Saturday, September 29, 2007

My Too MUCH To Do List

I am sitting here eating my bowl of Count Chocula cereal, do you guys remember this cereal? We were at Wal-Mart last night and needed to pick up some groceries since hubby has duty today, and went to the cereal aisle. We ALWAYS neeed cereal. Come to find out, hubby's ALL-TIME favorite cereal is Boo-Berry. And since Wal-Mart carries this uber nutritious breakfast fare for the low low price of $1.88 a box, we got 4! One of which was Count Chocula, or as my Little Guy calls it Chocky-do da.
So here is my To Do list for the day....
* CLEAN my house, living room, kitchen, dining room, master bdrm
* Strip beds and wash and change sheets
* Laundry in general
* Work on my sewing project (and if anyone has any sewing machine usage pointers, PLEASE share them with me!!)
* Make "something" (I know what it is, but she reads this..)for a friend of ours for her birthday
* RE-CLEAN my kitchen since my boys will be helping with above task....
* Finish hanging pics upstairs
* Pay some bills online
* Workout

Now, if I accomplish even half of this, I will feel pretty good about my day. I also have to find time to hang out with my kids, make meals, take a shower, and bath my boys! Maybe I will just go back to bed.

So, 2 questions for you guys, 1. What is your favorite KID cereal?? and 2. Whats on your To DO list today?

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Issues, We All Have Them...

Some of us more than others! Reading here earlier in the week, led hubby and I to start talking about our oldest childs food issues. And how TRULY bazaar some of them are. The topic, in case you haven't made it over there yet, was basically, how do you handle mealtime meltdowns? Go read it, and the comments, some are HI-LARIOUS! Ok, I know that took stinkin' forever, but it was worth it, right?
Train Junkie started life out pretty good, I nursed him full time (like its a job, right? And you all know it pretty much is...) until about 4 mos and then we did the usual starting food routine.(He breas*tfed until 11 mos, when he cut himself off) And he did well. Ate like a champ. LOVED green beans. Which in and of itself should have signaled my inevitable demise. Because according to my mother, when I was little I also held the green bean dear to my heart. To the point of asking for more, and at the tender age of two, I made my way around the dinner table taking them from peoples plates. Now I HATE them.... As does TJ. And all veggies in any form unless its tomato sauce and isn't that a fruit? He will eat most fruits.

But here is where it gets weird. I will start with the juice issue. We have always given our boys juice that is half water. For sugar reasons. Well, TJ HAS to have his juice with the water down (meaning put in first) and juice up. If it is any other way, and he sees you do it, he will NOT under any circumstances drink it.

The main foods he eats are Mac & Cheese, no preference to brand, so I could make it homemade if I was insane and had all the time in the world, hot dogs, ham and cheese, pb&j, and pizza. Most cereals, and breakfast foods. No eggs, he used to love them, then only wanted them if they were scalding hot. No sausage or bacon. Who doesn't like BACON??? He will eat pancakes. But hates Poptarts.

TJ will not eat a ham and cheese sandwich unless the ham is first and the cheese on top. The newest neuroticism, (is that even a word?) is he loves a ham and cheese rollup. This is a tortilla, with mayo, and ham and cheese. Ham first, cheese next, ROLL it up, do not cut it at all. If I make a quesadilla, same rule applies. We had a complete meltdown the other day when I made it WRONG. Ham on top, cheese melty on bottom, and oh the humanity, cut into the evil triangular shape. Instead of a circle....Which must be to symbolize the halo hanging over my little angel...
On a side note, I did refuse to make him anything else and he eventually picked at it and ate some of it.

Oh, and hot dogs, yeah they need to be COLD. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little thinking about that one. He will even go so far as to eat his Mac & Cheese cold. Like for lunch yesterday. All COLD. ICK. His chicken nuggets, if they are already cooked, he will eat them COLD from the freezer. And everything is to be dipped into ketchup and ranch.

He does, however, like grits. Yep, you heard me correctly. Something he picked up at school. I pay good money for my son to go to school and develop a taste for grits.
You know, for all the time we spend watching The Food Network, you would think some of it might rub off on him. So far, just the desserts have caught his attention. As he asked me to make him a CREAM PIE today. Too bad I can't camoflauge the veggies and mix them into that!

Do any of you hide foods within other foods? What are your kids weird food behaviors??

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Pink With Excitement!

5 Minutes For Mom is at it again! October, as most of you know, is Breast Cancer Awareness month. And name brand products usually come out with something in that fabulous pink in support. A percentage of the sales typically goes to the charity. Dyson and Target are exclusively offering the Pink All Floor Vacuum, with 40% going to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. And for all my effort posting here about it, I am entered into the drawing at 5 Minutes For Mom to WIN my VERY VERY own! You can too, all you have to do is head over to here leave a comment and then link back! Easy Peasy! Or don't cuz that makes my chances a little greater.... Just kidding! Go, comment, link, and then support a great cause!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Routines

Baby Girl is sleeping in her swing, the boys are engrossed in Little Bear, and I have a moment to myself. Jesus has got my back today! I guess that means I better get off my rear and go clean up my kitchen, do some laundry and put away all my desk stuff, and refill my filing cabinet. AND work on my latest project. What happened to that sigh of relief I just let out? I am pretty sure I just sucked it back in....

We are starting to finally settle into a routine that works for us. I don't think that happened with the boys until they were much older. God has really blessed us with a good baby. The boys tested my endurance when they were this age. Train Junkie didn't sleep. Would NOT sleep. We walked, jostled, danced and CRIED trying to get him to sleep at night. Laying him down didn't really work, he screamed and screamed. And then cried some more. And living in an apartment or base housing isn't really conducive to letting your kid just cry it out. And my little guy had allergies that kicked in at about 1 yr. His doctor didn't catch it, and so we endured crying at night, his little body so tense because his tum tum hurt. After eliminating suspect foods, we realized he had a milk allergy and a gluten allergy. And once we got that taken care of he slept great. Loved his crib and we could lay him down at night. He fell asleep on his own after that.
Baby girl is completely different. She sleeps great, she loves being in her swing. Most of the time she is happy and content! And finally my boys do to!

Monday, September 17, 2007

MPM once again

I have been so sporadic about posting anything, but I did manage to get a Menu Plan put together. Of course we haven't been sticking to it as well as I would like. But hey, I think thats par for the course with a new baby. And how long is a new baby considered a new baby? Baby Girl will be 7 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe how fast these past weeks have gone. And she amazes us everyday with her big grins (slide show to be included!) and how well she can hold her head up already. Our little ones, although not little for long, are such a blessing. Even when driving me nuts. I was in the kitchen, getting Train Junkie his juice, and the boys were underfoot, getting into everything, pulling stuff off the counters. And I told TJ to knock it off or I was going to lose my mind. At which point, he turned to Daddy and said (or rather, whined) "But I want Mommy to lose her mind!"
My little guy is notoriously cranky if he doesn't get a nap. But if he does get one, we have a hard time getting him to sleep at night. He fell asleep yesterday in the car on the way to our friends house and then finished his nap on her couch. Of course he had himself a little accident so I had to pick him up some shorts and undies at Target. Because Train Junkie gets a train mag every now and then, it seemed only fair that Little Guy should get a magazine to look at too. The obvious choice was a Monster Truck magazine. He LOVED it. Little Guy flipped through it pointing out trucks until he came across a page with Jeeps. Which hubby has.
Little Guy got very excited,"Look at the Jeep, thats very special to Daddy!"
I know, I know, there is supposed to be a Menu Plan in here somewhere!
Here we go...
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Saturday: Tacos with fresh avocado
Sunday: Chicken, Salad with Cherry Tomatos, and rolls
Monday: Breakfast for Dinner, Blackberry Pancakes
Tuesday: Roast with Red Potatoes, Baby Carrots, French Bread
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (perfect since it will be raining all week!)
Friday: Spaghetti with Garlic Bread
Saturday: Marlboro Mans 2nd Favorite Sandwich


Here is a pic of the infamous Jeep...

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After I came home from some major grocery shopping the other night, hubby went out to bring in the groceries while I fed Baby Girl. This is what he came in with instead!

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Which is kind of funny since while we live within walking distance of the river, the beach is a good 20-30 minutes away. The boys got a kick out of it and decided to name it Herman. But then Herman had to go back outside because SURELY his mom and day missed him...

And finally, here is the promised slides of my SMILING baby girl!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Road Trippin'

It has been a long two days. We are currently driving our way back from visiting hubby's family in Texas. Imagine how much fun it is to drive for 2 days with a 3 yr old, 2 yr old, and a 6 week old. I think Baby Girl has done the best. We have eaten our combined weight in junk food, and drank more caffeine than would normally be legal. Altogether makes for some delirious parents. Hubby and I tend to get ridiculous in our conversations. We start making up odd statements and ways to describe things that you normally wouldn't hear.
On the other hand, its great to have that time together as a family. The boys are entertaining. Train Junkie gets very excited and high pitched when he spots a train. Little Guy talks ENDLESSLY about the bugs he sees and whether they are nice or are going to "get" him.
I was reading from a Guidepost earlier this week and read an article that Alton Brown from the Food Network had written. If you are a fan, then you know he is responsible for shows like Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt. I had no idea he was a Christian until I read the article. Which only makes us like him more! We were cruising through Mississippi, when we saw a group of guys on motorcycles. Convinced it could POSSIBLY be him and his entourage coming back from their FOA tour, we whipped around to follow them. They pulled into a diner on the side of the road, and we realized it was NOT him. Oh well, its the thrill of the hunt, right? Which makes us sound like stalkers, which we are not! Just enthused fans...
We have become technologically advanced for this trip. The boys have their DVD player, which lends to keeping them entertained. Not that we play it from the moment we get in the car. It usually gets put into play once that glazed over look takes hold of them. And I feel especially techy traveling with my laptop and wireless card. Thats right people, I can check email, and surf the net.... FROM THE CAR!!! Look out (insert techy persons name here, since I don't know anyone...) I am moving up in the world wide web!
During our time in Texas, I convinced hubby I could not go on a moment longer if I didn't do something with my hair. It had been cut right before Baby Girl was born into a shaggy rendition of Mandy Moores latest "do". I wanted to go blonde too, but knew the minute the hairdresser started putting the foils on, I would go into labor. I hear its a lot easier to head to the hospital in the middle of a hair cut, than get up and deliver a baby with my head covered in bleach and foils.
So I researched and found a reputable hair salon. The girl had put my hair in so many foils, I am surprised I didn't start picking up digital satelite tv. She put me under the heat dealy thingy with the hole in the middle, and I read up on Britney Spears and her troubles. She was on the cover of EVERY rag mag, so I didn't have much of a choice in reading material. Anywho, hairdresser girl came to check my progress, and in the process shifted the foils. The weight of them must have pushed them onto my scalp, because suddenly, it felt like my head was ON FIRE! I started looking for my girl and finally had to flag down someone else to find her. She decided it was time to rinse me out and blow dry my hair. It looks great, however, I now have crispy hair in places near my scalp from the BURNS that were inflicted upon my poor head. Its a little scabby too. I only hope it doesn't fall out and leave bald spots. That would completely spoil my attempt to look like I am completely together and not chasing around 2 kids while simultaneously being chained to the couch every two hours to feed a baby. And keeping an immaculate home.