{you wanna be hot for the holidays? me too!}

I am joining in on a great challenge I discovered over at 5 minutes for mom today that I'm pretty excited about.

My hubby has dropped major pounds this summer by cutting his carbs way down. He's been trying to get me motivated to change my eating habits, but I just wasn't mentally there yet. My broken ankle is going to make this challenge extra challenging, since I can't really exercise, but I'm up for it. I can definitely change the way I eat, broken bones or not.

So I'm in...how about you? You wanna be hot for the holidays too?

{kid's school lunches}

So today is the first day of school in our neck of the woods. It involves a ton of preparation so the mornings run smoothly around here. The 7:30am school bus comes awfully early! So the more things I can get done before the morning, the better.

I've been enjoying posts like this and this that have really got me thinking about what I can do ahead of time. The kids and I spent some time creating a master list for school lunches broken into 3 categories: main dishes, fruits/veggies, and snacks. The list is upstairs and I'm down, so I'll give you a sample list from my brain (its scary in there, I know).

Main Dishes

• spaghetti-o's
• chicken salad sandwich or crackers (will be referred to as s/c)
• tuna salad s/c
• egg salad s/c
• pb & j sandwich
• turkey, ham, or bologna sandwich
• homemade lunchable
• leftovers
• bagel & cream cheese

Fruit/Veggie

• apple
• applesauce
• oranges
• mandarin oranges
• banana
• cold veggies & ranch (carrots, celery)
• fruit salad

Snack (salty treat or dessert-type treat)

• crackers
• nabs crackers
• chex mix
• homemade quick breads (banana, zuccini, pumpkin)
• cookies
• homemade muffins
• chips
  

Remember, this is just a sample list of some of the things I remember from our custom list. I have been a menu/meal planner for quite a while now...really since I've been married (our 11 year anniversary is this month!). But for some reason, I've only pre-planned and written out our dinners. Never breakfasts or lunches. But I am going to add that into the planning session from now on. It is going to be so freeing not to have to "dream up" what to pack in the kids' lunches each morning. It will already be decided...AAAND...I'll have everything in the house, because those ingredients will have been added to my grocery list during that planning session. Some of those items might already be pre-prepared, packaged up, and frozen. Seriously...such a simple solution, but something I hadn't done, nonetheless.

For more kitchen tips, head over to Tammy's Recipes.

Blog notes: the cute picture is a bento lunch . I'm going to be learning more about that type of packing method soon!

{its my party & i'll cry if i want to}

Ugggghhh...I usually try to keep most of my posts on here cheerful, informative, and/or fun. But I guess since this is my place, I can do what I want, huh?

What I'm trying to say is that I am feeling a little sorry for myself tonight. In the almost 2 weeks since I broke my ankle, I have tried to have a grrrreat attitude. And I'm pretty darn sure that I accomplished that goal. Like 24/7. The kids staying with my SIL played a big part in my being able to keep it going. Now that they're home, it is all feeling a bit more real. I cannot get up and help my kids do anything. I can't easily go to the room they are in to intervene in ww3. I can't pick up a pile of junk on the floor and put it away. I can't even shower completely solo.

Everyone around me is very willing to help. Really. They are. My mom has really gone above and beyond. I mean, she cleaned my house just about from head to toe, caught up on all the laundry from our trip, and has spent countless hours keeping me company. She is the bomb...seriously. My husband has been very thoughtful. He bought a shower stool so I can keep clean without having to sponge bath. It feels heavenly. He calls several times a day to check on me. He's a cutie pie. I'm so glad I picked him. I really am!

The thing that is bothering me right now, is that I don't want to ask for stuff and bug people. I don't mind asking for a bit of help with the kids or for a few dinners, but I am realizing that I am going to have to gloss over things that are bothering me for a while. Aforementioned piles of stuff on the floor that may belong to me, and are usually my responsibility since it is my stuff...but I just can't do it. Ugggghhh.

And with so many others going through things that are soooo much tougher, I feel silly and guilty even feeling this way, much less posting this on my blog.

Let's see if this little exercise helps at all...here are some things that I can appreciate about my current position: (just go with me here...kind of like a situation gratitude list)

• I get to read a ton of blogs cause I can't do much else.
  
• I am not currently expected to maintain my house in any way.
  
• I get to spend tons of time with my mum (we're great buddies, y'all...love that woman)
  
• I get to endulge in Bravo marathons of Project Runway, Shear Genius, and discover new shows that I now love, like Tabitha's Salon Takeover.
  
• Did I mention that I love reading and discovering new blogs?


• I'm sure there is so much more...this is just what I can think of for now.

I think it will also help if I pretend that this is my bedroom where I get to hang out:

I am sure that I will feel better tomorrow. I am just having a minute (or 60) of a pity party. I feel better now. Thanks for listening.

P.S. Kelli -Thanks for dinner. It was so yummy & I pretty much inhaled it. Kind of embarassing, really. But don't go feeling like you need to run over here and do anything. I'm just venting, really. I promise. Put your keys away. Go sit down. I mean it. And thanks again for tonight.

{kids looking forward to chores...yes...really - wfmw}

Have you ever heard of Handipoints? Well, it is currently the way that our family is handling chores. Here's a blurb taken directly from the handipoints.com website:

"Online chore charts that allow parents to award points that children can redeem for virtual rewards."

Here's a blurb from my brain:

"My kids love online games and playing around on the internet. This is a great way to combine that devotion with getting things done around the house that need to be done. The points they earn can be "traded in" for a non-virtual, real life prize. My kids are working toward earning webkinz. I asked them what they wanted to earn, considered the price, and set the value for each chore accordingly. It is a little bit confusing to learn at first (for me, who was setting up the charts...the kids had no problem with their part), of course I didn't read any directions, just jumped right in, so that might have been the problem.

There is an online world (kind of like webkinz) where they can have a house, play games, and interact with others. It is what is working for us right now!"

For other great ideas, visit rocks in my dryer.

{checking in with you & thank you!}

For my beloved loyal readers: Oh my...I feel so loved! I wasn't sure whether anyone would still be reading this blog after I dropped off the face of the earth! If you're new, you can read what has kept me away here. Thanks guys for your kind thoughts and encouragement. I am glad to be "back on the bandwagon"...a bit more, anyway. Still getting used to my limited ability to get around the house. The kids came home yesterday, after staying with my SIL a couple hours away. They were there for 10 days, and it was such a blessing to be able to deal with "the worst of it", knowing that they were having a blast with their cousins. Thanks Kim! (blogless SIL)

The kiddos start school next Tuesday, so it will be interesting, getting into the habit of a new schedule with a broken ankle thrown into the mix. I'll keep you posted on how that goes next week.

I really have missed blogging. And all of you. I haven't checked the pictures that were taken at Zach's Shrek birthday party, but if there were any good ones of the cool party ideas, I'll share them with you. If I was there, I would've taken "blog-worthy" pictures of all the cool food and stuff and designed a whole post around it.

I hate to have two posts in a row without pictures, so, for your viewing pleasure...and for the love of all things beautiful, please go visit Sarah at A Beach Cottage. She decorates her beach cottage beautifully with thrifted, made-over finds that make me drool. She also has a way with photography that is a sure talent. I recently discovered her blog and have been devouring the archives for a couple of days. Enjoy!

{A Blogging Break, A Birthday Party, Broken Bones, & Plenty of Time on My Hands}

Oh my, how I've missed you all! As you know, I spent a little over a week in Utah, visiting Mike's family (I claim them for my own as well...love my whole clan of in-laws). We had a ton of fun and kept busy enjoying one another's company, shopping, partying at the family reunion at Bear Lake, andsoonandsoforth.

It took several days to recover from the red-eye flight and generous lay-over in the middle of the night. Mike and I were so proud of ourselves for unpacking right away...as in, the minute we walked in the door...even though all we really wanted to do was sleep for hours. It really makes sense to not procrastinate that task. I hope we'll make that a habit from now on.

I am the kind of person that can only deal with the next big thing, as far as planning goes. For some reason, I can't plan for multiple things going on in the same month, for example. So it was no surprise that I didn't start to plan for Zach's 6th birthday party until we got home from our trip. We got back on Monday, the 11th and the party was scheduled for Saturday, the 16th.

There was a big swap meet-type event at our church that Saturday as well. During the previous week, you donate things you want to get rid of, then people come on Saturday and pick stuff up for free. It is pretty cool. Remember that FREE is my favorite price, right? So I did EVERYTHING ahead of time for the party. You would seriously be so proud of me. I'm actually pretty proud of myself. Here's what I did...

It was a Shrek Theme...

• Made ice cubes with gummy worms in them and instead of water, used green drink.
• Made and decorated the cupcakes with green slime frosting, dirt (crushed oreos), and a gummy worm.
• Prescooped the ice cream into cupcake liners...do you hear me? Pre. Scooped. The. Ice. Cream. Cool, huh?
• Stuffed shrek goody bags
• Stuffed Shrek pinata
• Gathered other party supplies in a cute tray...disposable plates, cups, silverware wrapped in napkins, etc.
• Decorated the house with streamers.
• Made party dip for chips and tinted it green.
• Prepared leeches on a log (like ants, but Shrek likes leeches)

I was determined to get everything done the day before so that I could enjoy the FREE stuff in the morning, and get home at about 10:30...the party was to start at 11:00.

Taylor and I got up and left the boys sleeping as we went off to find some treasures on Saturday morning. I'll skip all the details cause I'm kind of getting sick of them, but...long story short (or not so much), while stepping off a cement step and onto the sidewalk at the church, my ankle rolled and I fell. I knew right away that it was broken. You see, this wasn't the first time this left ankle of mine had broken. (I'll have to tell you that story sometime.)

While I was in surgery, my dear friend Becca without a blog ran the birthday party for me. Boy, was I extra glad I'd done so much prep the day before.

Sorry for no great pictures for now, but I will have quite a while to "play" on the internets now...like 6 weeks worth.

We'll talk soon. I think my meds are kickin' in.

A Simple Woman's Daybook: Journal Entry

FOR TODAY August 4, 2008

Outside my window...I see my darling kiddos and their Nana picking vegetables in the garden. My kids are so excited to help Nana harvest her veggies.

I am thankful for...family. It is so fun to see far away family. It has been almost 3 years since the kids and I have seen all of them and we're looking forward to a fun week.

From the kitchen...we've been enjoying lots of fresh veggies from the garden since we've arrived and from the looks of this morning's harvest, that will continue all week! I'm not a big veggie person at all, but those cukes are the best I've tasted!

I am wearing...my jammies. It has been tough adjusting to the time difference aaaaand we were up almost 24 hours during the trip.

I am creating...great memories!

I am going...to the Logan pool today to spend more time with the extended crew.

I am reading...BREAKING DAWN!!!!!! Is there really any question of that? The only thing is that I would probably be done reading it by now, if I wasn't visiting family. I'm sneaking in little reading moments, though. It is great, so far!

I am hoping...for good weather this weekend for our trip to Bear Lake.

I am hearing...it is a rare quiet moment. The kids are eating popcicles outside and I am inside.

Around the house...luckily, I don't have my regular chores to keep me busy this week. I'm just doing the pick-up-after-my-kids-everyday-so-they-don't-wreck-my-in-law's-house thing.

One of my favorite things...is seeing my kids play with their cousins and spend time with their Nana & Papa Howdy (I'll explain that name another time).

A few plans for the rest of the week...I'm pretty sure that every moment is planned out, though I'm not quite sure what we'll be doing in all of those moments, yet. I know today is the pool, movies, and pizza. Tuesday is ????. Wednesday is shopping with my cutie-pie SIL, Melanie. Thursday is the family golf tournament and we head to Bear Lake for our getaway. We stay in Bear Lake till Saturday. I think we might try to see Mamma Mia Saturday night. Sunday is church and also the day we fly out at 11:45pm. What a fun week!

I don't have a picture thought to share with you today. Since I'm not using my computer, I'm not going to upload my pictures onto it. I'll share some of my favorite pictures with you once we get home.