Oh my....

Oh my goodness gracious....is what I say now that Jaime has said, "what the hell!" when referring to something totally shocking to him; like a toy he found that he had played with just minutes before but he forgot about it.

Oh my goodness gracious....I am a mom.  In the thick of it all.  A 1 year old who's vocabulary is so advanced its hard to remember he's only 1 especially when he says, "OOOOH SNAP!" when he dropped a Birthday card he had been playing with.  These days he's speaking almost better than my 3 year old who won't stop talking and has words I didnt know he ever knew.  "Spectacular" was one that nearly blew me over the other day.

Oh my goodness gracious..its so hard to keep the house clean every day!  I'm doing my best but its tough to clean up a house that looks like hurricane Sandy was here for a visit!  The boys are really good about cleaning up their toys - but laundry, dishes, dishwasher, muddy paws, litter box, diaper pail, pants that were accidently peed in, etc all take away time.  Not only that but  I went chemical free in my cleaning products here earlier this summer and while I really really love it, sometimes I wish I had a clorox wipe, toilet bowl cleaner and just a little pinesol. 

Oh my goodness gracious...Christmas is nearly here and I have no idea what I'm going to get my kids or ANYONE else for that matter.  Typically I have it all figured out by now and bought and done and done.  This year, nothing.  My christmas cards are out though!  Check!

Oh my goodness gracious....I have a half marathon in like less than three weeks and my feet are injured w/ Plantar Fasciitis.  Damn.  Luckily I have been running twice a week during work and at least once on the weekends for the past month and a half.  I'll finish, just hope my feet can hang in there.  Oh, and since we got 14 inches of snow yesterday there's no place to run outside anyway so I guess I have nothing to complain about I guess.  Back to the feet - I can't walk with my kids w/o shoes on right now so its running shoes every day all day for me!  My dogs are barkin' by the end of the day!

Oh my goodness gracious...Jaime is finally potty trained and FINALLY pooping in the potty!!  Horray Jaime!  Never thought I'd be excited about someone pooping in a plastic bucket in my kitchen in exchange for a "new Choo-choo" that I bought!  Someone should be paying ME!

Oh my goodness gracious...dinner?  No planning ever!!  Ok, so here it goes.  I was home with a sick John who has Croup (major sucky man - I really feel sorry for this kid at night).  So I worked from home - pulling double duty as a stay at home mom and full time worker - I ordered pizza.  Tomorrow...uummm..to mom and dads for dinner....YES!  Wednesday - no plans.  Thursday - no plans.  Friday - no plans.  Saturday - you guessed it, no plans!  That means I havent made a real trip to the grocery store in like a month and I'm spending way more than I should be because I'm not planning.  WINNING!!

Oh my goodness gracious...Paul is in finals so, yes, that too is sucky.  I wonder why he doesnt study at Perkins?

Oh my goodness gracious..I attend a book study regarding the book called "The Happiness Advantage".  Ann, you should read it and call me when you do. I have used most of the principals and I am a much better person - I've been studying and reading books on Happiness and Vulnerability for just about a year now and it changes my outlook on most things.  My favorite part of it is that everyday I list my three favorite parts of the day...top three.  Its awesome.  When Paul is on board with me its that much better but he jumps on and off the train pretty often - he's in law school, he's entitled to jump off.  But yes, you're right, positive attitudes ultimately make you happier :)

Oh my goodness gracious...what in the world am I thinking that I should get a new job!  I don't have time for that!!  But I'm bored w/ my current one so time to keep looking.  I have the first phase of interviewing for a job that I know nothing about tomorrow.  I'll do awesome, no worries.  Yikes.  Wish me luck on that one :)

Oh my goodness gracious...I can hear my baby boy coughing upstairs.  He's sad, sick, alone....and sleeping!!  What is wrong with me.  I'm a sap.  He's sleeping!

I love my Christmas Tree :)  I just looked over at it.  This is my favorite time of year.  Its the most wonderful timeeeeeeee of the year.  (that was a random thought)

HOLY CRIPES ALMIGHTY!!!!  On this coming Thursday, Paul and I have "officially" (ha, thats funny) been together for 13 years. Where has the time gone?  Theresa, where has the time gone. Scary. Yikes.


Alright, time to go load the dishwasher and load it with dirty dishes.  Then I have to make a photo book, finish work that I didnt get to during the day today and throw a load of laundry in the washing machine.  Its going to be another late night at the Jungbauers. Take care, Ann!

Here's to a better Monday!

It's all about attitude, right?  That's what I am working on today - attitude (positive attitude will lead to more patience, right?).

This week's menu:
Sunday (yesterday): Dinner at Noodles and Company with friends

Monday: Tastefully Simple Mediterranean Fish (the last of the prepared freezer meals, now I am on my own).  I am SUPER curious to see if Mya will eat it.  I am pretty sure Jaeden won't.

Tuesday: Pulled Pork.  I found a recipe yesterday, but I have no idea where it went.

Wednesday:  Beef and cheese enchiladas.  I made this in August and it was AWESOME!  But I didn't print the recipe (DOH!).  I have no idea if I can duplicate it.

Thursday: Tuna Casserole.  A winter staple.  I doubt either kid will eat it.

Friday: Dinner out before looking at Christmas lights.

Saturday: Pizza

Have a good one!

Not my finest moment(s).

Everything was going just fine yesterday.  And then it all hit the.... My hormones were raging.  My patience was nil.   Jaeden had to poop, but she didn't want to.  After the first several times of, "Mommy, ouch, I have to poop!" and running to the bathroom with little success, I was at wit's end.  I tried everything.  Rationalizing with her, bribing her, there were tears, I yelled (once or twice).  And this all took place over an hour (or two).  "Mommy," she whined.  The phone was ringing. "Mommy!"  The dog was at my heels (or standing stationary where I wanted to walk)...  "Mommy!" I had had enough.  She finally pooped (in retrospect I should have realized she had a tummyache).  OK, let's get out of the house.  Let's go to the grandparents'.  Jaeden told me ("Mommy!") she wanted to wear jeans, so we went downstairs to the dryer to get the jeans, but as I am putting them on her she says, "Mommy, I don't like these jeans."  "Too bad," was my reply.  Yikes.

So we are dressed and ready to go (I was in sweats, no makeup and hadn't brushed my teeth).  "Mommy!" Clark was being dumb and didn't wait for me to put the seats down in the back of the van.  He jumped right into the well and then proceeded to start jumping up so that he could see what was going on.  After dragging him out of the van, putting the seats down, and putting Clark back in, it was time to buckle Jaeden in.  As I started to get the straps, Jaeden whined (for the millionth time), "Mommy!", to which I replied (perhaps a little too loudly and a little too sternly), "WHAT!?!?!?"  She looked at me sweetly and said, "I got you flowers."

I gave her a kiss, got behind the wheel and started to cry.

This week's menu

Monday: Honey Mustard Chicken: Place 4 chicken breasts in a baking dish.  Cover with mixture of 1/2 cup mustard and 3/4 cup honey.  Sprinkle with lemon pepper to taste.  Bake 25 minutes in preheated 375F oven.  Place uncooked bacon (2 half strips per breast) and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on the top and bake another 10 minutes until cheese bubbles, bacon is crispy and chicken is cooked.***After 35 minutes of cooking, I cranked the oven to 400 and cooked another 15 minutes.  It was close to done.  The kids couldn't wait, so they had hot dogs.  I think they would have liked it.  Oh well, I tried.

Tuesday: Tastefully Simple Pesto Pasta: (Sun-dried tomoto pesto meat sauce over noodles)

Wednesday: Dinner at Grandma Patti's and Grandpa Timmy's

Thursday: Crockpot Sesame Chicken:
2 1bs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I will probably use breasts ***I actually used skinless, boneless thighs -- cheaper than breasts :)  They worked great!).
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce (Low sodium soy sauce?  Why bother?)
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 or 4. Serves 4 - 6.

***YUMMY!  Jaeden didn't eat the chicken, but she rarely does.  I would add more sesame seeds.  This is a DEFINITE keeper :)

Friday: Date night???

Saturday: Pizza (or Dinner at the Millers?)

Have a great week!

My SAHM week

I can't believe how fast 12 days went!  We kept busy, with only a few days "at home".  We went to visit my 87 year old great Uncle in Fond du Lac (1.5 hours away), Jaeden had her 3rd birthday party, we saw Disney Live!, we spent an hour at a McDonalds playland for Jaeden's birthday, I golfed (only 9 because I had to take Jaeden to her 3 year well-child doctor visit), we watched the Macy's parade and spent the day at my parents' on Thanksgiving, we saw Seasme Street Live!, swim lessons on Saturdays and a Target shopping adventure today.  Phew!  No wonder why I didn't get as much done as I wanted!

Anyway, this week's menu:
Sunday: Pizza and Buffalo wings
Monday: Left over turkey in gravy served over rice (a childhood favorite of mine)
Tuesday: Jack Daniel's pork chops
Wednesday: Spinach Lasagna (I am going to try roll-ups this time... even half of a recipe is too much for us.  Maybe roll-ups can be frozen individually?)
Thursday: Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Dinner out with the Miller clan

It is back to the grind tomorrow for me.  Have a great week!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jaeden!

You know how it is when you are a mom.  You want to give your child everything they ask for, you want to make everything special and you want it all to be perfect.  About a month ago, Jaeden and I sat down at the computer and looked through all of the birthday party themes at Party City (even the "boy" themes).  After much consternation and discussion, Jaeden decided she wanted a Barney birthday.  Sounds about right -- she's been fascinated with the purple dinosaur for...  about a year.  I am into making our own invitations (I hate the fill-in-the-blank ones at the store.  They are so much more work than printing them out and mailing them), so I used the image on the Party City website (do not tell any lawyers) and created our own invitations.
Invitations: check.
Cake: not a problem.  Jaeden does not like cake and does not like frosting.  She wants brownies.  Check.  Wait a minute.  How do I decorate brownies to make them "special"?  I can't write on them.  I can't sprinkle jimmies on the top (they won't stick on baked brownies that are dry on the top).  So I am thinking I might sprinkle purple and green sugar crystals on the top before I bake it.  I have no idea how it will turn out.  Then, I fount the Barney Logo (kids marching in line after Barney).  I am going to cut it out, lay it on the cooked brownies, sprinkle powdered sugar on the top, then lift the printout.  Dessert: Check?
The menu: What does Jaeden like to eat?  Noodles.  Plain noodles.  How do I serve plain noodles to our guests?  With chili, of course!  Other guest are bringing caprese salad, serloin medallion sandwiches, and corn bread.  We will have taco dip, chips and dip/salsa, and dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets ("Barney chicken" at our house) for appetizers.  Check!
Tableware: Yesterday I decided I should get going on Jaeden's party. (with 2 days to spare).  We went to Party city to buy the Barney cups Jaeden saw on the website and wanted to have so badly and dessert plates, etc.  I couldn't find them so I asked where they were.  I was told they didn't have them.  I said, "But you have them online."  "Yes," was the response.  I said, "Your store is always so disappointing." I put down my things on the counter and walked out.  I hate that store.  Do not get me going on it...  Anyway, I had already checked Target with no luck so we moved onto Bartz's.  Nope.  Nothing there either.  We called WalMart.  Nope.  DARN IT!  Lessons learned:
1) Party City's website does NOT say "Sold online only."  They want to you go into their store and be disappointed.
2) DO not wait until the last minute to buy party accessories.
3) Do not pick a theme that is (apparently) no longer trendy.
Anyway, after deciding I did not want to pay $25 for expedited shipping on $14 worth of product, we are moving to plan B: make your own decorations.  Here's what we are doing.  Cups: plain green and purple cups will have a 2 "x 4" white label put on them with Barney printed on the side.  The rest of the label is reserved for guests to write their name.  Dessert plates: plain colors.  Jaeden won't care (right?).  Check.
Other decorations: Balloons.  No one has Barney mylar balloons.  I guess plain purple and green balloons it is!  I am also printing a whole bunch of Barney images (thanks to google) to use around the house.

Yikes.  Why do I care so much?  Why is this so difficult??  The answers are summed up in:  Of course I can do that, I'm a MOM!

SUCCESS!

I knew for months that I would have to leave home for a business trip at the end of October.  The month FLEW by and before I knew it, the trip was days away.  For some reason, I had the feeling that if I didn't have everything in line for the  60 hours I would be gone the world would end.  And maybe it would have, but I'm a Mom and of course I can do that!

I had a printed schedule of where the girls were going to be when and how they were going to get there.  Of course, I was leaving on Halloween and they would be at school that day.  So it wasn't as simple as dropping them off.  We're talking costumes, clothes that matched with and were functional with the costumes, and snacks for their parties.  Check!

Daddy was on standby, so I had to pack the girls' bags (as well as my own) for their 2 days at Mimi and Bapa's.  It wasn't as simple as 2 outfits.  Jaeden is still working on potty training (although she has been dry during awake times for the past 9 days), so I had to pack backup outfits.  And because I am OCD, all of the outfits had to match.  Yikes!

Anyway everything was a success, especially on the home front.   While I am sure they missed me, the girls had lots of fun with Daddy and at their special sleepover with Mimi and Bapa.  Jaeden didn't have any accidents.  Mya was Mya and just went with the flow.  Neither seemed to really mind that I was gone.  I had a pretty decent conference and enjoyed dinners out, socializing and a few drinks.  Now it is home sweet home!!!

This week's menu/schedule:

Monday - Chinese at home:  potstickers, egg rolls and crispy orange beef and broccoli.  (Recipe for the latter from Sandra Lee -- 20 minutes - Easy!  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/crispy-orange-beef-with-broccoli-recipe/index.html

Tuesday: Tastefully Simple Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Spanish rice

Wednesday: Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Treptow's

Thursday: Salisbury Steaks with frozen veggies and Au Gratin potatoes

Friday: TAKE OUT! Pizza?

Saturday: Dinner at Mimi and Bapas?

Sunday: Early dinner out with the Vanden Eykel family!

It's that time of year...

We are all sick.  Mya felt a little warm Monday and for the first time in history didn't eat anything for dinner.  Jaeden woke up in the middle of the night crying.  She said her ear hurt.  Really?  Do you believe a toddler?  I gave her ibuprofen and she fell right back to sleep.  She didn't say a thing about it this morning until I asked her if her ear hurt.  "It still hurts."  Do I believe that?  Or was it the power of suggestion.  Ugg.  Both girls went of to school.  When I picked them up this afternoon, Jaeden's teachers said she wasn't herself all day -- she asked for me and just preferred to read by herself or watch the other kids in the playground.  Uh oh.  Now she feels warm and has been extra crabby tonight, just laying on the couch with me.  Darn it!

Daddy woke up with a sore throat.  My eye is still super red and swollen.  The daycare teachers said it's a "crazy" virus, because pink eye doesn't usually do this.  Great!  Mya's been waking up with crusty eyes every morning for the past week or two, but nothing worse ever happens - nothing during the day....

Thankfully, in addition to eye drops, the doctor gave me an oral antibiotic.  For the first time in a month, I don't feel like snot is going to come out of my nose.

J (Jaeden wanted me to press the J.  She's sitting on my lap again). Jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

Ugg.  I was hoping we'd make it a little farther into cold and flu season before getting sick.  Guess not.  Any remedies???

I didn't think so.  I guess "another Barney movie" it is!

I wish my kid would potty train. whatev's!

Ann,  I want Jaime to be potty trained and I'm so very jealous of you and Jaeden.  WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!  (Team effort, in my opinion!)

As you know.  I have been working on my personality a bit - less negative, more positive and learning the Happiness Advantage which was ALL thrown out the window today.  I just wasn't happy, yo!  Trying to figure it out just made me madder and more upset and trying to find the positive in anything is just so hard.  About, oh, I dont know, two months or more ago I started thinking about my top 3 favorite things for the day.  Here are todays:

1. Yes, I actually laughed when I noticed there was oatmeal smeared on my ANKLE during a meeting at work - yep, I was wearing a skirt.

2.  Upon Johns fourth attempt at going to bed, he finally fell asleep in my arms, all wrapped up in his "Bankee" and snuggling with him for about an hour.  Its been SO LONG since we've done that. (more to come on that below)

3.  Chasing my kids around in a circle and playing with them outside while everyone was laughing.

Top three.  Hhmmm.  It wasnt a great day.  If I gave myself a 4th - which I don't but every bad day has a total exception, it honestly would be the picture you posted of Paul and me at the Cabin when we were up for the marathon.  WHile that trip was total chaos for some reason I only pull the really good out of that trip...I love that about our get togethers.

Alright, so this morning.  2 crabby, CRABBY CRABBY CRABBY kids. 1 crabby-ish mom, 1 dad who, well, he took a long shower, got his hair just perfect, his clothes ironed like a pro - he must have looked awesome when he left for work today because... lets just say he spent some time to be perfect ....and not have oatmeal smeared on his ankle...and his sweater....yep, none in his hair, or on his shoulder or his arm, hand, etc.  I had two crying kids who had been eating oatmeal when they got sad stuck all over me.  

John decided to stay up late last night, like until 9:30 so I ended up waking him up this morning for school.  He's like his dad in the morning. lets just say it didnt go well.  So crabby and tired right off the bat. got him dressed while he cried, I was doomed with that kid from the get-go.  Jaime was OK.  But then all of a sudden he lost it.  Cry, cry, cry. "Whats wrong?" I ask.  Cry, Cry, cry.  He's walking like a complete idiot with one foot up in the air - weird!!  boys are so weird!  his pants were too long, I rolled them up, that wasnt the problem, cry, cry, cry....cry, cry, cry..WTF!?  It dawns on me...maybe he has an erection and its bothering him...no idea.  So I check, nope!  pull his pants back on...MORE CRYING!?  WTF?  Is it pinched in there somewhere??  So I pull up his pants  and this time while doing it I noticed they are wet.  SOMEHOW he leaked out of his pull up and wet his pants.  Poor guy - he's totally embarrassed.  quick change of his jeans, plopped him in front of his oatmeal.  EAT!

So they both finally calm down and eat, then both demand a 3rd packet of oatmeal.  COME ON!  ITs 8:15  but I just can't send them to school with an empty stomach despite snack time at 9am.  Make them both another bowl...cry, cry, cry....cry, cry, cry.  WHAT NOW!?  John wanted to poor his own milk in and Jaime wanted to stir his own.  Serious.  Serious?  Nothing I can do.

Get everyone in the car by 8:30 and I realize that I have a 9am training.  OMG.  I walked into work at 8:55 and have to get from the 31st floor to the 7th floor - I was 6 minutes late.  Crappy day of training from a woman named Mina that I just can't stand to look at for one more minute.  

Came home still crabby.  John is still crabby.  Beef stragonoff for dinner that they both hated - loved the sauce hated the NOODLES?!  WHAT!?!?!  Yep, hated the noodles, only ate the sauce.  who knew?  SO whatever.  BEd time...John is SUPER crabby now, I assumed he was tired.  Put him to bed at 745, he cries and cries, tellls me he wants a piece of toast (if you give a mouse a cookie effect coming!), so I gave him a piece of toast.  this time I put both boys to bed.  John starts crying...he wants some cottage cheese - so I give him a bowl of cottage cheese, then he wanted another so I gave him another bowl of cottage cheese.  I put him to bed.  cries, cries, SCREAMS!!! and he's screaming "Owie, Owie, Owie" or "mommy, Mommy, MOMMMMMMMYYY" I couldnt tell which he was saying.  So i went and got him again, he's fine.  Kisses to daddy and hugs and a short cuddle time w/ Mom and he's going back to bed.  OK....so back in bed and then it starts, "OWIE, OWIE, OWIE" or "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY" - whatever it was it was super duper sad and so unlike John that I went and grabbed him.  Wrapped him up in his blankie and he fell asleep instantly (see #2 above!) in my arms.

SO TIRED.  For the first time in a really long time my house is a big mess.  Take that back, my kitchen is a huge mess.  The dishwasher has clean dishes in it and there are dishes on my counters.  Its driving me nuts but you know, somedays are just like that and I knew it before 7:30 this morning.  There's nothing I could do but accept that there are really great days and really bad days and if this is the bottom of the barrel its OK.  Afterall, I got to cuddle up w/ and play with my kids today.  I got to have dinner with my family tonight - Paul included!!, I got to relax for about 2 minutes on the couch with Wilson.  I talked to my parents today.  Made a delicious dinner, I'm writing on this blog which always puts me in a better mood, and ran 7 miles yesterday, and I'm not sore today :)  First long(er) run in 5 weeks.  Wahoo!

Really, I am a happier person since I started writing this all down.  I don't have a menu this week but I wish I did.  No idea what its going to be but I'm sure whatever it is I'll enjoy it.  Loving my positivity these days and I really think its paying off.  Off to bed - run tomorrow morning and trying out the new headlamp since its so damn dark outside (maybe) we will see what tomorrow morning brings.

Wilson is growling in his sleep.  I just love that :)

(Almost) NOTHING on this week's agenda!

I knew October had the prospect of  being... calm.  Not too much on the calendar, especially on the weekends.  Unheard of, I know!  It has been nice!!  This week is no exception.  The only thing on the calendar is Mya's 15 month (!!!!) well child visit.  And Jon works overnight on Monday night.  THAT'S IT!  So, that being said, I came up with this week's menu.

Monday: Confetti Meatloaf (ground beef, corn and black bean salsa, crushed tortilla chips, egg (I think), and                    seasoned salt.

Tuesday: Pizza (two-for-one night at Mario's)

Wednesday: Savory Chicken (onion onion, garlic garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice)

Thursday: Salisbury Steaks (OK, these might not be the most nutritious, but they are easy, and the girls LOVE them.

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Pasta with Italian sausages (or meatballs)

Sunday: Early dinner at the Millers

By the way, I was interrupted as I wrote the above to "MOMMY!!" coming from upstairs.  I walked into Jaeden's bedroom and asked what was wrong.  She said, "I want to go downstairs."  So much for nap time! I wonder if she slept at all.  She said she didn't.  Ha.

MAJOR progress this weekend on the potty-front!  Jaeden stayed dry all morning Friday, Saturday and today.  WAHOO!  She even came to me this morning holding her crotch and said, "Mommy..."  I grabbed her and ran her into the bathroom expecting to have to clean up an accident.  Nope.  Dry!!  Yey!  Then she peed in the potty and we were good to go.  I am sending her to daycare this week in training pants (what she has been wearing at home).  Maybe there is hope for being potty trained before 3!

Ann, I like your menu!  

I'm sick.  I actually think I have been sick since like Wednesday or Thursday, really started feeling it on Friday afternoon and yesterday I was barely moving and today I'm slightly better?  Despite being sick (some sort of stomach bug perhaps?) I made the most of it and trudged through life like most mothers do....and stuck to the "plan" but man, my house was a disaster and I felt like CRAP.  IT all started with having the chills on Wednesday or maybe Thursday - I just couldn't get warm, and my back hurt.  I tried to blame the Yoga I did on Tuesday or the flu shot I also got on Tuesday for the achy muscles but whatever, I knew in the back of my mind I caught something.  Friday we had plans to have dinner, I was dragging - I ended up buying a LITER of diet coke to keep me awake during the party.  I stayed awake but wasn't feeling great.  I was up all night with stomach pains...super mom, here we go!  The next day we had plans to meet up with our friends in Hastings to go play at the park and hiking.  My lovely husband helped me out in the morning by getting my youngest out of his crib and making them breakfast - typically a chore I do daily.  Thank goodness for him.  I slowly rolled out of bed, got dressed, got a bag packed, loaded up the car, got the boys dressed and headed out on our hike.  I ended up carrying John on my shoulders for a good portion of the 2 hour long hike and helping Jaime with a huge long log he found in the woods the rest of the time.  My pockets, of course, loaded with kid snacks and not one tums or any tylenol in sight.  Sigh.  Then I had to stop at my parents where we stayed the rest of the day.  We came home I sat on the couch for 30 min before I had to get ready for my Birthday Party Dinner - it was in MY honor, I couldnt cancel and we were already celebrating 3 months late!  So, popped a few advil - my head is throbbing - kissed my kids goodbye and headed out to drink wine, eat italian and have great company with my friends (we've been doing this for 10+ years, I had to go!).  It started out just fine, my headache went away but then my stomach ache returned...right during dinner, busy busy tiny jam packed somewhat ritzy restaurant, its 8pm and our food still hadnt arrived.  My friends ordered dessert and I didnt eat any, I barely ate my food.  But I was there, for MY birthday, being a superhero, not having a great time :(  I stopped at a grocery store for some Zantac and tums on my way home.  That seemed to help a bit.

Sunday: Grr...its "mom" day for the kids since Paul studies all day on Sundays.  I'm still feeling like Crap, my house is a wreck from being sick since Friday - there's nothing I can do.  Paul helps me again this morning get the kids going - then I'm on my own.  They pulled out ALL their toys today into the living room, whatever...whatever.  I'll deal with it another day and I didnt have any energy to get them to pick it up.  Jaime is potty training so I'm doing my best to get him to pee only on the potty but for whatever reason he chooses not to pee on the potty at all today, only in his pants - back to pull-ups, I couldnt handle it.  JOhn is sick so he's crabby and is snotting up everything in sight and crying because Jaime is crying because he got mickey mouse wet again.  OMG.  Lunch went well...everyone ate everything so time for a nap.  John fell asleep, Jaime, as usual isnt tired.  I needed to run errands - still feeling shitty I took Jaime with me to Herbergers and Target while John slept.  I came home from getting my weekly groceries and John is awake, Paul is still studying and Wilson is looking at me like he is going to lose it any minute if I don't get him some exercise.  I put my cold grocery items away and take the boys and Wilson to the dog park, grabbing another zantac and some gatorade on the way out the door.  come home, make all my boys hamburgers, still have a stomach ache and a minor headache.  They ate very well.  Jaime smells like pee from peeing himself all day so they needed baths - did that, folded laundry, washed my bedsheets, washed the boys bedsheets and pillows, did three more loads of laundry, pet my dog, cleaned up the toys and dishes, cleaned the kitchen my floors, etc....feeling pretty shitty right now.  Time for another Zantac and bed.  I really, REALLY hope tomorrow brings me more energy and my headache and stomach ache go away.  I'm so tired.  I needed to run 10 miles today and that didnt happen, either did a LOT of other things I wanted to get done.   But my kids were happy, my dog was happy, Lola was happy, Paul was happy - everyone was fed, everyone will eat tomorrow (Beef stew in the crock pot, ready to go!).  Just another day in paradise!

This Week's Menu...

...is not quite what Missy does, but maybe it will help jump-start the ideas.  I am not a cook.  I go by the "make a whole lot when you are in the mood and freeze it for use when you are not" motto.  And let me tell you, on week nights, I am generally of the "not" mindset.  So here goes.
Monday: Chicken Alfredo (I do not have to work, so I am attempting this during the day.  I have no idea how I am attempting it, but it will be done ;-)

Tuesday: Beef, onion and cheese enchiladas (frozen, I just have to thaw and bake)

Wednesday: Leftovers or O.Y.O. (on your own).  This is a "must" once a week in our house.

Thursday: Beef Stroganoff (Tastefully Simple: frozen, thaw and cook in crock pot, cook noodles)

Friday: Mel's Birthday Party.  No cooking involved.

Saturday: Generally dinner at Mimi and Bapa's

Sunday: Burgers?  Pizza?

That's how it rolls!  I am actually pretty happy that for the 3rd (maybe 4th?) week in a row, we have the menu planned and necessities thawing for use ASAP on a weeknight.  Having stuff thawed is usually the biggest hurdle to making dinner.  No saying, "Ummm, what should we have for dinner?"

An Afternoon in My World

Moms shouldn't be allowed to get sick (unless, of course, it meant that the kids wouldn't get sick -- I hate it when they are miserable).  I haven't slept in, like, 3 nights, maybe 4.  My head feels like it is going to explode.  But I was feeling slightly better this afternoon so instead of continuing to rest and hydrate after work, I did the opposite.  I arrived home to a kitchen table littered with Play Doh accessories, crayons and paper (all remnants of list night's incessant temper tantrum -- don't get me going on that).  So I cleaned off the table.  Then I looked at the family room.  Oy vey.  (Or however you spell that.)  There is a pile of yesterdays dirty clothes in the middle of the floor.  Ever single letter and number magnet from the magnet board is off of the magnet board and strewn across the floor (another remnant of the temper tantrum -- why can't she make a nice pile? why must they be tossed?).  Books are everywhere...  Blankets are spread all over the couch (OK, that one is my fault.  I was exhausted and didn't have the energy to put it away before going up to bed to pretend to sleep)...  So I straightened the house, no big deal.  I organized the books (I have this great idea that bedtime books should be the only books in the bedroom.  Last time I tried this it lasted about a day before they were all mixed up again.

I really wanted to hang my medal hanger for real on the wall (not just leaving dangling precariously, threatening to fall on someone), but I couldn't do that because the batteries for the drill were dead.  ALL of them.  And I couldn't find the charger.  Why would it be anywhere than next to the batteries?

Then I proceeded to put the glass into the screen door (it's getting colder and would be nice to have the door open without frigid air coming in).  Of course I couldn't put it in dirty, so I Windex-ed it.

I printed pictures to give to Jon's sister's family who we are seeing at dinner tomorrow.  I posted pictures to Facebook.

I haven't eaten lunch (oops) and I have to leave to pick the girls up soon.

And I'm exhausted...

Such is the life of a mom.  Things have to get done, whether you feel well enough to do them or not.  And I wouldn't change a thing ;-)

Marathon Mom(s)

My Marathon Mom medal hanger needs more medals.  And I need to see Missy and the Jungbauer family more.  So here's my list of runs that I would like to do, and hopefully Missy and her fam will be able to join me and mine.  Granted, some of these are too short to get medals, but I have wanted to do some of these since high school(*)!  This list may expand in the future, but here's a start.

Marathons:

Eagle River Journey's Marathon, Eagle River, WI, May 11, 2013

http://www.eagleriver.org/journeys.asp

Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, Green Bay, May 19, 2013

http://www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com/

Rock 'n Sole, 13.1, Milwaukee, June 15, 2013(*)

http://rocknsolerun.com/

Honky Tonk 13.1, Wis. Dells, Oct.

http://www.dellsmarathon.com/ 

Shorter Runs:

Crazy Legs 10K, Madison, April 27, 2013(*)

http://www.crazylegsclassic.com/ 

Jingle Bell Run, 5K, Milwaukee, November(*)

http://jbrmilwaukee.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1025183

today sucked.  Over slept - we all did.  Work - didnt work on litigation at all, only on a new project that took up my entire day.  left work, it was raining and I didnt have an umbrella - my ramp isnt connected to skyways.  Couldnt run with the rain and the boy and the puppy. 58 degrees (huge change from 94 yesterday when it was too hot to run!) - can't run tonight without coming home cold and wet and I don't have time for that today.  Started organizing the boy's bedroom because it has been driving me crazy which made a late start to getting my meatloaf cupcakes made which made for two very hungry (and crabby!) caterpillars!  I didnt get the organizing done in the room - there's a mess there!  WHile I was working in their room the boys found every toy and non-toy they have and put it in the living room, dining room and kitchen.  While I was making dinner, John spilled an entire gallon of milk on the floor - it went everywhere - he started crying.  He stepped in it.  Jaime stepped in it.  Wilson started drinking it.   my phone stopped working this afternoon for some unknown reason. spent the night trying to fix it and didnt do anything else (except clean up the milk).  we went to the sprint store at 7:30pm - boys were not great...came home, got computer, phone fixed by the time we got back, phone stopped working on our way home...boys crying, i'm mad.  dog bored.  Boys in BED - no books, they just need to be in bed - fell asleep immediately.  aaak! no run this morning....house is a mess!  Friends coming over tomorrow - gotta clean it up! 8am meeting tomorrow followed by a meeting at 11 that goes until 5...major discovery due on Friday morning, never going to happen.  Phone still not working, need to get it fixed.  Paul came home.  Bedtime.  It will be better tomorrow..........

How many things can I cram into one week?

I am not a cook.  You won't see me posting recipes on here (I will probably try a lot of Missy's, though).  And I don't really have a goal / grand idea of what to talk about on here.  Maybe just sharing my life as a mom.  OK.  I only work part time, but my life is still crazy.  Take this week for example.

Monday: Do the long run I didn't do on Sunday.  8 miles.  It was hot.  I am getting pretty sick of it -- and I love summer!

Tuesday: Dentist appointment, go with Bapa to the bowling store to have my lazy a%$ ball redrilled, pick up the girls and head home.  Roll out the dough, cut and bake teddy bear shaped cutout cookies for Jaeden to take to school Wed. for her last day in the 2 year old room.  BTW, I was supposed to have done this Monday.  Bath day.  Eat dinner.

Wednesday: 5 mile run.  Pick up the girls, get chinese for dinner.  Clean the house to prepare for tomorrow's guests.

Thursday: Get the girls, come home, clean like crazy, host family and friends for a Tastefully Simple freezer party.  This, BTW, should make life easier.  It will generate 15 ready to cook meals that feed 2-3 people....  I am excited to do this -- I hope it's worth it!!

Friday: Jaeden's first dentist appointment, do laundry and pack for the long weekend Up North.

Thank God Jon bought me 3 bottles of wine today!!

Made me laugh...and the weekly recipes.

Saw this today - had to add it to our newly created blog about whatever the hell we want to talk about!!

This also made me laugh: http://babydickey.com/2012/01/09/this-is-why-im-a-mom-funny-quotes/

OK, so dinner this week looks like this:

MONDAY:  Mini Lasagna (sounds great!)  Using cupcake tins, layer Wonton's, marinara sauce (I added ground beef to that), Cottage or Ricotta Cheese, more sauce, another wonton, parmesan cheese them Mozz cheese then top it w/ Italian seasoning.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18 - 20 min.  Cool for 5 min to set.  **This was great except Lola ran away while I was making them, the boys were hungry so they were crying and I was doing anything to get them put together, then in the oven, then out of the oven all while carrying John-John, answering Jaime's questions about where Lola is and searching everywhere for the kitty!  I didn't really get a chance to enjoy them.  Bottom line:  John-John liked them, Paul liked them, Jaime gagged on them - he had green beans instead.  3 our of 4 is good enough for me and I will be making them again (sorry Jaime Buddy!)  In Jaime's defense, he seriously thought I was making cupcakes - if I ate a cupcake that tasted kind of like a wonton and kind of like lasagna, I'd probably gag too.  Ha!

TUESDAY:  OMG Chicken (really, is it OMG worthy - we'll find out!)  I pounded the cluck (No pun intended, seriously!!) out of the chicken then smeared 1/2c Greek Yogurt mixed with 1/4 c Parm cheese on top of the flattened chicken breasts. Then I sprinkled Italian Bread Crumbs on top of of that.  Cooked at 425 degrees for 20-30 min.  EASY PEASY!  I'd probably double the yogurt/parm cheese mixture next time. It would have been way better except that since Lola ran away yesterday I forgot to put the chickens I bought at the store yesterday into the refrigerator so a trip to the store was needed today - shouldn't happen next time. I served these chickens w/ some stove top stuffing and corn.  Bottom Line:  WAY EASY to make and John and I LOVED it!  Jaime had 5 bites of chicken then told me he couldn't eat anymore.  Since his new phrase is "I can't do it" I chalked it up to him being 2 and anticipate that he will eat much more of it next time.  While it was cooking in the oven, John thought I was making cookies (oh boy, see above).  

WEDNESDAY (Tomorrow):  Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops. Cream of Chicken soup mixed with one can of water and one packet of dry ranch seasoning mix poured on top of pork chops.  Put it in the crockpot and forget about it for 4 - 6 hours.  I'm trying this one tomorrow because I am home all day.  I'm HOPING they don't get too dried out on low for 6 hours because I'd like to see this one work in the winter while we're at work.  Fingers crossed :)

THURSDAY: Crescent Rolls Roll Ups.  I'm on a bit of a health kick so this one may get kicked to the curb but we'll see what the day brings on Thursday.  2 pkgs of philsbury crescent rolls - roll them out so you have four rectangles.  Add whatever the heck you want (Pepperjack cheese, Ham, Turkey, basil, kale, and carrots are on my list), roll them up!  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Sounds super easy and quick!  If Jaime doesn't eat this one he's getting kicked to the curb!  He loves all of these things.

FRIDAY:  Chicken/Spinach PepperJack Cheese Roll-ups.  This one is more involved because Paul doesnt have school on Fridays and we'll be eating as a happy family :)  So this is what you need: 1lb chicken, pound the cluck out of it (I just love that I thought of that today!! - i'm going to keep saying that.  HA!) Flatten it to 1/4 inch. pepperjack cheese, 1c Thawed spinach, 2 tbsp Olive Oil, 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, 2 tbsp italian breadcrumbs, sea salt to taste, black pepper, toothpicks.

       350 degrees.  Combine cheese, spinach, salt and pepper in bowl.  in another bowl combine breadcrumbs and cajun seasoning.  Spoon spinach mix onto the chicken.  Roll chicken tightly and fasten with lots of toothpicks (i'll probably use 8 per chicken?)  Brush each chick w/ olive oil.  Sprinkle Cajun mix on each chicken and then sprinkle remaining spinach mix on top of the chick.  Place Chick seam-side down onto a tin foil lined baking sheet.  Bake 35-40 min.  HOPEFULLY ENJOY (with a glass of red wine)...yum!

Omygosh - Almost forgot my lunches for the week!

LUNCH:  Sandwich Sushi:  Take a whole wheat wrap and spread whipped cream cheese spread on them.  a layer of turkey, a layer of ham, pepperjack cheese, a carrot and celery slice in the middle.  Roll it up, cut it into thirds - lunch is born!  BooYA!  almost everything made for lunch is used somewhere in the recipes above except for a few items.  Money saver, time saver and delicious!