Thursday, October 25, 2007

Thursday Thirteen--Favorite TV Characters

I'm somewhat of a TV addict, thanks to the dvr. So for this week I made a list of 13 of my favorite TV characters! (many are not current shows) Any of these your favorites, too?

Archie Bunker (All in the Family) (*the most politically incorrect character I know! lol)
Punky (Punky Brewster)

Kramer (Seinfeld)

Monica (Friends)

Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

Dr. Bailey (Grey's Anatomy)

Dwight (The Office)

Pam (The Office)

Jim (The Office...can't help it!)

Bob Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show)

Jim Ignatowski (Taxi)

Tony (Who's the Boss?)Marie (Everybody Loves Raymond)Go here for Thursday 13 fun.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Last Night's Beauty


The sky.
I quickly ran outside last night to get pictures before it was dark.
Isn't it just gorgeous?

Who ME?!

As we were scanning our items at Kroger this morning, the check-out lady said something to Aidan about his candy and skinny mommy. Me!? Was she talking about me?

I was called skinny. I was called skinny. Me. Today.
I haven't been called that in a long time.

I gave her the biggest smile and told her she made my day.

I also told her I do Weight Watchers, which she showed some interest in.

By the way, I had my weigh in last night. And guess what? I'm down now a total of thirty pounds. :)

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Giddy-Up!

Getting ready to drive Pat back to work after lunch today, Aidan started to rush outside before we were ready to accompany him.

Politely, Pat said to him, "Just hold your
horses,"

To which Aidan replied, "
What horses?!".

I love the mind of a three
& a half year old. :)

Monday, October 22, 2007

Some Weekend Fun

Reading around the blogosphere, it seems we're not the only ones who enjoyed this past fall weekend! It's great that so many are out & about, taking advantage of nature and fall. I love fall!

This weekend we were so busy. You always know a busy weekend by the way you feel after. Today I've been sore and exhausted! lol.

It actually began Friday night. Nothing major, but after dinner we went to JCPenney to hit their sale. Aidan was in major need of jammies, and we were able to get 2 pair for around $8! That's a deal. ;) We don't normally go out after dinner, as it sets back the boys' bedtime. This alone was exciting for them.

We were all looking forward to Saturday. On Saturday we went to a local Fall Fest. Best of all, we met fellow mom & blogger Crystal (Proud Catholic Mommy) along with her two boys! It was great to meet another blogger in real life. :) (we had a blast, Crystal!) I enjoyed Crystal's company, and Aidan sure loved playing with her two boys, Ethan & Alex. They explored a firetruck &police car together, decorated cookies, had their faces painted, and enjoyed the clown making them balloon swords. They were so cute to watch, playing together like instant friends. We sure hope to get together again soon!As if Saturday wasn't enough fun & excitement, Sunday we headed off to Cedar Point. Cedar Point does Halloweekends this time of year, and it's so cool. I love it in October!Aidan really enjoyed all the kid rides. This year his new ride was the Tilt-A-Whirl, which happens to be one of my favorites. I was so proud of him! I thought he was getting nervous while we were spinning so fast, but once it was over, he said "my like this ride. Let's go again!".
That's my boy. :)
Brennan also went on his first amusement park ride. All four of us went together. A mini-boat ride. Extremely low key, but it was fun because it was the only ride we were all on together (aside from the train).

Great, exhausting weekend. Way too warm for this time of year (84 degrees at Cedar Point...84!), but tons of fun.Aidan is already excited for next weekend. They get to wear their costumes to Sunday school, along with bring in a treat! I'm thinking of making these.I hope you're enjoying the last bit of October. Have a great week! Sleep tight. I'm off to catch some zzz's.

Menu Plan Monday--October 22, 2007

Welcome! I'm hopefully for this week's menu Last week we steered off plan twice. Bad for the budget, and bad for my weight loss. :( Especially considering it was fried chicken and pizza, consecutively. Hmm...
So new week, new willpower, right? Here is our menu:
Monday: Maple Glazed Pork, apples on the side, corn & green beans
Tuesday: Crockpot Creamy Ranch Potatoes & Chicken
Wednesday: Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas
Thursday: Chicken Garden Saute
Friday: Potato Soup & Sandwiches

Thanks for stopping by. :) Have a great Monday! Please visit The Organizing Junkie for more menu plans.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Man Meme

Copying from Stacey (thanks, Stacey!), this is my Friday Fun. :)
I'm also not tagging anyone, but let me know if you join in!

The Man Meme


1. Who is your man?
Patrick

2. How long have you been together?
Started dating September 18, 2000. Married June 21, 2003.

3. How long did you date?
Almost 3 years

4. How old is your man?
27

5. Who eats more?
Pretty sure I do. :( Although he can down a ton, too. He just doesn't gain the weight! (darn you!)

6. Who said “I love you” first?
Him? I think?

7. Who is taller?
Definitely Pat. He's 6'3". I'm only 5'4".

8. Who sings better?
Ah, God help us! Neither of us are talented in that area, but I'll place money on me.

9. Who is smarter?
Oh, this isn't a fair question! lol. We're both smart. I think I had better grades in school, but he learned more hands-on and seems to retain the info longer. He's pretty smart.

10. Whose temper is worse?
Mine, by far. I hate my temper. Patrick is calm, forever patient, and rarely loses his temper.

11. Who does the laundry?
Mostly me, but he does it if he's home when it needs to be done.

12. Who takes out the trash?
He does. :)

13. Who sleeps on the right hand side of the bed?
from the head of the bed, laying on it, he sleeps on the right.

14. Who pays the bills?
We used to both, but he does now. And SHOCK...our account has stayed on budget! He's much better at that sort of thing than I am. (wish I was better in this area)

15. Who is better with the computer?
Patrick, 100 times over! I would've never handled my online tutoring job without him. It'd mess up, and he'd come right over to help me. Sheesh. He's a genius with technology.

16. Who mows the lawn?
The landlord. :)

17. Who cooks dinner?
Monday-Friday, usually me. He does on the weekends.

18. Who drives when you are together?
It's pretty equal. I try to be OK w/ him driving more (seems emasculating to not let him). but I love to drive, so I often do.

19. Who pays when you go out?
Usually him, unless it's easier for me to. Money comes from the same place, though.

20. Who is most stubborn?
ME.

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?
Usually him, but I am working on it.

22. Whose parents do you see the most?
His. They live one hour away, mine live 12 hours away.

23. Who kissed who first?
Mutually at the same time. You can say him, though. It was in his car.

24. Who asked who out?
He asked me.

25. Who Proposed
He did.

26. Who is more sensitive?
I think he is, but I seem sensitive, too, because I am so temperamental.

27. Who has more friends?
TIE. Thankfully most of our friends are mutual friends.

28. Who has more siblings?
Me, by far. He is the oldest of THREE. I am the youngest of EIGHT.

29. Who wears the pants in the family?
As Stacey answered,
"Kind of a toss-up. I throw more fits and get my way more often, but I generally recognize that whatever he wants to do is what is definitely what's best for the family, so a full 99.9% of the time, he gets his way."

Yeah, What she said.

Half a YEAR

Brennan is 6 months old today. 6 months! I can't believe it.

The best things about the past 6 months & getting to know Brennan...
watching the bond form between him and Aidan
loving each and every smile he gives us
hearing him coo
Snuggling with him at night
amazement at the sudden way he stops fussing when Aidan
appears

Looking back, I can't believe I ever doubted the second child. It takes nothing away from Aidan. It only adds.
Brennan has been a tremendous blessing to our family.

Happy 6 months, Baby B!

(the day he was born!)

(1 month old)

(2 months old)

(3 months old)

(4 months old)

(5 months old)

(6 months old!)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

13 Things I Learned this Week

1. Christmas is just 2 months away. Time to get shopping! And I need an advent wreath...2. I don't like black, gross bugs crawling over my son's bed. Especially ones that squeeze out orange when you hit them with a shoe. In fact, I despise them!

3. I prefer Swiss International French Vanilla Cream to Coffee Mate.

4. I like pizza way too much. I gave into that craving
again. :(5. Once Upon a Child is an awesome store! I got my baby's costume there for $3!
6. Gas costs way too much. It's flat out $2.89 here right
now.

7. I like Barnes & Noble better than Books-A-Million & Bor
ders. 8. I have the cutest boys. Seriously.9. I don't miss living in Michigan that much. At all.

10. I miss my family & friends from South Carolina more each day. (a-hem, Jen and Sue!)


11. Organizing your children's toys truly makes more t
oys to play with. When the pieces are all together, they can actually play with that toy! Shock!

12. Pumpkin spice muffins are great this time of year. YUM. 13. Big Lots-great place for storage containers and puzzles. Cheap. :)
Go here for Thursday 13 Headquarters.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Monday, October 15, 2007

Cute Contest Time!

Andrea at The Laughs Will Go On is hosting a contest for a super cute shirt, size 18-24 months, from Uncommonly Cute. Check it out:Click here to enter the contest. :)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Menu Plan Monday--October 15, 2007

Here it is the middle of October already. Crazy!

Notes from last week's menu: Our make-your-own-pita-pizzas were so good. That will probably be on our menu more often. The honey-pineapple chicken was in the slow cooker for too long. We weren't too impressed. :( Those were the only new recipes. The rest we've had before, and they were only back on our menu because we liked them the first time around. ;)
This week:
Monday: Bean Burritos, chips & salsa
Tuesday: Soup & Sandwiches
Wednesday: Meatloaf Muffins, green beans, potatoes
Thursday:Grilled Apple Chicken
Friday: Spaghetti (whole wheat noodles) with marinara, broccoli on the side

Laura is the wonderful host of Menu Plan Monday. Check her site for more ideas and recipes!

Friday, October 12, 2007

They Made the "Worst" List

But they're still good in my book. ;)
I'm revealing some of inner-dork here. But yes, I actually do like these songs!

Here is my "They made the list, but I don't think they should be" list:

-#49 Right Said Fred, "I'm Too Sexy", 1992
(Ha! I'm too sexy for this list! So there!)
-#42 Simon & Garfunkel, "The Sounds of Silence", 1965
Their music is just classic. Come on. Forrest Gump agrees.-#41, Billy Joel, "We Didn't Start the Fire", 1989
Puh-lease. This song was, and alwa
ys will be, totally rad.
-#33, Aqua, "Barbie Girl", 1997
Don't know why. The ever-present invitation to party? Hmmm. Maybe more so because my oldest brother (19 years older than me) loved this song. Comical to me.
-#31, Crash Test Dummies, "MMMMMMM, MMMMMMMMMMM, MMMMM", 1994.
No other comment, except it was great because it was so weird. Plus I have memories of hearing it as late as 1999, on a tour bus in Austria!
-#24, Five for Fighting, "Superman", 2000.
Nah. I don't care what the critics say. I like it because of the sentiment of 9/11.
-#20, Lionel Richie, "Dancing on the Ceiling", 1986.
I'm an 80's kid. Who didn't like this song? "Oh, what a feeling..."
-#15, The Rembrandts, "I'll Be There For You", 1995.
FRIENDS. 'Nuff said.-#12, The Beach Boys, "Kokomo", 1988.
Anyone else remember Kermit the Frog singing this?-#5, Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby", 1990
No way. Without this, Weird Al would've
never done "rice rice baby, to go, to go...". I still play this every once in a while. Oh yea.-#3,Wang Chung, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", 1986.
Plenty of people still having fun tonight. I think I'll Wang Chung tonight. (ever see 13 Going on 30?)



And now, at the top of what I agree belongs on the worst list:
-"What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes (annoying)
-"I'd Do Anything for Love" by Meatloaf. (Gross. He freaked me out.)
-"Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something. (played way too much)


Thursday, October 11, 2007

TYLENOL RECALL--> Check your cabinets, Parents!

Tylenol Product Recall


*Concentrated Tylenol® Infants' Drops Plus Cold

*Concentrated Tylenol® Infants' Drops Plus Cold & Cough

*PediaCare® Infant Dropper Decongestant

*PediaCare® Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough

*PediaCare® Infant Drops Decongestant (containing pseudoephedrine)


*PediaCare® Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough


*PediaCare® Infant Drops Decongestant & Cough (containing pseudoephedrine)

Updated: Another article.
Parents who have the products in their medicine cabinets should throw them away, NBC's chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman told MSNBC Thursday. The risk occurs when parents confuse the droppers included with infant medications with larger medicine cups that are used for doses for older children and adults, she explained.
"Usually what we recommend are saline nose drops, humidifiers and time," she told MSNBC Thursday. "Truly, these cold viruses, [and] flu will go away on their own. If you just give it some time, a little TLC and lots of saline nose drops, your child will do just fine."

TLC usually includes some chicken noodle soup. See Jennifer's post for a great recipe, as well as ideas for helping your little one without the OTC meds.

13 Reasons I Love Thursdays

I've not done a Thursday Thirteen in a while, so here it is, for something fun today:

1. The Office is on!

2. Last day before the weekend

3. We have our mom-n-tot rosary group

4. Our newspaper lists all the weekend activities

5. Grey's Anatomy is on

6. Thursdays are usually a fun-dinner day, with meat

7. The "Thursday" feel...excitement for the weekend

8. I finalize my meals for the following week

9. I make my grocery list

10. Hubby's last day of needing a dress shirt (for three days). Thank God for casual Friday!

11. Pretty good blogosphere stuff. I love checking out some Throwback Thursdays.

12. At least this Thursday, it's a perfect fall day.

13. Did I mention The Office is on?!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Another Reason to Be the Advocate

For our children, especially.
Normally I write this in regards to vaccines, but it seems more important in today's world to educate ourselves on as many matters for our children's health as possible.

From the article:
U.S. children are receiving less than half the routine care they need, even if they are covered by health insurance, researchers said on Wednesday.
Shortfalls were seen in vaccinating children on time, providing recommended asthma care and even monitoring growth. Parents may need to read up on needed care and come in to checkups armed with checklists, Mangione-Smith said.

Good thing I already do go in with a checklist, eh?

Top 10 Attachment Parenting Challenges

This put a smile on my face. :)
Here's to all you fellow AP moms & dads.
Enjoy!

Being a parent who labels herself an Attachment Parent (AP), I follow Dr. Sears' prescription: Wear your baby, sleep with your baby, nurse your baby, and tend to your baby - for as long as they want you to. This parenting style goes against modern Western tradition, which includes letting a baby "cry it out," weaning from nursing or not nursing at all, having baby sleep in a crib, and leaving baby alone in a playpen.

I love my choice to parent with intuition and connection, but it comes with its trials. Following are ten AP challenges I've encountered so far…

10. Trying to explain how a baby carried in a sling will, indeed, learn how to crawl, walk, dance just like babies in strollers.

9. Feeling something's wrong when there's no one attached to my boob.

8. The Questions. On top of vegan-related questions ("is it really healthy to raise her vegan?"), people just naturally have questions about AP practices. "When are you going to wean her?" "When will you put her in her own bed?" "When are you going to put her down?" I should design a t-shirt that simply says, "When the baby wants to."

7. Public Displays of Boob (PDB). Nursing while grocery shopping, baby gets distracted, resulting in PDB.

6. Waking up shivering with half my body off the bed, next to baby and husband both splayed out with arms and legs outstretched, like sleeping jumping jacks.

5. AP Competition. "I've been wearing John for five days straight, nursing the equivalent of 20 gallons of milk and have mastered the art of changing his diaper in the sling!" "Ha! That's nothing! I just hiked Mount Shasta with Suzie in the sling, nursing her the whole way while dictating my book about the pros and cons of co-sleeping."

4. AP terminology. I'm not really "attached" to by baby; she nurses before she needs to "demand" it; and "co-sleeping" just sounds so academic.

3. Those fleeting feelings of doubt about this parenting style. Could she really crush me in my sleep? What if she doesn't wean until she leaves for college? Can I still call her vegan even though she drinks milk? What if after all this work she hates me?

2. Trying to convince my husband that I do really need a blue sling to match my blue dress… and a slick black sling to go to that wedding… and a white sling for summer…

1. And the Number 1 Challenge About Attachment Parenting. Those times when I feel so… well… detached.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

You Ignore Me, I'll Ignore YOU

A very immature attitude. Not necessarily following the golden rule, is it? Yet it seems, once again, we're humbled. It appears we're never too old to slip on that golden rule.

I've been playing that immature game with God lately. Correction: I was playing that game with Him. I would pray, and then start to think He was ignoring my prayers, and just hearing them and not helping. This went on for quite a while. So what happened? I stopped talking to Him. I stopped praying.

Isn't that bad? Sad? Both?

I know it is. I know from common sense. Most of all, I know from the way it felt when I started "ignoring back". Things didn't improve or get better. Instead, I walked around feeling worse, more lonely, more frustrated, less patient. How can that be good? It can't be. It wasn't. It's not.

There were several obvious signs yanking me back to chat with God. I tried to ignore them, but they became more inviting and more apparent. I think the big one came when we received a rosary in the mail (courtesy Food for the Poor), and along with it instructions on how to pray the rosary.

Yeah. BIG sign, right?

I was wheeled back in. Now I'm doing my best to stay there. We've been praying the rosary together daily, and I've been getting in some more personal prayer time, too.
And you know what? Things are getting better. Not fabulous, but I can clearly see how God is listening and helping now.

Rocket science, right?

This roller coaster reminds me of the saying, "If you feel distant from God, it isn't He who moved".

I've gone off path before, and being human, I'm sure it will happen again. Hopefully I will come back to this post and not stay distant for so long.
After all, it's just too tough world to make it alone. It's too hard to make it without some Divine Intervention.
Thank God He is so forgiving and full of mercy.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Menu Plan Monday--October 8, 2007

Good Morning! I hope you're off to good start this October. We are, with the exception of the weather being way too hot! What is with 90 degree weather in OCTOBER?! I don't like it.
We've been doing a good job of staying on plan with our meals. We've been enjoying some new recipes, and also incorporating more crockpot meals. I'm learning that I like using the slow cooker on Fridays. I never feel like cooking dinner on Fridays, so by doing it that way, it's sure to be dinner at home. ;)
Now for this week:
Monday: Make your own pizzas-on pitas, choice of cheese & veggie toppings (meatless meal)
Tuesday:
Slow Cooker Honey Pineapple Chicken (thanks to Laura for the recipe!)
Wednesday: Hamburger Cabbage Casserole
Thursday: Chicken with Honey Balsamic Glaze
Friday: Chili in the crockpot, corn muffins

Thank you for stopping by! I hope to make it around to your menus, too. As always, thanks to Laura for hosting MPM!


Wordless Wednesday


(I know I shared this one recently, but I just love this shot of Brennan!)

Monday, October 01, 2007

I Agree

Single-Gender Education Quite Effective

I love the idea of an all boys & all girls classroom.

When I was interviewing for my first teaching position, one of the schools separated like this from 3rd grade on. It was a huge attraction to me.
My sister went to an all-girls high school. Her boyfriend went to an all-boys high school.
I see so many benefits.

I hope when the time comes, we can go this route for our children. Especially for high school!

Menu Plan Monday--October 1, 2007

October!
I am so happy it's October. It's one of my favorite months. ;) Officially fall, and finally fall weather. Makes me smile.

With fall and cooler weather, we're including more soups and stews in our menu. Gotta love that crockpot!
Monday: Breakfast for Dinner (scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast & fruit)
Tuesday: Crockpot Chicken Vegetable Chowder, bread rolls on the side
Wednesday:
Vegetable Stir-fry over Brown Rice
Thursday: Cheesy Chicken Cups , sliced apples on the side
Friday: Vegetable Stew, bread rolls

Visit The Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.
Thank you for visiting!