Thursday, February 26, 2009
Skatin'
So Tuesday we took the kids roller skating. It was Noah's first time roller skating and he pretty much hugged the wall with one hand while holding onto me with the other. Far more successful than last year's trip ice skating. By the end he had improved and was able to let go of the wall and just coast along while I held his hand. The girls were pretty good at it since they have in line skates at home and they've successfully ice skated before. Strangely enough, it seemed like ice skating was easier for them than roller skating was. I was having flashbacks of the early 1990's from seeing all the strobe lights and smelling the men's cologne (Obsession or Polo, do they still make that stuff?) Reminding me of all the dances I used to frequent back in the day. I also learned that when exiting the rink with your six year old holding your hand, one should quickly move out of the exit and the path of people skating out of the rink at 50 mph, knocking you down in seemingly slow motion like a couple of bowling pins.
Just My Opinion
Blogging Don'ts:
Don't put pictures of your kid's poo on your blog. More than once I've seen a picture of a baby's dirty diaper or the remains of a toddler's naptime hijinks posted on a blog for all the world to see. This is brought to you usually by women who would probably never think to put swear words on their blog. But trust me, a picture of your kid's poo is far more profane than any swear word could ever be.
Don't post more than one picture of your baby or toddler eating a meal in his or her high chair with food smeared all over his or her face. Especially if the kid's mouth is open and full of chunks of cheese. I understand that once in a great while it's kind of cute (except for the open mouthed cheese part). Heck, I have a black and white picture of Noah with food on his face in a Blurb book. But in my defense, this was cake on his first birthday and he has this look on his face that says "Who Me?" One picture is okay, but continuing to put this kind of picture on your blog is excessive and, let's face it, just plain gross.
As a disclaimer, this isn't directed towards anyone I know personally. Just some things I've stumbled upon randomly. :)
Don't put pictures of your kid's poo on your blog. More than once I've seen a picture of a baby's dirty diaper or the remains of a toddler's naptime hijinks posted on a blog for all the world to see. This is brought to you usually by women who would probably never think to put swear words on their blog. But trust me, a picture of your kid's poo is far more profane than any swear word could ever be.
Don't post more than one picture of your baby or toddler eating a meal in his or her high chair with food smeared all over his or her face. Especially if the kid's mouth is open and full of chunks of cheese. I understand that once in a great while it's kind of cute (except for the open mouthed cheese part). Heck, I have a black and white picture of Noah with food on his face in a Blurb book. But in my defense, this was cake on his first birthday and he has this look on his face that says "Who Me?" One picture is okay, but continuing to put this kind of picture on your blog is excessive and, let's face it, just plain gross.
As a disclaimer, this isn't directed towards anyone I know personally. Just some things I've stumbled upon randomly. :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
V-Day
Valentine's Day was pretty great this year. We didn't have time to put together this Gingerbread Christmas Tree kit I got back in December so we decided to make a Valentine's Tree. I think it turned out much better than our annual gingerbread house usually does. Less room for impatience induced mess. So it was a fun FHE activity with the kids. Brent gave me some beautiful pink tulips, my favorite flowers. Brent's mom volunteered to babysit on Valentine's Day (thank you Cathy!) so we got to go on a date. A valentine's date isn't usually a priority around here so that was pretty cool. We went out to dinner and talked about silly stuff and laughed and laughed, having a great time. It was so nice being out together because it has been a really dreadful, depressing post Christmas winter season for me. I always get kind of depressed in January. Christmas is over, weather is dreary, life is kind of boring. Kind of that seasonal affective disorder I guess. Maybe I need to go sit under a lamp every Saturday through the end of winter. Last year I was able to avoid the whole thing because I had "Election Fever". This year that was all over, of course. So I'd go turn of CNN, often a happy place for me, and all I would see is two senators or pundits arguing about the stimulus thing and how it wasn't going to work and how the whole country and world are going to you know where in a hand basket. There was no love there. Not even from Wolf or Anderson. So the date was a great evening away from everything. We ended it going to see the movie He's Just Not That Into You, which was much better than I thought it would be and one of the better chick flicks I've seen in a while. Brent even liked it.
P90 Wrap Up
Well I did it! I finished Power 90. 90 days and about 78 workouts later, how did it all turn out? I lost 3 pounds! Ha ha! I know, three teeny tiny measly pounds. I was only down two pounds four days ago so I really made up ground in the last couple days. I told my friend Jenn about my two pound loss the other day and she laughed at me. It's okay, the intent wasn't malicious or anything. I reeeeally don't care that I only lost three pounds. After all, at Christmas time I was up three over my starting weight when I was confused into thinking the true meaning of Christmas had something to do with caramel filled chocolate kisses. So, in a way I'm down six and I now have the muscle mass of a 35 year old. Nothing to scoff at there. So I feel like I'm in much better shape and I've stoked the furnace. Last night I was even able to demonstrate some pretty awesome choreography to a High School Musical 3 song ("The Boys are Back" or something like that) which ended with rolling under a bed and jumping out the other side. Okay, I didn't actually do the rolling. Had Noah do it for me.
Remember the vegetarian thing? Well I guess we made it through that. We did cheat a few times. Have you ever tried to eat vegetarian at Applebee's? No easy task there. I really didn't discover many new exciting recipes. Mostly, I just modified dishes I already made. So I still need to work on my quest to eat less processed food. My favorite substitute was throwing in Morningstar Farms Crumbles in everything that would have normally required chicken or hamburger. The hamburger subbing part was easy since we don't really eat that anyway. So it was crumbles in tacos, crumbles in lasagna, crumbles in crazy casserole (Brent's family's recipe, which is basically taco salad with Doritos). Throwing cans of beans in various dishes worked great as well. Remember, fiber is our friend. One thing that was good was baked sweet potato fries. Just slice up some sweet potatoes, coat in a little canola oil and salt and bake for about 30 minutes. So, I'd say we are healthier for it. After about four weeks I stopped jonesing for ice cream- it was a trying time for the family. ;) We didn't give up treats altogether (which may explain the three pound loss in 90 days). Moderation baby, that's the key! I figure if you lose the weight very very slowly, you'll keep it off easier anyway. Eventually, you have to go off a diet so the closer it mirrors regular life (meaning eating healthy in general with treats every now and then) the easier it is to maintain. I'm some sort of guru now, I tell ya. So I think we'll still eat vegetarian at least half the time. It was cheaper too I noticed. Not something to ignore in these times of economic uncertainty.
Here's one more recipe. If you like chili and enchiladas you'll like this:
Remember the vegetarian thing? Well I guess we made it through that. We did cheat a few times. Have you ever tried to eat vegetarian at Applebee's? No easy task there. I really didn't discover many new exciting recipes. Mostly, I just modified dishes I already made. So I still need to work on my quest to eat less processed food. My favorite substitute was throwing in Morningstar Farms Crumbles in everything that would have normally required chicken or hamburger. The hamburger subbing part was easy since we don't really eat that anyway. So it was crumbles in tacos, crumbles in lasagna, crumbles in crazy casserole (Brent's family's recipe, which is basically taco salad with Doritos). Throwing cans of beans in various dishes worked great as well. Remember, fiber is our friend. One thing that was good was baked sweet potato fries. Just slice up some sweet potatoes, coat in a little canola oil and salt and bake for about 30 minutes. So, I'd say we are healthier for it. After about four weeks I stopped jonesing for ice cream- it was a trying time for the family. ;) We didn't give up treats altogether (which may explain the three pound loss in 90 days). Moderation baby, that's the key! I figure if you lose the weight very very slowly, you'll keep it off easier anyway. Eventually, you have to go off a diet so the closer it mirrors regular life (meaning eating healthy in general with treats every now and then) the easier it is to maintain. I'm some sort of guru now, I tell ya. So I think we'll still eat vegetarian at least half the time. It was cheaper too I noticed. Not something to ignore in these times of economic uncertainty.
Here's one more recipe. If you like chili and enchiladas you'll like this:
Vegetarian Enchilada Bake
About 15 corn tortillas
4 cans vegetarian chili (Nalley's works well)
1 medium can enchilada sauce
1 can sliced olives
about 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
Tear up tortillas. Spray non stick spray on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Cover bottom of dish with 1/3 of tortillas. Spread 2 cans of chili over tortillas. Spread about 1/3 of enchilada sauce over chili. Repeat layers of 1/3 tortillas, chili and enchilada sauce. Spread the last third of the tortillas, followed by more enchilada sauce. Top with cheese and olives. Bake in 375 preheated oven for about 35 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc. Serve with fruit or whatever. Makes enough for two nights for a family of 5. Actually tastes better warmed up on second night.
4 cans vegetarian chili (Nalley's works well)
1 medium can enchilada sauce
1 can sliced olives
about 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
Tear up tortillas. Spray non stick spray on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Cover bottom of dish with 1/3 of tortillas. Spread 2 cans of chili over tortillas. Spread about 1/3 of enchilada sauce over chili. Repeat layers of 1/3 tortillas, chili and enchilada sauce. Spread the last third of the tortillas, followed by more enchilada sauce. Top with cheese and olives. Bake in 375 preheated oven for about 35 minutes. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc. Serve with fruit or whatever. Makes enough for two nights for a family of 5. Actually tastes better warmed up on second night.
Friday, February 20, 2009
How Well Do You Know Your Husband?
These memes are popping up all over facebook. I resisted doing any of them for a while then finally did the "25 random things about me" meme. Almost did it anyway, then I accidentally deleted it before I posted it. So I gave up, decided to stick with putting them on my blog. So here's one:
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? The Office or Colbert Report or Simpsons.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch, unless it's one of those fruity, nutty salads then whatever vinaigrette comes with it. He loves salads.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Rare meat.
4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Water, sometimes sprite. We've both weaned ourselves off of pop over the last few years.
5. Where did he go to high school? West Jordan High School.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10.
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He used to collect metal object: keys, nuts and bolts, etc.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Those big fat hamburgers at Carl's Jr. (he very rarely eats them though).
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Well he eats the same lunch every day so I guess PB&J, orange, banana, yogurt with flax seed, carrots, nuts and dried fruit. Or maybe a taco salad.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Cheerios.
11. What would he never wear? A sweater vest.
12. What is his favorite sports team? Isabella, Zoe and Noah's soccer teams. He finds watching sports on tv as boring as I do.
(thank you!)
13. Who did he vote for? Duh, Obama.
14. Who is his best friend? Me, of course. :)
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Neglect the laundry.
16. What is his heritage? Um, some English, German, etc. He also tried to convince me he was 1/4 black when I first met him. Didn't fall for that one, at least not more than a few seconds.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Carrot cake, every year.
18. Did he play sports in high school? Soccer.
19. What kind of music does he like? Some alternative, he loves finding new stuff off of the NPR show "All Songs Considered".
20. *Bonus question. How many monitors does he have on his computer? 3!!!
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? The Office or Colbert Report or Simpsons.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch, unless it's one of those fruity, nutty salads then whatever vinaigrette comes with it. He loves salads.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Rare meat.
4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Water, sometimes sprite. We've both weaned ourselves off of pop over the last few years.
5. Where did he go to high school? West Jordan High School.
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10.
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He used to collect metal object: keys, nuts and bolts, etc.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Those big fat hamburgers at Carl's Jr. (he very rarely eats them though).
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Well he eats the same lunch every day so I guess PB&J, orange, banana, yogurt with flax seed, carrots, nuts and dried fruit. Or maybe a taco salad.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Cheerios.
11. What would he never wear? A sweater vest.
12. What is his favorite sports team? Isabella, Zoe and Noah's soccer teams. He finds watching sports on tv as boring as I do.
(thank you!)
13. Who did he vote for? Duh, Obama.
14. Who is his best friend? Me, of course. :)
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Neglect the laundry.
16. What is his heritage? Um, some English, German, etc. He also tried to convince me he was 1/4 black when I first met him. Didn't fall for that one, at least not more than a few seconds.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Carrot cake, every year.
18. Did he play sports in high school? Soccer.
19. What kind of music does he like? Some alternative, he loves finding new stuff off of the NPR show "All Songs Considered".
20. *Bonus question. How many monitors does he have on his computer? 3!!!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Guess Who's Six?
Noah turned six on January 12th. He finally got to have his friend party on the 31st. Barely making it in January. The party was fun but exhausting. Ten kindergarteners in my house- Aaaah! Noah had a lot of fun. They had a pinata and played games like pin the tail on the dinosaur and the balloon race. Some of the kids didn't want to do anything but play in Noah's bedroom with his toys. Noah didn't mind so whatever kept them all happy, right?
Little Noah at 1
A big kid at 6
The new wheels
Party fun!
Little Noah at 1
A big kid at 6
The new wheels
Party fun!
Hippie Freak?
Have I turned into a hippie freak? Last week I realized I officially have one million plastic grocery bags stuffed into a closet. I think it's about a lifetime supply of bags for the bathroom garbage and for Brent to take his lunch to work. I can't bring myself to throw them away or drag them back to the grocery store and shove them all in the recycling thingy. I also can't add anymore to the million I already have so I broke down and bought the reusable grocery bags. So since I bought them I had to talk myself into actually using them so I carried the big stack into Walmart today and stuck them in the cart. After that I was pretty sure everyone in the store was staring at me and my grocery bags thinking derogatory terms (derogatory terms in these parts anyway:) like "hippie!" and "tree hugger" as I pushed my cart past them. It's not so much that those names bug me, besides my hippie cred will always be seriously questioned by the fact that I won't be smoking anything funny anytime soon. I just in general don't like to bring too much attention to myself. Fly under the radar, as I like to say. Okay, I'm sure no one was paying attention too me. It just felt that way and I couldn't help but apologize to the checker for inconveniencing her.
So let's recap. Hippie freak? Let's see, recycling? Check. Vegetarian? (For the moment anyway, probably will only stay semi.) Check. Obama bumper sticker? Check. Reusable grocery bags? Check. Long dresses made of hemp? Check. Stopped shaving? Check. Just kidding on those last two. REALLY. Apparently I'm above average on the shaving anyway, shaving the legs everyday and all. Hate the feel of stubble.
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