Menu Plan--Easy Breezy

Well, this will be short. I hope everyone had a good Easter. We got some things done this weekend and the list still looks really long (deep sigh)! Anyhow, I am grateful for our accomplishments and a nice weekend with my boys. Since we had a ham yesterday, guess what is on the menu this week. Drum roll please, HAM/leftovers. I love these kind of weeks! I really do love to cook , but it is also nice to have a break. So, we will be outside until it is time to eat and then we will all break for the fridge. Hope you all have a great week.

Monday-Leftovers..Ham etc.
Tuesday- Poached Eggs and Sweet Potato Hash/Fruit Salad.
Wednesday-Ham, asparagus, leftover sweet potatoes.
Thursday-Black bean tacos/broccoli
Friday-Pizza or clean out the fridge. :)

Menu Plan--Tuesday????

OK, so my first week out of the gate and I already and running late. I do have an excuse..kind of. Zane gave me his head cold/death virus. Thanks Zane!! Anyhow, i am feeling a little bit better today so I thought I better share my plan.

Monday-Crock pot chicken,couscous, and broccoli
Tuesday-Spaghetti and meatballs. My sauce is finally getting good. It took awhile, but I am getting there.
Wednesday-Chicken fried rice and egg rolls
Thursday-Breakfast for dinner. I think it will be breakfast tacos.
Friday-Pizza. Friday is the kids movie night, so we do a simple dinner. If you don't have a bread machine you are really missing out on having great pizza crust with very little effort.

I will learn how to link my recipes, I promise. If you have any questions this week just ask.

Two Weeks Off

So, I have been on a little hiatus from my regular life. Zane was gone for most of the last two weeks and Jackson and Jason for part of that. It was weird, but also a nice change. Joe and I were hardly home and just stayed on our own schedule. Honestly, it was too weird to be home by ourselves so we kind of wanted to be gone. In case you aren't on Facebook, Jason and Jackson got stranded on their little trip to Denver. The flight was overbooked and they got bumped off. They finally got them on a flight the next day to Oklahoma City. Joe and I jumped in the car and went to rescue them as quickly as we could. We really missed them! It was a great reunion and we are truly glad to be back to together.

In other news, I am feeling a little outnumbered lately. There are boys EVERYWHERE over here. I mean my goodness!!! I love them all very much, but whew maybe some girls could come over sometime. However, I know how unlikely it is that many girls would want to come into this chaos. I was saying the other morning that I thought we needed some girls around here and Jackson said.."Naaah, your our princess. We don't need any other ones coming around here". He does call me the Princes and tells me when he thinks I look particularly "princessy". I have to admit I like the adoration. I know it is short lived and I am enjoying it.

The only other thing really going on is us getting back to work on our house. With the weather warming up I am really excited to start getting things done again. I look around and just want to cry sometimes, but I have "cup half full" confidence in Jason and I. We can do it. I also have very high hopes of finding a sectional for our back room. That search is not going well and we are very under furnished at this point.

I may, I said MAY start posting my menu plan for the week. I tried to do menu plan for the month and really didn't like it. Way too boring for me. Anyhow, my friend Cori posts her menu plan and I really love the inspiration and ideas. So, I MAY start that this next week. We will see. Hopefully none of you hang your last hopes on this.

Love,
A Okie girl waiting impatiently on summer!

The YMCA

So, our family joined the Y in January. I have never been so happy about something. I have spent the last year inside and away from everyone and now I am finally out and about. I have chosen not to run early in the morning for awhile. I am too tired. After a year of nursing and year of not sleeping b/c of sicky... I need some rest. So, this puts me on the treadmill. I used to say I would never run on a treadmill. You know you should never use that phrase right??? I am now running on the treadmill. It isn't the same. It isn't as true as running outside with the wind in your face, splashing through puddles, getting rained on, etc... However, it is running. My first full week of running I dreamed about it every night. I guess I missed it. I know some of you are thinking. What is she talking about. How could you love to run??? I don't know. I just do. I always have. My friend Cori says it makes her a better person. I agree. I love the time when all of the sudden you feel sweat pour from every pore in your body and your mind feels clear. You almost don't feel your body. It isn't the euphoria part, just the body and mind sinked up part. I come off that treadmill a better mommy, maybe a better wife, and definitely more patient. That is all.

Blow the dust off.....

So, I am back in the land of the living. I wasn't sure I was going to make it for awhile but here I am. I have to say that on a day to day basis a "stay-at-home" mommy can feel less than important. People ask you to watch their kids(usually people that work) without a second thought, etc.,etc. Well, apparently I am needed and appreciated. So, with my puffy chest I will return to all the mundane little things that make our little world go round.

In mentioning that, I just want to put something out there. You know when you feel like your missing out on something. Like when you question your choices. I used to have that A LOT. Should I have made a different choice blah, blah, blah. I believe it comes from self confidence and just recently I realized I don't do that questioning as much. I am more sound in my decisions, I am happier, and I must be getting to know myself a little bit. I know without doubt somethings I want for myself and my family. I know for sure that I have NO IDEA about a whole bunch of stuff and the adventure is figuring it out. I believe I am also learning to think with blurred lines. Do you know what I mean? I mean that because the choice you are making right now maybe right for "right now" and not for two years from now. I know this all seems very simple and maybe some of you came out of your teens all brimming with self-confidence and self-truth. However, for me this is a journey of learning to relax and trust myself.

This is the Jedi Psychologist signing off and hoping you have a great week.

How did you do that!???

So, lately a couple of people have asked me how I get my kids to eat all those veggies. They do eat a lot of fruit and veggies, so I will share what I know and welcome ANY advice you have. Here is the deal from start to finish. Make your own baby food, if you can. It is cheaper, healthier, and just plain tastes better! If you have any questions, just let me know. I didn't do it the whole time for Jackson, but Joseph only had jars when we were traveling. I think when the vegetables you feed them actually taste like what they will eat they transition better. I have no idea if this is true...honestly I made it up myself. It is my fact and i like it.

One of the easiest ways is to not have that many other choices. Yes, my kids eat cakes and cookies and candy. I don't mind if they do because I know they have good habits and everyone needs a treat. Anyhow, I don't buy much in the way of "snack" food. No granola bars, "fruit" snacks, cereal bars, Little Debbies, chips, ...nothing. I do buy animal cookies and Goldfish. Other than that their snacks are usually fruit and protein. They like almonds, peanuts, cheese and any kind of fruit they can get their hands on. I also keep a vegetable tray in the fridge MOST of the time. I decided I better put MOST in case one of you comes over and checks the day before I go to the store. We love broccoli and if you put it in your veggie tray you might try blanching it first. Makes it look pretty and it is easier for the little ones to eat.

As far as the older ones, I am talking about around three(make that 2 1/2) and up. Meals are a must. If you choose not to eat a meal, you choose to wait until the next meal. No, I don't make them eat things they honestly don't like, but I do hear "I don't like it" before it ever enters his mouth. I put everything on their plates. They say it takes something like 17 tries before you develop a taste for something you initially don't care for. Therefor, it is going on the plate. We used to do the three bite rule. You have to take three bites of everything (this is for nights we don't FEEL like eating) on your plate. We recently switched to the dice. I read about the dice in Parents Magazine( I think???). They get to roll for bites. Yes, we love it!!! He usually ends up eating all of his food just so he can keep playing.

The last tip I have is on yogurt. We buy tubs of vanilla yogurt and mix in our own fruit. Frozen blueberries are a favorite around here, but whatever works. Vanilla has much less sugar than the premixed yogurts you can buy. Also, think about a green smoothie. My friend Cori shared her recipe with me, and with her permission I will pass it on to whoever wants it. My kids love it and NO it doesn't come out green.

Now tell me what you know!!

All of two years

This is for Joe. Joseph. Joe-B-One-Kanobie. Stinky Bear and so on. I honestly can't believe you are two. These have been the fastest two years of my life. We have been through so many changes and you have rocked along right with us. I can't possibly tell you how much I love you, I can't possibly. What I can tell you are all of the little things I love about you. I love that you are funny and you know it. I love that you tell me all the time "Joe funny". I love that you get all that funny from your Daddy. I love that you are a fighter. That you have been sick for half of your life and it never slows you down. I love that the day we checked you into the hospital you were swinging from the end of Dr. Milner's table like a monkey crying "weeeeee". I love how you love your brother. I love that the first thing you say in the morning is "Json(Jackson) till nigh nigh?". You know he is part of you. You know he is everything you are not and that makes you both better people. I love that you never give up. You see a ten year old do something at the park and you see absolutely no reason why you can't also do the monkey bars. You are a bruiser and you have a big heart. You look like a little angel with your strawberry blond curls and you have a black eye half the time. Your smile lights up a room. You will make people smile. You will make people laugh. You will always be a Mamma's boy (but I won't tell). I believe uncle Jeremy said it best "Joe, will be the guy you call on a Friday night, because he will always know whats shakin". Joseph, you love life and there is no question about that. I know you will be an explorer and that is going to give me about 100 heartattacks along the way, but I am loving every minute of this ride with you. I love you one million baby boy. Happy Birthday "B"!
Mommy