I Can Breathe

Literally, that is.  I have mono.  Isn't that totally ridiculous?  I am a 30 something year old mother of three that has mono.  I thought that only teenagers got this?  Not suprisingly I am wrong - just like last year when I thought that only children got pink eye.  Nope.

Anyway, it is an awesome day.  I am no longer using 35 tissues every day and the windows are finally open! 

I love that!

Scenes From The Week

I'm trying to do better with my picture a day gig so I've gotten into the habit of lugging my camera around with me.

Here's Monday thru Friday:

Waiting for Big Sister to get done with religious ed. class.

Our regular dinner guests.  My husband really hates toys at the table.  As for myself
I pick and choose my battles.

Legos during lunchtime.  My 4 yr old is starting to get into them.  I loved Legos as a kid and think
that they are still a great toy.

Hungry Hungry Hippos.  Not surprisingly much cheaper than when I was young.  And I'm not talking
price either.

My oldest and her Squinkies.  I find these things in the most peculiar places.

And today, another preschool party for my boy at the local bounce place.  He's already bouncing off the walls so I can only imagine what some cake and juice are going to do to add to the insanity!

Why am I so Cheap?

I ask myself that question quite a bit. 
I rarely treat myself to things. 
I remember being young and my mom would take us shopping a lot but would never buy anything for herself.  It was always stuff for me or my sister and I'm the same way.  I actually get more pleasure out of buying things for my kids and seeing them happy.

Of course I don't want my children to be "spoiled" and sometimes we have had several meltdowns in stores when I announce that just because we have to go somewhere does not necessarily mean that there will be treats bought.  That's a whole other story though...

I recently found a pair of ballet style TOMS.  You can see them here.  So pretty and I really like their philosophy.  But holy crap, 79 bucks?  That's craziness.  I don't think I've spent more than $40 on a pair of shoes since I got my first "real" job graduating college.  I just don't know if I can do it.

I have also agonized over a Smith and Hawken weaved wooden pumpkin in Target around October. I told my husband all about it and when I was finished he asks "so how much was it?"  I say "oh, 8 dollars"  and he just rolls his eyes.  I know, ridiculous.  Although I know that he can appreciate me being like this more often than not! 

I am very grateful that at the moment I can torture myself with these types of decisions instead of trying to decide whether I should pay the electric bill or by groceries like many people these days.

Who knows, I may just get them after all...

It's Valentine Day

Well I had some plans to do for the kids this morning but really only accomplished one thing.
Banana pancakes.  And I'm happy to say that they were a hit with everyone.
Procrastination.  It gets me every time.


These came on Monday morning...

It only took 6 and a half years of marriage to get flowers from the husband!
Truthfully though, I not a big valentine's day or flowery type girl.  But I do love them!

I Am Not Eating That

I hear that phrase from my 7 year old at least 4 out of the 5-6 nights I make dinner.
It starts while I am preparing the meal and doesn't end until it stares her in the face at the table.

It's starting to get a little old... but won't be stopping any time soon.

Last night I made a recipe that I had 'pinned' during another episode of time wasting on my part.  Chicken Broccoli Supreme from this blogger.  And it doesn't use any of the cream of chicken, mushroom, etc. types of soup.

The picture looked like a crowd pleaser.  What's not to love about recipe that includes chicken, butter, cheese, and not a load of preservatives?

Turns out that she was "not eating that".   

Our Afternoons

This was one of my pictures for Project 365 earlier this week. 
 It's what most of our afternoons have been looking like lately.

A great 25 bucks spent

I used to have a lovely little crockpot.  Round, white, a gift from our wedding.  Then one day I accidentally let the cord slip onto a hot burner on the stove and a strange smell, albeit a familiar one, filled my heart with a second of panic.  The result?  An unusable crockpot, or so I thought.  But wait, I could save it with a roll of electrical tape I thought to myself.  And that's exactly what I did.
             
Fast forward a couple of days when I plugged it in and to my horror big flashes of hot white sparks fly out of the outlet.  It was over.  I had to buy a new one. 

I really love this

Wishing I could be enjoying one right now but the husband and son are off to Cabela's and I'm stuck at home waiting on big sister to get off the school bus and entertaining little sister until she does. 


I'll be so sad when we are no longer living 5 minutes from getting one of these delicious wastes of cash!  But they are so worth it and I can justify just about anything.


On a side note I am not really stuck at home.  We have two other vehicles.  One I don't consider safe to strap a carseat into and another 2 and a half ton truck that I refuse to learn how to drive.  So my 'stuckness' is really of my own doing.

A Little Behind

I thought about doing the Project 365 last year, about midway through January, and then thought well since I've already lost a few weeks why start now?  Then I came across it again this year on a blog that I just started checking in with and thought to myself this is the year.

This was Monday.  The kids didn't have school and we tried our best to stay away from the television.

Oh sure, I've missed a day here or there, but I'm going to continue.  I don't think missing a few pictures constitutes giving up on an entire year.

Delicious

I know.  This looks totally disgusting doesn't it?

But I promise that it's not.  It's called Buffalo Chicken Dip and I got the recipe from my husband's Aunt.  It goes something like this....

2  10 oz. cans of chicken, drained
2  8 oz. packages of cream cheese
1c ranch dressing ( I only use Hidden Valley)
1 1/2 c  shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c  celery, sliced thin
1/4 c  shredded carrots
onion and garlic powder to taste
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 - 1c  hot sauce  (I only use Frank's Red Hot)

Heat the chicken and hot sauce in crockpot.  Add remaining ingredients and cook on low until melted and combined.

I usually break the chicken up when I have it in the crockpot and I don't measure anything anymore, I just dump it in.  You won't be disappointed.  It's good on tortilla chips, cracker, veggies, and really just about anything.

Oh, and I know the cinnamon seems out of place but believe me don't omit it because once you taste a batch that doesn't have it you'll know that something is missing!

A Thursday Night

After baths and if they are good all 3 get a little "Angry Birds" time.  Seeing a four year old like this still seems a tad bizarre to me.  Wonder what it will be like 10 years from now because truthfully, technology scares me a little.

We Rang It In

A new year is always full of new promises for me.  And I'm not really one of those people that ever got "into" it.  It wasn't really all that big of a deal.

But this year will definitely be different.  So many changes are coming.  So many that I am not happy about but am hoping that will get better with time.

My husband's family and our family trekked down to MD to visit my sister-in-law and her family for a little New Year's celebration.  It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast with their cousins.  It was a great end to 2011 and for once I wasn't sick!

So to 2012 I suppose all I can say is bring. it .on.