp, sauteed green beans, homemade applesauce
2/10 - chicken piccata, brown rice, stmd. broccoli
2/11 - turkey tettrazini, salad
2/12 - Mardi Gras! red beans and rice, french bread (maybe make a pecan pie)
2/13 - pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, garlic steak fries
2/14 - tuna melts, fruit salad
2/15 - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green peas
2/16 - Boboli, make your own pizza (saus., pepp., veggies)
2/17 - herb-grilled chicken, roasted red potatoes, stmd carrots
2/18 - ham steaks, scalloped potatoes, soy beans
2/19 - tacos/chicken quesadillas, refried beans
2/20 - lasagna, salad, garlic bread
2/21 - crab cakes w/ lemon aioli, green beans, risotto
2/22 - Sean is 13! Chip-HALL-tole (homemade burritos/ Chipotle style)
2/23 - chef salad (ham, turk., hb eggs, celery, cuc., bell pepp, bac. bits, avoc., carrot, lettuce, cheese)
2/24 - pork loin stuffed with spiced peaches, stmd broccoli, wild rice blend
2/25 - roasted whole chicken, couscous, steamed cauliflower w/cheese
2/26 - spaghetti w/meatballs, salad, garlic bread
2/27 - hearty minestrone soup, crusty bread, fresh melon
2/28 - baked fish, baked sweet potato, sauteed spinach
3/1 - popcorn-coated chicken, salad, mac n cheese

WOOT! So excited to not think about dinner for another month. The kids love it and have told me multiple times "I really like knowing what's for dinner." I like being able to log in the calories for my fitness pal/counter thing. AND I'm happy to say that except for the night out with Collin to The Habit while I was scrapbooking, our family did not eat out ONCE last month. I am really trying to spend money on good food and not eating out (too $$$$, too bad for you, blah, blah)

To answer a couple of questions that friends have asked:
1) I shop at Albertson's and Sprouts. I make an ingredients list twice a month. I go in the beginning of the month and again around the 16th or 17th. I buy meat when it's on sale or even clearance. I use coupons as much as I can for all the extra stuff like yogurt, cheese, toilet paper, etc. Buy store brand stuff; not loyal to any labels. Most of my produce comes from Sprouts because the prices are amazing; seafood comes from there as well; I buy bulk stuff there too (flax seed meal, nuts, couscous, brown sugar, etc.).
2) I shop only at Costco WITH a list. Things like butter, granola bars for lunches, eggs, lunch meat, canned chicken, trash bags, choc.chips, kitchen wipes. You have to have tunnel vision and avoid the samples (empty calories and way too much temptation). Trust me - I know how good those little chicken sandwiches are, Ma'am; AND why am I drinking this smoothie stuff because I will never buy it; Wait, maybe I do need that super-deluxe-mega-awesome-soup-making-blender.
3) I try to bake from scratch on a regular basis. I make chocolate chip cookies and banana bread (and add in wheatgerm and flax seed meal, muhahahaha)
4) We have family dessert on Sundays. Sometimes I make something; sometimes it's a Sara Lee cheesecake; sometimes it's an angel food cup with berries and whip cream.

BUT before you think my kids only eat healthy.....let it be known, they eat ice cream or popsicles after school every day!!!! (Did you know Blue Bunny is cheap at Walmart?) :)

Hmmmmm, maybe I know what they should give up for Lent?

Re-focus one day at a time

(was supposed to post on 1/25 but I have internet connection issues)

 

No matter what your weight, you have to be comfortable in your own skin. Some people will say “you are fine, don’t stress” but I am one of those people who is NOT comfortable in my own skin. And I’m the only one who can fix it. So along with meal planning, I HAVE to jump on the exercise bandwagon. As much as I would like to say ‘I’m allergic to exercise’, I’m not. To kick myself into gear, today I downloaded two apps…..a Fooducate one that gives nutrition values, grades the item, food value pts. for diet programs, and suggests alternate food choices; the second app is the MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter. Super cool! – I can input my daily food intake, input exercise, note water consumption, and make notes. It also calculates how many calories I can eat along with exercise to meet my goal weight.

Here’s the tricky part --- I can only eat 1200 calories. Huh? What? Say that again? Soooooo, after entering my food intake up to 4pm I was in the RED and heading toward dinner. Lovely! Just when I thought I had a good day.  Here is what I ate today…..

Breakfast – banana, one slice of ww toast with tbsp. peanut butter

Snack – 60cal Colby jack cheese stick with ½ cup soybeans

Lunch – small piece leftover chicken pot pie, an orange

Snack – piece cinnamon chocolate cake from Starbucks (THIS is the killer, grrrr)

So, up until 4pm, I had three servings of fruit and veg and about 9 cups of water. And I technically had no calories left for dinner. Seriously?!?!?! I have to eat dinner. I logged it in and found myself majorly in the red. Dinner was two tuna patties, roasted red potatoes, and steamed carrots. I got my five a day of fruit/veg in and THREE more cups of water.

AND, in my desperation, found myself exercising at 9:45PM! 25 minutes of Just Sweat on the Xbox, two sets of sit-ups/leg lifts/crunches. Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but geez the program said I would lose a total of two pounds over five weeks if I kept up with my days like today. NO WONDER I can’t lose weight. I watch what I eat 85% of the time; I eat breakfast, pack snacks and small lunch for work, DO NOT fall to temptation in the teachers’ lounge (on most days), and drink lots of water. I have about one diet soda a week and maybe an occasional iced tea or lemonade. I drink a beer or a glass of wine MAYBE once a month. It’s truly the lack of exercise. I am blogging about this because I need to hold myself accountable and will hopefully see some results. I have a picture but I'm saving it for comparison.

2/1 Update: one week down!!!! and doing good with calorie limits/ it even told me one day I wasn't eating enough. Exercised three days of the week. We'll see how Superbowl Sunday goes.....I might need a 'cheat' day.

Leaving the SoCal sunsets behind

Yes, we are moving to Texas. Lots of mixed emotions......
1) sad - because we will leave behind great friends and the community/comfort zone we have come to know. GREAT friends, work friends, school friends, theater friends, sports friends, sigh. We will make new friends, but it won't be the same. And we will MISS the beach.
2) intimidated -New schools, new community, and new roads to travel are all pretty intimidating.
3) overwhelmed - when Collin and I moved to CA 22yrs. ago (crazy, huh?), it was just he and I with a U-haul, two cars and tablets for communicating essential things like 'I need gas', 'I have to pee, etc. Now there are six of us and a dog that need to shuffle through this transition. Moving across town is one thing; moving across the country is a whole 'nother ballgame!
4)  excited - embracing the idea of buying a house that we can make our home and getting out of this 1500sqft cracker box. Our mortgage has potential to be HALF (or more) of what our rent is......and we could maybe have a pool (for my water-loving children it's a must)......and a yard.
5) relieved - the last four years have been so tough and I'm hoping that a new job and new location is a fresh start financially. AND we will be able to road trip to visit family and not hinge our travels on six pricy airline tickets.
6) proud - proud of my husband for branching out into territories unknown. He is good at what he does and doesn't take NO for an answer. He stuck with this job search and landed a position that he is anxious and excited to start. He has worked his tail off trying to provide for our family.
7) exhausted --- and the hardwork hasn't even begun. Sooooo, many things to decide. And yet, nothing to decide until Collin gets there, settles in, and works while he explores housing options for us. When are we going (kids and I)?....no idea, maybe spring break/early April but who knows. Where are we going to live?.....no idea, looking at greater Dallas area. But I can tell you 'What's for dinner?'......look on the calendar on the fridge :)

Happy New Year!

2013.....where do I begin?
I guess I'll just jump back in to my blog and hope for the best. 18 posts in 2012, sad and pathetic. I love writing and journaling so I'm going to strive to blog more in 2013 even if I'm the only one who reads. My goals (not really resolutions) for 2013 are to take a picture a day and fill digital pages (with the help of Creative Memories!) weekly as an easy way to see how life goes, progresses, and changes over a year; get back to meal planning; and better overall healthy living including more exercise, less TV, and more sleep.

So far, I've done great with the picture a day (woot, four days, yeah!) and getting more sleep. Sleeping in helps but reality starts next week. My great start is with the meal planning......January is done. Seems like an easier goal if I only have to think about it 12 times a year, right? Here is the plan for January:

5th - chicken parmesan served with pasta, spinach salad
6th - prime rib soup with crusty rolls, tomato/mozz/pests salad
7th - red beans and rice w/smoked sausage, salad, french bread
8th - venison/beef chili, salad, corn bread
9th - ham (Christmas from freezer) with creamy mac n'cheese & peas, pan saute eggplant
10th - sloppy joes, steamed veggies
11th - ***Mom's workshop*** (out with Dad)
12th - chef salad (ham, turkey, hb eggs, cucum., grn.pepp, tomatoes, cheese, celery, bacon bits)
13th - bbq deer leg, grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes
14th - Grandma Noodles -fettucine alfredo with chicken, steamed broccoli
15th - smothered pork chops with brown wild rice blend, creamed corn
16th - chicken cordon bleu with ranch potatoes, salad
17th - leftovers, clear out fridge
18th - meatloaf (turkey/beef/venison), creamy polenta, soy beans
19th - garlicky shrimp scampi, grits, baked eggplant
20th - steak, green beans, risotto
21st - spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread
22nd - chicken pot pie, fresh cut fruit
23rd - macadamia nut chicken, green beans, pine nut couscous
24th - tilapia piccata, steamed carrots, roasted red pot.
25th - tuna patties, green beans, homemade pasta salad
26th - bbq chicken, coleslaw, baked beans
27th - shepherds pie, crusty bread, fruit?
28th - meditteranean stuffed peppers, fresh fruit
29th - chicken enchiladas, spanish rice
30th - skillet stroganoff, steamed broccoli
31st - baked potato soup, crusty bread, salad

Phew......and what makes me happiest is it's all from scratch except for the sloppy joes. I don't make that sauce. I've come A LONG way and evolved from Rice-a-roni to my own homemade rice; I'm even going to attempt to duplicate Grandma Hall's alfredo sauce. It might not be super creative or even Pinterest worthy but my kids eat it and we aren't eating out. And, best of all, it answers the nagging question (that the kids ask a million times each)....What's for dinner?

I just smile, nod, and tell them to check the list :)
Now to make my grocery list and grab my coupons......

HOME

the places I call HOME; Sept. 2012
Once again, I blinked and a month went by. This is a little sample of what I've been up to. Between Seussical and football for the boys, we've been a little busy. Add in school starting and work for me and it's a controlled chaos. I managed to get home for my 25th high school reunion in the wake of Hurricane Isaac (LITERALLY, I flew there on the day they re-opened the airport). I had a blast visiting with great friends. Even, a rock-a-billy-style Billy Idol made it to the reunion. I got to spend some time with my Mom and my brother & his family. A whirlwind trip made even sweeter by driving a sleek Camaro around for four days.
This year it's odd numbers for school.....Maggie in 9th!!!, Sean in 7th, Amanda in 5th, and Ian in 3rd. Everyone is doing well so far.......IF they could just keep track of their PE clothes. They keep us hopping but we are very blessed.
Enjoy a taste of the two places I call home. (Notice the Fleur de Lis of the NO Hornets on Sean; it might be not home to my kids but NOLA is in their souls hence the Saints gear on the first day of school)

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Just one of those days

Have you ever had a day where MOST everything just goes well? I don't have them very often; well, I can't even remember the last time MOST everything went so smoothly. Ya know, minimal bickering; transitions go smoothly; dinner is pre-planned; everyone seems happy in the moment. I'm happy to say today was one of those days.

With plans to hit the beach, I got up before the kids (see, I said not very often!). I prepped the roast for the crockpot, got some coffee and breakfast, and made beach food. We made it to the beach, found a good parking spot immediately, and managed to hit the sand without incident. Woot! We met up with friends and the kids scattered like cockroaches while I rummaged for sunscreen, my hat and my beachchair.

Ian is the sand-crab digger. He will spend hours hoping to find the biggest one on the planet.

And then keep digging for yet an even bigger one. He did eventually venture out into the crazy waves but went right back to being the professional sand-crab finder (and creeping me out with them).

The waves were insane. They were the biggest I can ever remember seeing. Sean was even wary for a short while saying "too big, too powerful." However, having a great friend by your side makes everything easier.

That's Jake and Sean on the bottom right, cracking up. They are 17 days apart in age; they met just before their 2nd birthday. Even though we don't see Jake and his fantastic family much the kids get along splendidly. They just 'get' each other. (can you see the wave crashing in the background!)

It was even cooler to watch bunches of the kids in our group venture out together. They would find a comfort zone in the rolling waves and all jump in together.

Left to right.....Ben (9), Amanda (10), Jake(12), Sean (12), Marin (almost 11)
And, believe it or not, I even got in the water......to take pictures. Here is my favorite of Amanda.

I really need to get my zoom lense fixed b/c the Pacific Ocean is COLD!

I don't think Jake came out for more than five minutes the entire time we were there. Since I was 'used' to the water at this point, I decided to venture in myself. I RARELY go near the toe-cramping salt water and the kids were shocked when I grabbed a board and joined in. Thanks to Nicole, there is proof of my insanity.

And, sweet Grace filled her day with sand play and lot of wave jumping.

That makes any day PERFECT in her eyes :)

Everyone made it safely through the day without a scratch except for the random bee sting that Ben ended up with. As if that wasn't a good enough day......add in ice cream on the way home and the knowledge that my crockpot was cooking, it was all good. To top off the day, Amanda had her first

tae-kwon-do belt testing. She held her head high (she doesn't do that often), displayed good posture, and did really well.

Through her rosey sunburnt cheeks (yes, she wore sunscreen and we re-applied), she was still able to flash me a proud smile. She should be proud! Such a fighter.

But wait, there's more.........we hit the pool for a while while our potatoes roasted because one can never have enough sunshine and water play. We had a yummy dinner and then it was time to do the kid switch and bring Jake to his family where I would also retrieve Maggie.  We met half-way in a Denny's parking lot (cue a country song, oh, nevermind) and like friends do the adults began to chat while the kids rocked out to blaring music/ car doors open/ windows down. All. the. while. my. batttttteeeerrryyyyy drained. Gah!

And that's the kicker. That is why it is a MOSTLY smooth day. Even better with the fact that Chad had jumper cables and I didn't have to wait for AAA in a random parking lot with four kids at 10pm. See, smooth :)

With summer days dwindling away, I will gladly take a few more of these MOSTLY smooth ones. (minus the bee sting and sunburn of course).

The boy of many names

Back on May 6th I mentioned that I should update on each child, mostly as a journal to myself, but also to try to keep in mind that they grow so fast and change so much. So this post is dedicated to my little Ian.....he truly makes me laugh everyday.

He is a bundle of energy from sun up to sun down. A bit of an outlaw in his own right.

He LOVES seafood, cooked most any way, for any meal. If I ask him what I should cook for dinner, he always responds with "crab, shrimp, fish or lobster." His plate from the Luxor buffet above is full of crab legs and a piece of baked fish. He is truly his Momma's son and can even handle spicier foods than I can.

He is also a fish; loves the pool and loves the ocean. He is getting more brave with boogie boarding in water beyond his thighs (lol!) and sends me into fits of laughter as I watch him attempt to skim board. If Sean is interested in doing it, so is he. He thinks his big brother walks on water!

Ian is a typical little boy and loves all things military. He is intrigued by it and was especially thrilled recently when we had a chance to explore some military vehicles and equipment at the Great Park Anniversary Celebration. Here he is in an AAV.

And he was all grins after experiencing the F-16 flight simulator. The chance to see and touch the gear along with talking to the Marines was an unforgettable experience for him.

THIS picture is just so Ian. It was all I could do to get him to put the guns and ammunition down and move on. He thinks military guys are cool and his favorite Marine is Chad Muhlenbruck (a great friend who just retired last month!).

He also loves sports (just like his big brother). He loves Angels baseball (I refuse to call them that stupid long LA name) and Saints football; he can't wait for the Olympics after watching some of the trials. He just finished All Star baseball and all-too-soon he will be venturing into the world of tackle football. BUT look at this little string bean.......he's long and lean and I hope he finds some MEAN because living off of peanut butter spoons isn't getting him very far.

On any given day, he will answer to Ian, George, Dane, Fadoops, Peen, Poots, Poonie. I'm sure I've forgotten at least one.  He's a sucker for a back massage and loves to laugh. But most of all he has a kind soul so when he got an award for Empathy at the end of the year it meant to world to him (and us). He has eyes that pierce my soul; he's a keeper!

Oatmeal!

Shopping at Costco is always an adventure. An adventure I try not to be a part of very often because it is always painful on the wallet. Even if I manage to go alone, I end up with 'extra' stuff because I was likely hungry while I was shopping and/or the sample lady found a sucker in me.

Today was another adventure with me and three kids. I was armed with a list and limited funds so we quickly meandered our way through only going down aisles where we needed something thus avoiding half of the store. It was going great until I was busy with a teriyaki chicken sample and the kids had time to peruse the cereal selection. That's when Sean found it......the oatmeal!

"Mom, you know I love oatmeal. If you get this oatmeal for me I will eat it everyday. It is so good for you. Can we please get this?"

I was quite overwhelmed with his randomness. "Um, ok, sure!" Amanda chose Frosted Flakes so she clearly had an understanding of what Maggie meant when she wrote cereal on the list.

The trip went quickly and I avoided making eye contact with any more sample ladies. We checked out and when they all parked their butts in the car leaving me with a cart full of food I laughed and said "you've got to be kidding, get your butts out here and load this car." Sean grabbed the oatmeal first.

The unloading at home went smoothly and I did the breakdown of surplus to the garage while they put assorted things away. Then came the oatmeal. I grabbed one of the two bags and poured it into one of the Snapware containers. Well, I should say I ATTEMPTED to pour because half of the bag remained after the container was full. 110 Servings advertised - they AREN'T kidding. Amanda's response to my bugged-out eyes "we are gonna have enough oatmeal for life!" I should have been more quick-witted and responded with 'and Sean's going to eat it all' but instead my brain started thinking about recipes.

So now we have..............Butter Pecan Granola

 and Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip cookies.

And I'm sure after Sean has his oatmeal for breakfast we will have made it through about four of the 110 servings. Oatmeal, anyone?

Jumping into Summer

The hustle and bustle that the end of the school year brings has ended. Here is a taste of our last few weeks as we roll into summer. We really enjoyed our mini-vacation to Las Vegas and now we look forward to finishing All Star baseball, VBS with Good Shepherd, and lots of time at the pool and the beach. All too soon it will be time to shop for school supplies, new shoes, and bedtime at a reasonable hour. For now, I'll treasure sleeping in and quiet mornings.

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In a nutshell -

An update of sorts---
-my Mom is improving slowly. She has been moved to inpatient rehab to work on ot, pt, and speech. My brother and sister-in-law are ROCKSTARS and are handling everything beautifully. Thank you for your continued prayers and well wishes.

-Maggie is finishing up 8th grade; looking forward to her 'graduation' next week. She made the decision to change her mind and she is going to play french horn in high school for concert band (maybe symphonic if she's good enough). She has received some strong encouragement from her teachers (past and present) and I was definitely on board with the switch. Now if I could just figure out a nice gift that is within reason.

-Sean is finishing up 6th grade; excited and sad to have his last kindergarten buddy meeting tomorrow. He adores his two little buddies and has said how much fun they are. He has improved his reading lexile and worked so hard to finish strong. He's anxious about middle school, but after the first day I'm sure he'll be fine. Looking forward to a summer of playing baseball and lots of swimming and beach time. (and LOTS of watching the Angels!)

-Amanda is finishing up 4th grade; working SO HARD and never giving up. It's hard to imagine that she missed 4-1/2 mos. of second grade and that she is doing work alongside her classmates. She struggles but with a few accomodations she is seeing results. She is enjoying tae-kwon-do and we are seeing consistent improvements in her. She has a strong mothering instinct and wants to take care of every baby she comes across; she is a nurturer. I can't wait to see what she has in store.

-Ian is finishing up 2nd grade; getting an award on Friday (shhhhh, don't tell him). I'm just hoping it's not for Class Clown or the Child Who Tells The Most Bad Jokes. He has LOVED 2nd grade and says his teacher is "the BEST ever!" (I think she's pretty awesome too, but that's not as important.) She completely 'gets' him and has encouraged him to blossom. I hope he maintains his positive attitude toward learning throughout the summer. He is also looking forward to a summer of playing baseball and living in a bathing suit at every moment possible.

Me? I can't believe I will have a freshman next year. I remember vividly freshman orientation when the seniors sang 'Welcome' to Micheal Jackson's Beat It; blisters from my new saddle oxfords; sitting in Mr. Danton's homeroom my freshman year; and stressing about forgetting my name tag. How is it possible that MY 25th reunion is this summer?

The phone call changes it all.....

Something as simple as a phone call can change your perspective so quickly. With the news that my Mom had a stroke today, I almost immediately went into survival mode. There is NOTHING I can do from 2000 miles away except to pray for healing and thank God for the miracles of modern medicine. But I had to go on with my day and function. And I did. Just with a better perspective on what's important.

So, I'll continue to be grateful...........

• GRATEFUL that my husband just happened to be landing on a plane THERE literally 30 minutes before I got the phone call. He was able to get to the hospital and give me some piece of mind
• Grateful that I have a calm sister-in-law and brother who handled a tough situation so gracefully
• Grateful that my Aunt instinctually knew something wasn't right and raced to my Mom's rescue
• Grateful that I was able to visit in February and spend some time with my Mom
• Grateful for the beauty of text message and modern technology

and Grateful that I have four healthy children that functioned right along with me, did their homework, and didn't argue at bedroom. And they let me snuggle each of them for an extra minute, no questions asked.

A jam-packed end-of-the-year dash......

Just for today I am trying to be grateful.

• Grateful that my kids are able to have music education in elementary and middle school. They have amazing teachers.
• Grateful that I have a working washing machine and dryer because baseball laundry is endless.

Grateful that I have a job that I love and it reminds me that EVERYONE feels the year-end crunch. (not just me)

• Grateful that I have a reliable car with working air conditioning.
• Grateful that I live right across from a pool and 20 min. from the beach!

SUMMER is a comin!