On the Road Again

The call finally came . . . WE ARE MOVING! I have explained in other posts and my bio that we have been moved a lot due to my husband's job. Finally, Tuesday afternoon the official call finally came, and my awesome husband has been promoted! This is what we have been working towards for the past three years. Finally, we get to buy a house! I couldn't be more excited. Misses is very excited too. She can't wait to have her own room and a dog. I'm not to crazy about the dog part, but we promised before the move to our current location.

So for three years we have moved four times and Misses has lived in four homes. It was so bad that one time I got lost and had to turn around in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Misses looks around and in her tiny two year old voice said, "Oh no! We are moving again."

With all these moves and doing them with children but without movers, you might say I am a bit of an expert. Oh did I mention my husband got the call Monday afternoon and has to report to the new job on Wednesday morning? Yes, that is how fast this company moves, so I will be left as a single parent to coordinate the move and keep daily life going at a status quo. So I will post again on how to organize a move when you are doing it yourself. This time around we get movers! I will post after the move on how to organize that kind of move.

Weight Loss Challange

Bubba will be a year old next month. During my pregnancy, I put on a whopping 45lbs. I know it was not the best choice to eat 2 1/2 Whoppers in one day, but hey I had been very active and diet "gun ho" for almost two years. So I figured this pregnancy was my ticket to eat, and I sure ate . . . A LOT! 

On the day of delivery I weighed in at 200lbs. Bubba was kind of big, so I instantly lost 20lbs after delivery. I was super happy about that, but I haven't done too much to take of the other 25lbs till now.

Last Thursday, I made a serious decision to start my healthy eating up again. Unfortunately, my kiddos have been ill, so I wasn't able to make it to the gym too. I had lost over 35lbs and kept it off after Misses was a year old, so I know what to do, I just have to get off my butt and do it!

Here's my plan for the next 3 months.
      1. On the days I workout, I will eat 1400 calories including a protein shake.
      2. On the days I am unable to workout, I will eat no less than 1200 calories.
         

Workout plan
      1. Cardio for 30 minutes
      2. weight machines for 15 minutes
      3. On nice weather days walks with the kids.

If you want join me on a weight loss, getting healthy journey. We can hold each other accountable. I mean, I've heard that a  group effert can make for better results.

My weigh in days will be Thurday of each week . . . Check back to monitor progess.

Revive Celery

Celery is a pretty inexpensive and low calorie veggie to have on hand, that is why I buy it a lot. The problem is, I often forget that I have it. When I remember, it is all rubbery and limp. So one day I thought, maybe this would perk back up if I put it in water. To my surprise, it did! After being put in a container with water the celery was crunchy and yummy once more. So I decided to share this miraculous finding with all of you. I know many already know this, but silly discoveries like this is what my blog is about. So feel free to chuckle at my excitement, and because until I told a friend about this, I really thought I had done something special. She kindly let me know that lots of people use this trick.

Cut the tops and the end of your celery.

Cut the celery to the length you want. We eat them as a snack, so we like them small.
Those 2 bowls you see in the picture were to small for all the celery. Oops. Haha.

Put the celery in a bowl (big enough) cover the celery with water and lid. Place in refridgerator.

So there you have it. A very simple way to revive or store celery for a very long time, and keep it fresh and yummy. I have been told this works for carrots too. 



Eye Surgery Update

FINALLY, we made it to surgery. Today Misses had Bilateral Strabismus Surgery at the Children's Hospital. She was so great and our experience at the hospital couldn't have been better. We were told to be there at 9 a.m. We were checked in and on our way to the surgical floor within 10 minutes. Once we arrived on the surgical floor, we were taken back right away. We got her all ready and maybe waited 30 minutes, which Misses was good with because they had the Disney Channel on T.V. When they took her back, she rode in a wagon chattering the entire way. We waited in the waiting room, which was very comfortable. When she woke up, she was scared and upset, but we were able to calm her quickly. After that we were moved to another post-op room where they fed her cookies and water till her heart was content. She would not open her eyes because she said, "Everything is squiggly." Then they brought her all kinds of cool stuff to take home! We love SWAG! She slept all the way home. Once home, she opened her eyes and was seeing double. It was kind of funny, she kept asking why there were two of things. By 5 p.m. she was up playing and chattering up a storm. Her eyes look painful, but she said they didn't hurt. We are thankful it is over, but all in all a great experience.

Misses loving the warm blankets before surgery.

Getting Rid of the Pacifier

Paci, binky, plug, nuk, and pappy are all ways to name a pacifier. No matter what you call it, getting rid of it can be a daunting task. For Misses, the pappy was her security item. She never had a special blanket or toy that she loved as much as her pappy. Not to mention, she has lived in four places, and she just turned four years old. Her pappy was there through it all bringing comfort.
We tried many times to get rid of her pappy, but nothing worked. Finally, on her fourth birthday we were able to be rid of it for good. This is how we made that happen with very few tears and not a single sleepless night.

1. At two years of age, the pappy was only allowed in her bedroom.
2. We set a date of disposal.
3. We used the pappy fairy as our means of disposal.
4. One year prior to the disposal date, we began talking about
    why the pappy fairy needed her pappies.
5. We contiued to talk about when the pappy fairy would come
    and why she needed the pappies.
6. On the disposal day, the pappy fairy left a personal message
    thanking Misses for her pappies.
7. The pappy is no longer needed!

I know four years old may sound like a long time for a child to have a pacifier, but every home and child is different. Some children throw it away on their own. Others lose it and are fine. Some kids replace it with something else. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how the child gives it up as long as the process is peaceful, supportive, and works for the home they live in. This process worked for us. Maybe something like this will work for you too. Good luck!

Make ahead Shamcakes

Today, Misses wanted pancakes for lunch. I think lunch is a silly meal, so we eat all kinds of things for lunch. She not only wanted pancakes, but she wanted purple pancakes. I color most of her food, when she asks, because she eats more that way. Anyway, I did not have the red to make purple because I had dropped it in the purple soup she requested last week. I began to make the pancakes and thought, I can make them green and use a shamrock cookie cutter. Ooh! Idea! I can make the entire batch, cut them out, and freeze them. This way I won't have to worry about making them on St. Patrick's Day.

What you need
* Bisquick or pancake mix
* green food coloring
* cookie cutter


How to

Make the batter per the package instructions and add a few drops of green food coloring.

Poor some batter into a hot skillet and cook through on both sides.

Then remove from skillet and use a shamrock cookie cutter to cut out the shape.

Bubba and I the scraps for lunch, that way none were wasted.

Check out those mad cookie cutter skills.  

Bubba really liked them!

Serve on a plate with your favorite pancake topping.

We like syrup . . . a lot!

If you are making ahead of time . . .

let them cool on a plate.

Put them in a baggie or baggies and place in the freezer till you want to eat.

To warm them, remove from bag, place on microwave safe plate, and heat for 30 sec. or till warm.

Top with toppings and ENJOY!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

40 Days

In honor of Lent I will not log on to Facebook.
I will not, I will not, I will not log in.
No I am not a practicing Catholic, but giving something up allows me to take time to reflect on my life and actions and move forward. Not to mention, I have fond memories of fast food fish on Friday growing up. So this year, I am giving up Facebook. Anyone who is a Facebook friend, knows that I am on it a lot. I don't always post, but I am constantly logging in and Facebook stalking everyone else. It helps me fill my time. You know because I have so much of it. It keeps me connected with those I can't speak with on a regular basis, and its just plain entertaining to me. This is not going to be easy. I mean this is just the first day, and I have already caught myself trying to click the link on my Yahoo homepage. Ahhh, how ever will I make it 40 whole days.
I know many people practice the act of sacrifice in honor of Lent. If you are giving something up or promising to do something daily, please feel free to share in the comment section.