Menu Plan Monday--August 31, 2009

It will be an interesting week, as it's the first full-week my little boy will be in school. He had 3 days last week. That, plus my hubby is back in class 2 nights a week. I expect my family to be exhausted by Friday! We're all due for some good homemade meals (especially after 3 nights of eating junk for dinner last week).

I also made a batch of these Apple-Spice Muffins to try for a breakfast choice this week. We sampled them with Sunday's dinner, and they were pretty tasty.

For lunches, I'm making this Cheesy Egg and Rice Bake to enjoy throughout the week. I need to use up my cottage cheese, so I'm hoping it's as good as it's rated.

Monday: Crockpot Greek Chicken, (I alter the recipe slightly) green beans

Tuesday: Pasta Night

Wednesday: Crockpot Cola Chicken as sandwiches, baked beans

Thursday: Macaroni-Bean Skillet, bread sticks, raw carrots w/ ranch

Friday: Southwestern Pie

Cuteness Is...

Cousins enjoying each other's company

Goodbye, Summer. I'm Adjusting

I loved how Sue made her "See Ya Summer" post, so in hopes that she doesn't mind, I'm copying her idea.

For me, summer unofficially begins when kids get out of school, and unofficially ends when kids go back to school.

As you know, this year our oldest is in school full-time now, so he is a part of that group. Still feels weird.

Summer began with Aidan's preschool graduation. It was wonderful & we felt so very happy with our preschool choice. Because of how much he loved preschool, that is when we decided full day kindergarten would be best for him. (even though I've been convincing myself all summer;)

Then it all whirled together, feeling like it was going by so slowly, but looking back, it flew by.

We had:

Safety Town

Aidan lost his first tooth

Aidan played soccer

I cut my hair

Brennan transitioned from crib to big boy bed

We traveled to Milwaukee to visit my great friend Alison, 2 weeks later we went to NC to visit John & Erin & kids, then 2 weeks later we went to Gatlinburg.

It was a busy summer of traveling, but we really enjoyed each trip.

Day-to-day life felt hectic. Pat was in class all summer, and each class was like a mini-session, progressive and requiring nonstop work. He was gone a lot for class, studying, or working on a project or paper.

We missed him.

His schedule was very humbling for me. I often felt very weak for not handling it better. I was more or less playing single parent, and I grew frustrated and impatient with it. I think of my weakness, then think of military families or parents who truly are single parents, and I feel quite weak admitting that.

Weak, but true, however. No matter how much you love your kids, it's not an easy task to be the only adult with them constantly. I know many of you know that. I felt guilty for feeling frustrated, but I think it's really just normal.

Summer was nice, but I do feel ready for fall. Aside from it being my favorite season, I welcome the return of a normal, predictable routine. It's a routine were just now learning, but so far so good.

Aidan is on his 3rd day of kindergarten, and he really seems to enjoy it. He did ve

ry well yesterday & I hope today is another good day.

Pat started back to class this week, too, and one of his classes he seems very comfortable with.

Brennan & I have noticed the house feels different without Aidan around, but we're learning to take advantage of our one-on-one time. It's crazy how much bigger Brennan seems to me without his big brother around. With just Brennan around, he helps out more, and I am seeing how much smarter he is, too.

We're adjusting to fall. Summer was nice, but I'm glad it's unofficially over.

How about you?

First Day of Kindergarten!

It is with such mixed emotion that I write this post.

One part of me wants to say that he was my colicky baby. I held him and listened to him scream for 4 straight months, sometimes thinking about my life without him. My "simple" life before he came along. I think about the times he frustrates me during the day, picks a fight with his brother, or refuses to go to the bathroom alone, even though I'm a whopping 10 feet away.

The bigger part of me, though, is thinking "how did my once colicky baby grow up so fast?!" I want to hold him longer, hug him more, and tell him how much I'll be missing him. I want to tell him that when we left the school today, Brennan cried and said his name over & over. I want to tell him that I cried, too, but not as much as I did the last 2 nights.

I want to make him know and feel just how much we love him, how much he means to our little family. He is the oldest child, and this is new for all of us.

Aidan is truly a blessing. My little kindergartner.

Instead of all those things, today I'll pick him up at 3:15 and ask too many questions about his day. I'll casually say we missed him, then ask the names of his new friends. I'll hug him, but not too tight. I'll find a super cool snack and let him watch The Magic School Bus before doing his homework (yes, homework already).

Tomorrow we'll do it all over again.

According to the schedule, Aidan is about to eat lunch right now. I hope he enjoys it and has fun at recess. Lunch here isn't the same without him, but he is doing his job and hopefully working hard.

Here is to a great new school year!

Staying Busy

I think I subconsciously tricked myself into staying busy today.

Aidan starts school tomorrow, and my mommy-nerves have kicked in. I have been cleaning all day (though my house is still plenty-a-mess), and now Aidan & I just made some Banana Oat Bread. It's in the oven, so the house should start smelling great any time now. :) Plus he'll have something yummy to eat for breakfast on his first day of school.

But seriously, I think I know I'll miss him, etc, so instead of doing something spectacular today, I've been productive. I cleaned the bathroom, changed & washed our bedroom sheets, de-cluttered the bedrooms, organized some toys, put away laundry, and sorted out outgrown clothes of the boys.

Here I thought I'd be doing that stuff tomorrow. You know, trying to make the time pass quickly until I can pick Aidan up from school and see for myself that he had a good day & made friends.

SIGH. Deep breath in...deep breath out.

At least I still have plenty to organize tomorrow. I think I'll aim for the coat closet and maybe the linen closet. We'll see how busy I need to feel. I'll definitely enjoy the one-on-one time with Brennan.

Oh, on a side note, in my busyness today, I saw that Stacey cut her hair and is looking smokin' hot. Nice 'do, girl. And she is looking mighty thin, too.

Only 2 more hours now until we head over for Back to School Night & Orientation. Phew. I am ready to have this over with, come home, get the boys to bed, then drink some wine and enjoy chips & salsa.

Tomorrow our new schedule begins.

Menu Plan Monday --August 24, 2009

This week is very monumental for us. Our oldest is starting school full time - kindergarten! I have been one emotional momma, saying many prayers for a great year & fast-friends to be found. Feel free to say a prayer and/or cross your fingers along with me. And let me add that this week I am grateful for Barefoot Pinot Grigio. ;)

Monday: Wild Rice & White Bean Medley, peas, apple slices,

Tuesday: Crockpot Beans as Tacos

Wednesday: Aidan's choice! 1st day of school

Thursday: Cilantro Orzo & Beef

Friday: Pasta Night

Six Pounds Makes a BIG Difference

Much more than I thought.

You all know I've grown accustomed to doing the shred. What can I say? I love the work-outs and the short amount of time it requires. It just really works with my schedule right now.

I've done all 3 levels. Not to perfection, but I have done each level consistently since May.

I only had two 5-pound weights, so that's what I've used. 10 pounds total still made for a good stress on my muscles.

I was getting bored with level 3 (even though I was nowhere near perfection with it), and believe it or not I had skipped the shred for almost 8 days.

You can go ahead & pick your jaws up off the floor.

I have implemented my new plan. :)

See that? Ignore the dorky aspect of the picture (I was trying to look tough...ha!). I'm showing my 8-pound weights! 3 more pounds per weight, and I'm shredding now with 6 extra pounds than before. (oh yeah, and ignore the upside down 8)

I have started back to level 1 using the 8-pounders, trying to follow Natalie the entire time.

You can laugh at me now, because let me say I did not expect 6 pounds to make such a difference. WOW. I did it just once so far, and I am sore. Even my legs. Doing those darned squats with the weights, and my legs are yelling at me for a sauna or something.

I plan to start today without missing a day. I am back to counting my points as of today (took time away while vacationing), and I hope to shred each day. I really enjoy it, and my body is finally to a point where it craves exercise. I can say in all honesty I didn't think I'd reach this point again. I have not been to this point since I danced in high school.

Oh, and please note that the picture was taken after I exercised, so I'm sweaty and icky.

I do shower, I swear. ;)

Gatlinburg

I've been working on this Gatlinburg post since Tuesday (actually Monday night when we uploaded the pictures), but there was stress from our car, messed up routine, etc.

To sum it up, the trip we weren't sure about going on was actually really nice.

It was great to see my family, and we all got along pretty well. We enjoyed playing games (girls ruled in Taboo, once again!), Aidan & Brennan loved seeing their cousins, and my parents really seemed to enjoy just watching everyone hang out together.

The timeshare room was absolutely gorgeous...seriously beautiful. It was over 2,000 square feet, and the decor was pretty nice. We were in the Presidential Suite.

We left feeling like a little more time would have been nice, which is good when you think of the alternative. ;) So overall no complaints (except our car's a/c breaking with 5 hours still to drive home)

Picture Time:

View from gorgeous time share balcony

inside the suite

kitchen area, with full-sized appliances and nice island

the boys! I love this one. Jack, Aidan, Sebastian

Jack playing in the sprinklers

Sebastian & Perpetua having a blast in the water

My Dad! LOL His expression cracks me up

Me with the knife...watch out!

Most of the kids, playing the Wii

Me with my 2 goddaughters, Addie & Haleigh

Sneaky & Deceptive

As in The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious.

With the task of packing school lunches looming over me, I have kind of slipped into a mini panic zone.

Having traveled so much this past summer, my kids have sort of fallen into a not-eating-so-healthy way. While I make sure I eat a lot of veggies and healthy foods, I am guilty of not ensuring the same for my kids.

It's easy enough to say "well hey, they're kids. They need more fat in their diet than I do".

True. But they need the good, healthy fats. Not the foods I've been feeding them.

I know there is a big-time connection between behavior, grades, and what we eat. I still feel it. When I eat well, it really does reflect in my moods. When I eat poorly, it's likely you'll see a crabby Sharon.

So today I reserved a copy of each book from our library. I hope to sample some of these recipes over the weekend. I really hope my boys will not only eat at least one of them, but I hope they also enjoy them. For the record, I have no problem telling them what's in each meal. I'm not trying to be sneaky. Rather, I am trying to find ways for them to eat veggies and find they like the taste of it.

The Sneaky Chef had this recipe for free on site today: Cheesy Lunchbox Muffins. I plan to try it (I'll update with feedback)

Have you used either book? Any recipes worth trying?

I'm making a mental list of what to prepare for breakfasts and school lunches.

Stress. (Alright, maybe not that bad, but it's new to me. I'll be good in about a week.)

Wordless Wednesday: scenes from the road

Look!

We pulled in our driveway last night (from our Gatlinburg trip), and we saw this fun little surprise:
Ah! Aidan was excited to see the sign & know his school is excited that he is going there. :) Not to mention it finally made me feel excited about him going to kindergarten.
I didn't know they were putting out any signs or anything. This made it a little more exciting.

Later today I can go (hopefully) find out who his teacher is, and one week from today is Back-to-School night and Orientation.

Hot diggety dog. We're starting on a whole new world.

Well now I need to unpack and get stuff done.
Pictures from our trip to come!

What else would you do?

Nap? No way!
How about demolish the room?Instead of napping, Brennan takes a "quiet time". Only it's not been so restful & quiet lately. In true not-napping fashion, Brennan spends that time opening the closet doors, pulling his brother's shirts off the bar, throwing them around the room, and trying to push the hangars underneath the door.
He also throws his pillows & blankets to the floor, pushes over the little table between their beds, and misplaces the floor vent. Oh, let's not forget peel the border off the wall. Yeah. That one takes more patience for him to achieve.
He is not fussing or screaming, mind you. This is all fun for him.

What else would a 2 year old do?
Not actually nap, right?
(by the way, when Aidan was this age, he would nap on average 3 hours a day. Every. Single. Day.)

Wacky Wednesday

Wacky, because it feels like Thursday. Yesterday felt like Wednesday, today feels like Thursday.

This is going to be a random post. I've been a slacker in posting lately, probably becoming quite boring. I think once school starts I'll get back into a routine (I'm always better on teacher-time).
So my apologies for becoming a boring, infrequent blogger. Thanks for sticking around. :)

Let the randomness begin:

Have I mentioned my 2 year old no longer naps? He refuses. Sometimes he'll fall sleep if we're in the car, but when I try to get him to nap at home, no way. Instead he demolishes his room, or jumps on his bed. 2:30-5:00 can be such an exhausting time.

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Know what feels good? Soaking your feet in a basin of nearly hot water, mixing in some Menthol/Eucalyptus Sea Salts. It is relaxing, smells good, and makes your feet nice. :) I did this one night after power-walking, and it was great. Plopped myself down on the couch, soaked my feet, watched tv...ahh.

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Speaking of exercise, I wound up skipping the shred for nearly 4 days, as well as missed my walking. I felt ginormous last night. It put me in a bad mood. That whole exercising-releases-endorphins-that-make-you-happy thing must be true. It's also a sad realization that my body is to a point where it needs the physical training almost daily, or it starts to expand again rather quickly. Certainly wasn't that way in high school. Oh well. My monthly visitor isn't helping any. (someone please tell me bloating IS real?!)

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One of my favorite things about fall (just around the corner!) is the tv schedule coming back. While I've been enjoying the summer shows The Closer and Hawthorne, I am looking forward to regular tv coming back. Yesterday I looked up premier dates for most of my shows. :) That made me happy. I'll be posting those soon. The shows include: Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Private Practice, Glee, Law & Order: SVU, CSI NY (Sue got me hooked on that one), 90210, Cold Case, House, & I may be forgetting something. What are you planning to watch?

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Today may be a day that results in a need for chocolate. I am going to search for a new, yet on-sale, swimsuit. Ick. I HATE shopping for a swimsuit. It's hard to feel attractive with all my gorgeous stretch marks. ;) And apparently there is supposed to be a separation part from your booty to the top of your legs. Who knew? All of my shredding & I still have yet to see that separation. I think I'll be buying some Skinny Cow ice cream at the store today.

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We leave for Gatlinburg on Friday. While I know Gatlinburg is beautiful and fun, the timing isn't the best, and I hate being guilted into something. The money right now could really be used better in other areas, but family is more important than money. Timing is just annoying. I do have a goal in Gatlinburg to hit the pool & try to help Aidan get over his fear of the water.

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I'm annoyed it's still another week until we find out who Aidan's teacher will be. I think I'm freaking out a bit much over him starting kindergarten. I do think it's best, what we've decided. I really hope he comes home his first day full of excitement and with stories of his newly-made friends. I wish I lived closer to my side of the family. That first day of school I'd go bug my mom or sister.

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Aside from all of my complaining, my husband is on break from school and it is so nice having him home after work. He is more pleasant without the stress from school, and Aidan certainly needed some hard-core Daddy time. We had a little at-home date the other night, consisting of ice cream and watching Fast and Furious. The ice cream was good, the movie was OK, but the time together was really nice. I forgot how much easier it is with 2 parents around. I love not having to do cooking dinner/dinner/clean up/bath/bed by myself.

That's the end of my randomness for now. My over-tired crabby children are bickering (music to a mother's ears, right?), so I better go before someone starts crying.
Have a good Wednesday!

Menu Plan Monday--August 10, 2009

Monday: Meatloaf Muffins, potatoes, green beans

Tuesday: Pasta Night

Wednesday: Grill out with some friends?

Thursday: Vegetable Quesadillas

Friday: Leave for Gatlinburg??

We had a fun, exhausting weekend visiting my brother & sister-in-law. We went out on their boat yesterday, coming home with shiny sunburns to show for it. ;)

I am very happy this week, because my husband is actually home every night. He is on break from school, and we have him home for dinner every single day. I didn't realize how much I was missing him until this weekend-we were all together and he was stress-free.

Since he's off school, I'm including some of his favorites-the meatloaf muffins, and vegetable quesadillas.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

Words You Don't Want to Hear from Your Child

"Hey moooomm?! I just pulled your toothbrush from the toilet".

And yes, I actually debated about using this toothbrush again. After all, I ran it through the dishwasher.

Instead, I am on my way to the store to purchase a new one.

The timing is fitting. We have dental cleanings tomorrow, anyway.

Wordless Wednesday: The Look

3

3 is a magic number, isn't it?

3: the number I count to until my children could earn a time-out.

3: the number of years ago this month we found out I was pregnant with Brennan.

3: the number of years ago this month our 2nd baby was due. (meaning I'd have a baby turning 3 in 2 weeks)

3: the number of years ago this month Pat accepted a job offer, relocating us to Ohio.

3:the number of years apart between Aidan & Brennan.

3: the age Aidan was in his uncle's wedding, 2 years ago now

3: the number of levels to the shred (I'm a shred-head, I know)

3: in 3 weeks from today, we'll be going to New Family Orientation at Aidan's school.

3 weeks from tomorrow is his first day of school, full-day. *sob*

3. Three. Thrice.

So much has happened in 3 years. August always marks those times for me. Good and bad, alike.

Right now I feel like I'm counting down the last 3 weeks. Aidan is growing up, and I need to let him. I just never knew growing pains could be felt so much on the parenting end. They don't really tell you that at the baby showers, do they?

On a happier note, 3 is the number of petals typically found on a clover, clovers are abundant in Ireland, and I love Ireland. So there. :)

Menu Plan Monday--August 3, 2009

Monday: Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings
Tuesday: Pasta Night (meatless)
Wednesday: Crockpot Beans as Tacos w/ all the fixins
Thursday: Parmesan-Crusted Pork, potatoes, green beans
Friday: Oatmeal Pancakes, fruit

Laura is the usual host for MPM, but this week The Happy Housewife is filling in. :) Click on over for many, many menu plans.

Who is Who? Guess!

Reply in the comments.
I'll send $1.00 (ha! one dollar...) to the person that guesses correctly.
Which one is Aidan? Brennan?

If more than one person guesses correctly, I'll do a random number generator drawing. ;)

The Day Trip

2.5 hours in the car never felt long before...until yesterday. ;)
It wasn't too bad, actually, but Brennan made it known that he did not want to be going any where.

We headed to Columbus yesterday (Pat had to go for work), so we took advantage of it and visited with Bethany and toured Easton again. It was great to see Bethany again. The brave girl endured Brennan's tantrums and Pat & I bickering like old married people.
If she still talks to me after yesterday, then I'm impressed. (ha ha)
Columbus is pretty nice, but I quickly learned just how used to non-cities I've become. Not that we live in the sticks or anything, but big cities with crazy traffic is not what I'm used to. And honestly, I'm not so sure I enjoy it. To visit, yes, but not for every day life.

While Pat was in his meeting, Bethany & I wound up taking the boys to a Barnes & Noble. Thank God they offer a train table! We had lunch after that, meeting back up with Pat, then made our way to Easton. Pat visited the Apple store, I was amazed at the size of the Tiffany's there, and we sat around the fountain for a bit. We also let Aidan play in the sprinklers-very cute. He had a blast.
Brennan was more afraid of them, but he loved watching the train.
After that we attempted to eat at an Applebee's.
We left.
Brennan's behavior was bad (it was his witching hour, after all), but worse, the service was terrible. Even if I didn't have restaurant experience, I would know it was horrible service.
They weren't even that busy, yet we were not greeted for quite a while after entering the restaurant. Then, once we were finally greeted, they took someone else instead of talking with us first. They finally took our name, but never quoted us a wait time.
It was horrible.
They ought to be so glad we weren't secret shoppers. They would have earned a big fat "F".

Brennan fell asleep in the car, so guess where we wound up eating? (I'm almost embarrassed to say)
SONIC.
It was Bethany's first time. I hope she enjoyed it. I did, and it's a good thing since I don't let myself eat that stuff too often.

We are home again and had yet another busy day, but such is life, right?

The Kid is Sick of Traveling

As soon as Brennan realized we were on yet another road trip yesterday (minutes after pulling out of our driveway), he vehemently started to protest:
"Noooo!!!! Go Back!!!! Nooo!!! Go Back!!!"
followed by:
"No highway! all done!"

It kinda broke my heart a little bit.

Yesterday was just a day trip, too. But Brennan has made up his mind, at least for now. He does not want to be in the car or his car seat for extended periods of time any more.

After a 7 hour trip to Milwaukee & back, then a 14 hour trip to North Carolina & back, I almost don't blame him.

Even with a movie playing, special travel snacks, etc, he has reached his limit.

This kind of presents us with a problem.

You see, my parents have reserved 2 units of their Gatlinburg timeshare for almost all of us (meaning siblings & their families), just 2 weeks from now.
Gatlinburg is a beautiful place, and I know it's a fun destination.
I know I enjoy the company of my family, too. I know that my kids would have fun playing with their cousins, and that yes, the trip can be done inexpensively.

I know all of that, but my mother won't believe me when I say I know all that.
If I mention that it may be best for us not to make this trip in 2 weeks, she will proceed to tell me that she really wants us there, and that there is no reason we should feel awkward, etc.

We don't feel awkward, but she will most likely make it out to be that, despite my efforts to inform her otherwise. (I love my mom! I really do!)
It's happened like this several times now.

Truthfully, I'm starting to think it's best for my little family if we slow down before Aidan & Pat go back to school.
Pat's final is this week, and he will only have off around 2 weeks before starting up again.
He has hardly had a break from school, since he's gone through all summer.
He needs a break. Some down time to just relax and not run around.
And call it selfish, but we want that as a family, too, before Aidan starts school full time.
Aidan's first day of kindergarten is August 26. That's not leaving a ton of time.

Aside from the much-needed down time, there are many things we need to get done around the house. I can do a lot solo, but there are things that Pat needs to do, or that we need to do together (broken garbage disposal, yard work, floor work, bathtub repair).

What to do?

I know if it was up to Brennan, he would say stay home!
Truthfully, it's starting to sound mighty good. Not that I don't want to see my siblings & their families. It's just that we need some time to slow down (& our poor, only car is taking a beating, too).
For the family that does read my blog, you know I love you, your kids, and getting to see you. Please don't think otherwise.
Besides, I'm planning a trip to SC with just Aidan this fall. It may actually fall over Haleigh's birthday. ;)

I'm hoping Brennan starts to enjoy traveling more as he outgrows the car seat and can be more mobile in the car. Pat & I love to travel, and we have too much family out of state to not travel.

I'm willing to bet that 2 weeks from now we'll still be in Gatlinburg, as planned. I don't know for sure.
Until then, I plan to keep the kids out of the car as much as possible!

Do you travel a lot with your kids? How do they handle it? Do you break up longer trips?