tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60399868282179164252024-03-14T06:34:51.734-04:00The Patterson'sJust a 28 year old, married mother of 2, navigating my way through this crazy life!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-9835462901506964302013-02-15T14:22:00.000-05:002013-02-15T14:22:43.557-05:00Meal Planning!Meal planning has been going pretty great!<br />
My mom and I sat down and between us, a few weeks ago, and made a 5-6 week menu plan.<br />
We picked out a lot of new recipes (many from Pinterest) that we wanted to try and new grocery lists etc.<br />
We wrote out a dinner every night for the following several weeks, then went ahead and bagged and labeled all the frozen components of each meal (the meat/chicken/pork or whatever, and then I cut and vacuum sealed any veggies it needed), Then we made up baskets with all the dry ingredients, spices, oils, wines, etc and labeled baskets for each meal for each night.<br />
So far we have been doing great!<br />
We started on 1/28 and I think we've only skipped/missed one day. (I forget why but we skipped the meal we had planned and did pizza).<br />
I also started trying a Meatless Monday to help cut costs and also eat a little healthier (sort of-haha).<br />
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Some of these made seem a little weird or carb heavy-but I have some picky eaters, so sometimes I will make just a little bit of several different things. I might have half of the people eating like stuffing, the other half don't like it. Half of the people like my garlic mashed potatoes, the other half don't. And the only veggies that EVERYONE likes, are corn and green beans, so I tend to make those pretty often (like almost every night-haha).<br />
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1/28- Eggplant parm and pasta<br />
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1/29- Onion soup pork chops- New recipe- I tweaked it a little, and it was really good. Logan devoured his! http://tryrecipe.net/showthread.php?tid=920<br />
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1/30- Salisbury steaks with caramelized Onion Gravy- New recipe- Very good! http://richestoragsbydori.blogspot.com/2012/03/salisbury-steak-with-carmelized-onion.html<br />
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1/31- Pretzel Chicken w/ Mustard Cheddar Sauce- New recipe- Really, really good. It had me even craving more pretzels after dinner, lol. http://simplymadewithlove.blogspot.com/2012/05/pretzel-chicken.html<br />
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2/1- Cuban Flank Steak- New recipe- Crockpot- Pretty good.<br />
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2/2- Chicken Cacciatore over pasta<br />
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2/3- Meatball and Sausage subs and french fries and onion straws<br />
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2/4- Italian Herb and Cheese Bowtie pasta<br />
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2/5- "Amazing Pork Tenderloin", baked potatoes, green beans- New recipe- Crockpot- It was okay. http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/amazing-pork-tenderloin-in-the-slow-cooker/Detail.aspx<br />
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2/6-Meatloaf, corn, leftover green beans, onion roasted potatoes and carrots, beef rice, twice baked potatoes made out of leftovers<br />
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2/7- Garlic Chicken Legs, mashed potatoes, corn<br />
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2/8- Quick and Easy Mongolian Beef was supposed to be for dinner, this was the night we skipped it and did pizza. http://www.stephsbitebybite.com/2013/01/16/quick-and-easy-mongolian-beef/<br />
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2/9- Braised Pork Ragu over fettuccine or parmesan orzos- New recipe- I adapted this to put in the crockpot- Very, very good. My daughter ate the leftovers like 3 times. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braised-Pork-Ragu/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=65949891&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2011-08-25&prop28=DailyRecipe&prop29=FullRecipeLink&me=1<br />
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2/10- London Broil with Golden Mushroom Gravy, mashed potatoes, beef rice, green beans<br />
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2/11- Baked Penne with Philly Italian Herb cooking creme- New recipe- I adapted it to make it meatless and it came out very, very good.http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/02/baked-penne-and-50-grocery-card.html#more<br />
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2/12- Turkey Cutlets with pan gravy, her butter rice, corn, mashed potatoes, - New recipe- pretty good.<br />
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2/13- Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, corn, I forget what other sides- New recipe- Crockpot- Pretty good.<br />
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2/14- Balsamic Roast Beef. mashed potatoes, beef noodles, green beans- New recipe- Crockpot- Pretty good, I toned the balsamic flavor down a little for the gravy by adding some water and beef flavoring. The meat was good, but the acid in the Balsamic was a little strong for the gravy for us. http://addapinch.com/cooking/2012/10/25/balsamic-roast-beef-recipe/<br />
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Prior to starting this hardcore menu planning, we had also tried a New Progresso website recipe for Braised Short Ribs, which was also very good. And another New Crockpot Flank Steak recipe, which was also good.<br />
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Soon to be made (hopefully)-<br />
Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu- http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-chicken-cordon-bleu/<br />
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Honey Mustard Pork Chops- http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-mustard-pork-chops/detail.aspx<br />
Crisp Herbed Baked Chicken- http://sweetlysouthern.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-02-01T21%3A14%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7<br />
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Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans- <span style="background-color: transparent;">http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pan-roasted-chicken-lemon-garlic-green-beans-10000000780291/index.html</span><br />
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Crockpot Beef Stroganoff- http://www.heathersbytes.com/beef-stroganoff/<br />
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Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops- http://www.livinglaughingandloving.com/2012/01/crockpot-ranch-pork-chops-finger-licking-good.html<br />
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Crockpot Cube Steak and Gravy- http://thepost-itplace.com/2012/01/crockpot-cube-steak-and-gravy/<br />
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Creamy Garlid Pasta- http://thecheesepusher.tumblr.com/post/2719857351/creamy-garlic-pasta<br />
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Chicken 'pillows'- http://www.chef-in-training.com/2010/08/chicken-pillows/<br />
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Pork Chops with Creamy Marsala- http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/pork-chops-creamy-marsala-sauce-recipe-ew0810<br />
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Smothered Chicken- http://slow-cooker.recipes-network.net/smothered-chicken.html<br />
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Million Dollar Spaghetti- http://ashleykaitlin.blogspot.com/2011/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html<br />
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Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff- http://shrinkingjeans.net/2009/09/crock-pot-chicken-stroganoff/<br />
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<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-74275237952055173962013-01-26T21:31:00.001-05:002013-02-15T14:33:50.293-05:00Pinterest completions!!<br />
Tuscan Garlic Chicken- Awesome! http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/03/tuscan-garlic-chicken.html<br />
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Beef Red Wine Ragu- Awesome! http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2010/12/recipes-homemade-pasta-rustic-pasta.html<br />
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Cinnamon Roll Cake- Okay, not quite what I was expecting. http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/07/cinnamon-roll-<br />
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Cookie Chip Dough Dip- Delicious! http://addapinch.com/cooking/2011/10/14/cookie-dough-dip-recipe/<br />
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Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken- I loved, no one else really did. http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-garlic-chicken-5478<br />
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles- Delicious! http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/03/cookie-dough-truffles.html<br />
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Oreo Truffles- Amazing!! http://www.chef-in-training.com/2011/11/no-bake-oreo-truffles/<br />
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Cake Batter Truffles- Okay, not bad, but not out of this world.<br />
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Snickerdoodle Bread- Mine didn't come out quite like the photos at all, but it was delicious!! http://www.barbarabakes.com/2010/04/snickerdoodle-bread-for-great-american/<br />
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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes- Again, mine came out much, much messier than the picture, but still delicious. cake.htmlhttp://www.recipegirl.com/2011/03/01/cinnamon-roll-pancakes/<br />
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Crispy Cheddar Chicken- Delicious!! <span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px;">http://www.jamiecooksitup.net/2011/10/crispy-cheddar-chicken.html</span><br />
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Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce- Delicious! I love it. I even do the sauce with just pasta and no chicken sometimes, or just saute up my chicken in a pan instead of breading and frying it. <span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.1875px;">http://www.jamiecooksitup.net/2011/04/crispy-chicken-with-creamy-italian.html</span><br />
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Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken- Very good, but the spices were very strong and overwhelming, I will cut them back significantly next time, it was too spicy for everyone. http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2012/04/doube-crunch-honey-garic-chicken.html<br />
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Grilled Chicken and Tomato Cream Sauce- Delicious! http://www.plainchicken.com/2009/08/grilled-chicken-tomato-cream-sauce.html<br />
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Parmesan crockpot Pork Roast- Didn't really care for. http://www.everydaytastes.com/2011/05/31/slow-cooker-parmesan-pork-roast/<br />
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Anger Hair Chicken with Pasta- Delicious! http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Angel-Hair-Pasta-with-Chicken<br />
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Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Roma Tomatoes and Mushrooms (I left out the mushrooms)- Really, really good. Most people here don't really care for mushrooms, so I left them out. But this was a great recipe for an alfredo sauce. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-fettuccini-alfredo/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=savory%2c%20sauteed%20chicken%20is%20cooked%20in%20a%20cheesy%2c%20creamy%20sauce%20with%20roma%20tomatoes%20the%20mixture%20is%20served%20atop%20a%20bed%20of%20fettuccini%20pasta&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20List<br />
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Hashbrowns in the waffle maker- Mine didn't turn out very good. http://naturesnurtureblog.com/<br />
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Boneless Chicken Rolls- often pinned with the WRONG description. It's a chicken kiev type dish, with butter, garlic, parsely, breadcrumbs. This was okay, just remember to make the rolls and refrigerate them ahead of time.<br />
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Scalloped Potato Gratin- Very good! Almost everyone loved it. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/scalloped-potato-gratin-recipe/index.html<br />
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Drunken Pork Chops- Okay, probably won't make again, they weren't a huge hit. http://siggyspice.blogspot.com/2010/03/drunken-pork-chops-absolutely.html<br />
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String beans with Garlic- Everyone who likes fresh green beans loved this. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/string-beans-with-garlic-recipe/index.html<br />
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Basil Pork Chops- Very good, almost everyone really liked it. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Basil-Pork-Chops<br />
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Beef Burgundy over Egg Noodles- Very good! Easy and everyone liked it. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Beef-Burgundy-Over-Noodles<br />
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Pork and Green Pepper Stew- I was hesitant, but after cooking slowly all day it was very, very good! http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/pork-and-green-pepper-stew.html<br />
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Baked S'Mores- Delicious! I don't really like graham crackers, but this tasted amazing when it was done! http://witandwhistle.com/2012/05/14/smore-bars/<br />
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Banana "Ice Cream"- Pretty good, I was impressed<br />
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Cinnamon French Toast Bake- Several versions of this recipe, the one I chose to try was just okay. http://ohmysugarhigh.com/cinnamon-french-toast-bake-from-pillsbury-recipe/<br />
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Oreo Fluff Dessert- Was a huge hit at a party, everyone loved it.<br />
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Triple Chocolate Pound Cake- Pretty good, I was expecting it to be a bit different. http://nancycreative.com/2010/08/28/triple-chocolate-pound-cake/<br />
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"Crack" Potatoes- Pretty good. http://www.justaddasliceoflove.blogspot.com/2011/12/crack-potatoes.html<br />
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Chicken Capri Pasta- I didn't like this at all, my husband did, but nobody else really cared for it. http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/recipes/Pages/Recipe-Detail.aspx?recipeId=123032<br />
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Dough recipe for sugar cookies that aren't supposed to lose their shape- Well, they didn't hold their shape as well as I expected, however they were really delicious.<br />
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Blended Vanilla Mocha (a skinny recipe)- Pretty good<br />
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Easy Lemon crockpot Chicken- Not bad.<br />
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Oreo/Reeses Brownies- Had them with oreo, very, very good, but probably very bad for you.<br />
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Parmesan Basil Orzos- SO good. Great alternative for a side dish. http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/orzo-with-parmesan-and-basil-2/<br />
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Lazy Cake Cookie- So easy and so good. http://www.imalazymom.com/2011/02/lazy-cake-cookies.html<br />
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"Best Fruit Dip Ever"- Delicious!<br />
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Italian Pasta Veggie Salad- Pretty big hit at a party<br />
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Herbs in Olive Oil- Worked pretty well<br />
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Crescent Dough Apple pie filling Bake- AMAZING! http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/06/apple-cream-cheese-dessert.html<br />
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Grilled Peanut Butter Banana Sandwiches- Pretty good!<br />
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Baked Pierogie Casserole- Pretty good! http://www.ourtableforseven.com/2012/08/baked-pierogi-casserole.html<br />
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Slow Cooker Pepper Steak- Wasn't a huge hit. It took on some kind of funny taste from the ginger I think and being in the crockpot all day. http://askchefs.net/showthread.php?tid=412<br />
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2 Minute Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie- Pretty good!<br />
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Crockpot Bolognese Sauce- Okay, wasn't as amazing as most recipes I hear raved about. http://punchfork.com/recipe/Crock-Pot-Bolognese-Sauce-Skinny-Taste<br />
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Fresh Apple Cake- Very good! http://alizadventures.blogspot.com/2012/07/fresh-apple-cake.html<br />
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Crockpot Flank Steak- Very good! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crock-pot-or-slow-cooked-flank-steak/<br />
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Slow Cooked Turkey Dinner- Very good. https://progresso.com/recipes/slow-cooked-turkey-dinner/4f4f5279-957e-4fb4-8923-83d80762259b<br />
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Chocolate Chip cookies from Cake Mix- Okay, I prefer the lazy cake cookie if I'm going to use cake mix though.<br />
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Grape Jelly Meatballs- Good<br />
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Parmesan Turkey cutlets- Very, very good! http://southernfood.about.com/od/turkeycutlets/r/bl60929b.htm<br />
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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies- These were just okay, I think maybe I'm just not a fan of shortbreads.<br />
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Gooey Cookies n Cream Chocolate Cake Bars- Delicious but EXTREMELY rich. http://picky-palate.com/2011/07/05/gooey-cookies-and-cream-double-chocolate-cake-bars/<br />
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Meatball Stuffed Biscuits- Very good.<br />
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Sour Cream Pumpkin Bars- Very good! I could've eaten the whole pan myself! http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/bars/sour-cream-pumpkin-bars/<br />
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Iced Pumpkin Cookies- Very good! http://www.lemonandlace.com/2011/09/iced-pumpkin-cookies.html<br />
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Cinnamon Roll Waffles- Very good!! http://ahensnest.com/2011/09/waffled-cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html<br />
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Balsamic Flank steak- Very good! http://pointlessmeals.blogspot.com/2011/05/grilled-balsamic-flank-steak.html<br />
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Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine- Good. Also have made it with Oregano instead of Tarragon. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-with-tarragon-and-white-wine-recipe/index.html<br />
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Garlic Chicken for Two- Good! http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/garlic-chicken-two-recipe-ew0712<br />
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More recent completions as of 2/14 also include-<br />
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This Oreo Layer Dessert- http://www.house344.com/2011/06/oreo-layer-dessert.html<br />
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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese frosting- http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2011/12/banana-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-7712965553162324182013-01-22T15:04:00.001-05:002013-01-22T15:04:24.316-05:00Busy, busy, busyI have so much to post about, but I'm not sure I even have the time or the energy. I've been hoping to be able to update more from my Kindle, but honestly the keyboard and autocorrections on it can be a little weird, especially if you're a fast typer.<br />
We had our re-evaluation with Meredith's Help Me Grow coordinator last week, and she definitely still qualifies for their assistance. They help advise and direct you in you have children who are at-risk basically (easiest way to explain it). She has a very significant speech delay, more so even than Logan's was. And there was some concern over her fine motor skills also (this is new).<br />
She may end up qualifying to go to the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities building, the Achievement Center for some help. She would have to be tested by them I think and qualify to their levels, and she'd get assistance their, classes a couple times a week I think, all at no cost. If she doesn't qualify we have to look into a nearby speech therapy place for those concerns. If she can get in at the MCAC she would get services in all areas she needs right from them, which would be wonderful. Plus interaction with other children her age as well. I have a follow-up with our HMG coordinator tomorrow, to review our family plan and I guess see where we are at in all of this, and if I have to contact the MCAC, or if I'm waiting to hear from them. The whole thing is very stressful, but the waiting sucks. Meredith has also been SO bad lately. I'm not exaggerating. She's really bad. Throwing, getting pissed and yelling when she doesn't get her way, and she is a terrible climber. I don't know what to do with her most days. She needs someone constantly keeping an eye on her. She climbs on the bricks by the fireplace, the couch now, tables and endtables....She's going to end up getting seriously hurt! She is frustrating me to no end!!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-19552306998462583782013-01-20T15:31:00.003-05:002013-01-20T15:31:52.862-05:00The ChewI have been loving The Chew lately! It's a tv show on AND, mainly focusing on food, but also other home, health and life subjects and tips.<div>
Some of the recipes look AMAZING, and I can't wait to try them!!</div>
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This looked sooooooo good!</div>
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http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Chicken-Cannelloni-Mario-Batali</div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-36007572462628309672013-01-12T01:15:00.001-05:002013-01-12T01:15:18.790-05:00TGIF?It's been a long week. Meredith and I have been very sick, luckily Logan only has a bit of the sniffles. By Wednesday I was getting concerned about Meredith, she was having very bad wheezing a few times a night, and getting that horrid "barking" cough, as well as some really think, dark green drainage during the day. I was concerned about a sinus infection, and possible croup.<br />
Took her to the doctor, and thank God her lungs and everything were good, as were her ears. Doctor said based on what I told her, it was probably croup, so she set us up with a prescription (that should also help with a sinus infection if she was getting the onset of that). Then of course, later that day, she started getting a really bad diaper rash, and from Wednesday to Thursday it was HORRIFYING. Really raw, starting to bleed a little. Poor baby was just writhing in pain. It basically took 3 people to hold her down and wipe her when she had #2 to change her diaper. We switched from our maximum strength diaper cream to a prescription cream we had from a previous visit, and there was a drastic improvement overnight to today. Still not all cleared up, but hopefully we are getting there.<br />
Logan never had diaper rashes as a baby, but poor Meredith gets them pretty frequently. We change her constantly, but it doesn't seem to matter. She must just have really, super sensitive skin. I feel terrible every time it happens, but what else can I do? She gets changed IMMEDIATELY when we know she's done #2, and probably at least every 2 hours otherwise. I always, always use a baby powder to keep her dry, but I just can't seem to win. She's got her last day of antibiotics tomorrow, and maybe that's part of what is causing this, so we will see what happens with that also.<br />
I haven't really gotten much sleep the last 2 nights. We had a successful night of BOTH kids sleeping in their room alone on Wednesday night, but I was just so worried and waiting for someone to wake up, or listening to every little cough I heard that I couldn't even enjoy getting to be in my bed. I barely slept an hour. Then last night it was one kid or the other. Logan coughing, Meredith coughing, Logan waking up and wanting to come in our bed. Then of course, they were both up at the buttcrack of dawn. Just my luck.<br />
I did take 2 short naps today, and that's just about all that kept me going.<br />
Lack of sleep is the biggest killer for me. I can handle most other hurdles as long as I'm not dead tired. 2 days without sleep, and I start to get a little crazy and on edge. Plus I've been pretty sick too, and that is making this all worse. I'm more tired because I'm sick, and I'm probably not getting better because I'm not getting sleep. Vicious cycle. Hopefully I am nearing the end of it. I can only pray. My throat isn't killing me anymore, but the sinuses and drainage are still pretty bad. I've been popping cold meds like crazy, but am too hesitant to take anything PM, because I'm worried I either won't hear the kids during the night, or if I do, I'll be too zonked out to take care of them. But believe me, I'd die to be able to pop 2 NyQuil PMs and sleep 8-9 hours.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-34271161721701327692013-01-12T01:03:00.001-05:002013-01-12T01:03:43.094-05:00Book update<br />
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<a href="http://cookingmamatiff.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-reading-list.html" style="color: #33aaff; text-decoration: initial;">2013 Reading List</a>- UPDATE!</h3>
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A mix of e-books and actual books that I've received as gifts, or downloaded (so far only free ones):<br /><br />The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson<br />The Girl Who Played with Fire- Stieg Larsson<br />The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest- Stieg Larsson<br />The Ice Cream Girls- Dorothy Koomson<br />The Sweet By and By- Todd Johnson<br />Lone Wolf- Jodi Picoult - <b><u>COMPLETED</u></b><br />Sing You Home- Jodi Picoult<br />Water For Elephants- Sara Gruen- <b><u>COMPLETED</u></b><br />Bright Shiny Morning- James Frey<br />Coming Up For Air- Patti Callahan Henry<br />Then Came You- Jennifer Weiner- <b><u>COMPLETED</u></b><br />Swim- Jennifer Weiner- <b><u>COMPLETED</u></b><br />A Very Special Delivery- Linda Goodnight- <b><u>COMPLETED</u></b><br /><br /><br /><br />Those are the ones I already have.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I would like to get/buy:<br /><br />The Tenth Circle- Jodi Picoult<br />Handle With Care- Jodi Picoult (I actually think I may have this one somewhere and may have started reading it a few years ago)<br />House Rules- Jodi Picoult<br />BossyPants- Tina Fey<br />Matched- Ally Condie<br />The Book Thief- Markus Zusak<br />Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir- Jenny Lawson<br />Behind the Beautiful Forevers- Katherine Boo<br />Island of the Blue Dolphins- Scott O'Dell (I am pretty sure this is a book I read when I was much, much younger and really liked, but then lost and later could never remember the name of)</div>
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Someone also suggested The Paris Wife, and I just started that (was able to free download it on my Kindle using the Overdrive app/library).</div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-38401192909724348442013-01-07T00:46:00.002-05:002013-01-07T00:46:30.888-05:00I need a weekend from my weekend!!Seriously though, it's like when you take a vacation and feel like you need a vacation afterward! Ha.<br />
I'm just utterly exhausted, but I'm sure that's mainly due to the fact that I'm coming down with a cold.<br />
Logan started with a runny nose late in the week, and it's spread to Meredith and I. I don't think it's the flu or anything, just seems like sniffles, and runny noses, and a little bit of a sore throat for me. Let Hand-wash-a-palooza 2013 commence!!!<br />
I thought mid-week I was going to have it fairly easy. The kids were absolute ANGELS on Wednesday. They seriously were. I should probably write that down in a baby book somewhere to document it. They played nice, ate good, were generally calm and mild-mannered and we just had the most awesome, pleasant day ever.<br />
Welpppppp, I paid for it. Big time.<br />
Thursday and Friday were a NIGHTMARE. I mean messy mealtimes, messes all over the house, screaming, fighting, hitting, attitudes, just ridiculous. And Saturday and Sunday really weren't much better.<br />
This is fairly unusual for Logan, because in all honesty, he really usually is such a good kid.<br />
Not really surprising for Meredith though. That little child has got a really nasty attitude about her, and I have no clue where it came from or why. It's baffling. Don't get me wrong, I do truly love her with all my heart, but those who have witnessed it can testify to her brattiness. We are dealing with overcoming a number of obstacles with this child, and I joke constantly that one of us, either her or I, are not going to make it safely to her age 18!! She is going to drive me insane long before then.<br />
I've tried to nurture her as best I could without coddling her. Especially with the colic, then the surgery, the physical therapy. Now she's showing signs of significant speech delay. And the best way I can describe it, is that she acts very baby-ish still. She doesn't seem or act her age at all. I'm not sure if this is standard or more typical of a second child. We really did try not to baby her. I just feel like she is far less advanced than Logan was, or even other children her age. She's almost 2, but in so many ways I really feel like she's such a a'baby' still. She was over a year old before we got her off the bottle. She will sometimes use a fork, but a spoon is almost a lost cause. She is a terrible messy eater. Logan was fully on a fork and spoon by his first birthday. So this is all new to me.<br />
Sleeping has been another issue. She has always been a night owl. We did NOT transition from her infant and colic days well at all. No matter what we did, she would just refuse to go to sleep at a normal hour. Then from the time she turned 1, until just recently, pooping was an issue. And I think it's part of why she wouldn't go to sleep. Almost like clockwork, she would poop between 12:30-1am. Then there was the issue of being concerned about her waking up her brother or my husband. The kids were to be sharing a room, so it would've been quite a task putting a screaming child in with a sleeping one. And my husband works long hours, and gets up very early. So even though we set up a small crib in our room for her, I had to be careful she wasn't going to keep him up all night too.<br />
Usually I would throw her in the pack n play in the family room when it got late, she'd play and whatever, and I'd wait for her to poop. She'd do her #2, and I'd change her and all, then toss her back in the pack n play until she was asleep or almost asleep. Then I'd carry her up to our room for the night. Terrible, terrible, terrible-I know! And it created a bad habit of the tv being on down in the family room most nights too.<br />
Well, all of a sudden a few weeks ago, she won't sleep upstairs anymore.<br />
Not in the pack n play in our room (which is where I would put her for her afternoon nap too), not in the big real crib in the kids room. She just wouldn't have it!! She would freak out, and scream and cry. But the minute I brought her downstairs and put her in the pack n play in the family room-BOOM. OUT LIKE A LIGHT!! No rhyme or reason!<br />
So finally (like 2 weeks ago), my mom and I decided to say screw it. We said she needs to get over it, and just tough it out. We decided we will make her cry it out in the afternoons in the crib for naps. I know some people are hardset against CIO, and it's not something I've ever firmly instituted ever with the kids, but she's 22 months old, I figured she would be fine.<br />
The first day she cried for a full 45 minutes before we caught her on the camera basically climbing out of the crib (or climbing back in! hard to tell by the time we saw, when I got up there she had gotten back fully in the crib.) Obviously, safety comes first and I brought her downstairs.<br />
The second day, she cried for about 45 SECONDS before we discovered her on her belly, on the railing teeter-tottering back and forth with her feet in the air. I ran up and grabbed her as quickly as possible.<br />
The crib is up way too high to risk her breaking her neck! And yes, it is set as far down as the mattress can go! And believe me, it's fairly low! This is also a first for me. Logan never climbed out of his crib. Not once.<br />
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh<br />
She got a reprieve on the 3rd day because she got sick, and we then we just haven't even tried again.<br />
I'm really at a loss.<br />
After 3-4 weeks of sleeping on the couch in the family room (What can I say? I'm more worried about everyone else upstairs getting sleep I guess), I decided I had had enough and couldn't do it anymore.<br />
I should mention that aside from all of this......Logan hasn't been sleeping again either. He would go to sleep in his bed, and wake up between 1-3 every night crying and insisting on going in our bed. When it started, I conceded, out of fear of waking up his sister (or Matt), because at that time Meredith was actually sleeping through the night in our room!!!!<br />
Well I decided I can only tackle so many things at once, and had Matt bring the extra mattress up to the kids room. My poor back can't take sleeping on the couch anymore. And decided I would just put Logan right to sleep in our bed each night (and weirdly enough, he doesn't wake up when he goes to sleep in our bed. I still have no clue why or what is causing him to randomly wake up when he's put to bed in his own room!!!).<br />
<br />
Well, back to Meredith.<br />
The one day she tried to get out of the crib, I sat on the floor and held her to calm her for a few minutes (she was very worked up). And when I let her down, she had started to go to climb in Logan's toddler bed.<br />
So I had decided that I would go ahead, put Logan in our room, and see if I could get her to sleep in Logan's toddler bed, with me on the mattress on the floor. Well, she wasn't having that either. I put her on the mattress with me, and she just sat there, wouldn't lie down, for over an hour-before finally laying down and giving me a horrible restless night's sleep. So last night, the second night, we decided to bring her pack n play from the family room up and try to get her to sleep in the room at least, even if still in her pack n play.<br />
Well she freaked. Again. I tried a few things before I gave up and did something I am totally against.....and turned on the tv. And lo and behold, she sat there a few minutes quietly, and then laid right down and went to sleep. Go me! Gave me kid a terrible habit already! :-/<br />
Tonight was slightly more difficult, but I don't even have the energy to go into all that.<br />
I just honestly don't know what to do with her!! She is the most difficult child I have ever met or heard of in my life. What do I do? Seriously? I feel like I can't risk her falling out of that crib. The thought petrifies me!<br />
And I've got reservations about leaving her alone in there to sleep in the toddler bed too. It's got a railing on one side, and the wall is on the other, but I'm worried she'd slip or get hurt trying to climb off the end.<br />
I feel like I've got some impossible challenge and I've got no clue where to start or where to head.<br />
<br />
And now I'm sick on top of all the nonsense. The kids are sick. We're all a bunch of grumpy, crabby people. And none of us are getting enough quality sleep! Sheesh.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-27580541498825495262013-01-02T20:48:00.000-05:002013-01-02T20:48:06.929-05:002013 Reading ListA mix of e-books and actual books that I've received as gifts, or downloaded (so far only free ones):<br />
<br />
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson<br />
The Girl Who Played with Fire- Stieg Larsson<br />
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest- Stieg Larsson<br />
The Ice Cream Girls- Dorothy Koomson<br />
The Sweet By and By- Todd Johnson<br />
Lone Wolf- Jodi Picoult<br />
Sing You Home- Jodi Picoult<br />
Water For Elephants- Sara Gruen<br />
Bright Shiny Morning- James Frey<br />
Coming Up For Air- Patti Callahan Henry<br />
Then Came You- Jennifer Weiner<br />
Swim- Jennifer Weiner<br />
A Very Special Delivery- Linda Goodnight<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Those are the ones I already have.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I would like to get/buy:<br />
<br />
The Tenth Circle- Jodi Picoult<br />
Handle With Care- Jodi Picoult (I actually think I may have this one somewhere and may have started reading it a few years ago)<br />
House Rules- Jodi Picoult<br />
BossyPants- Tina Fey<br />
Matched- Ally Condie<br />
The Book Thief- Markus Zusak<br />
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir- Jenny Lawson<br />
Behind the Beautiful Forevers- Katherine Boo<br />
Island of the Blue Dolphins- Scott O'Dell (I am pretty sure this is a book I read when I was much, much younger and really liked, but then lost and later could never remember the name of)<br />
<br />
<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-35901506293250286312013-01-02T17:35:00.000-05:002013-01-02T17:35:15.360-05:001/2/12 Good Day!!!I can't even believe how much I've gotten done today, and it's only a little after 5. At least it feels like I've done a lot!!<br />
<br />
Some laundry, cleaned out the fridge and freezer, dishes, put away and re-organized (in ABC order) all the kids new DVD's, put away their new books also, make some drinks for the fridge (iced tea and lemonade), filled all the other drinks in the fridge, pepsi, pepsi max and water, got stuff ready for dinner, decided the carrots and onions we had were on their last leg-So I whipped up a big batch of a chicken pot pie filling and will make some individual mashed potato topped chicken pot pies and seal-a-meal them and freeze them-They make great dinners for Matt when he gets home late from work and isn't in the mood for what we had/what we had doesn't reheat well/or I just don't make dinner!!<br />
I also cleaned out my mom's e-mail for her, deleting all the junk mail for her and sorting/reading through what was important. Took care of a few things on Ebay/Paypal.<br />
Managed to deal with several poopie diapers and feed the kids and get them BOTH down for naps in between all this.<br />
Now that I'm typing it all out, it doesn't seem like as much as I thought it was.....<br />
Oh well!!<br />
Oh, I had also been eyeing some clearance shirts on Victoria's Secret website for a couple weeks, but never did anything, but came across an e-mail in my mom's inbox proclaiming this being the last day for a free shipping deal, so I went ahead and ordered them. I think I got 6 shirts, they were all clearance, so I don't feel too bad. And God knows I don't really ever buy clothes for myself, and have basically given up looking nice since I'm always covered in food, milk, juice, spit, boogers, etc!! But maybe I'll give it a shot for the New Year and try not to look like such a bum. I only have like a handful of shirts that I currently wear/that fit. Maybe when these come I can get my butt in gear and clean out my dresser and get rid of the ones I basically never wear anyway. Even though I rarely wear the stuff, I guess because I have so little clothing that fits I convince myself I shouldn't get rid of it?? Why? I have no clue. Haha. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the last time I bought clothes for myself (with the exception of the 2 pairs of jeans mom found on Ebay and I bought this summer) was last January when I got a few shirts from VS. I love to shop, but I rarely spend money on myself.<br />
OH! Also if anyone out there (If anyone even reads this), uses Pampers but doesn't do the Gifts To Grow Codes thing, we are only like 105 points away from getting the item we want for Logan's Birthday, so feel free to private message/e-mail me if you want to give any away!!!<br />
I've got to match up my Target and manufacturer diaper coupons and see if there's enough useful ones to do a diaper run pretty soon here, but I have a feeling I don't have that many Pampers coupons.<br />
<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-50392807636775696052013-01-02T02:11:00.001-05:002013-01-02T02:11:22.911-05:001/2/13This year I will try to be serious and blog more.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
seriously . </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-48629274225478039832012-11-12T17:41:00.004-05:002012-11-12T17:42:31.082-05:00I suck, I knowI'm sure people will think this is weird.<br />
<br />
But I never got a chance to do a cute pretty baby announcement for Logan when he was born. Things were so crazy with the emergency c section, then moving, then I just kept procrastinating.<br />
<br />
But we need one to match a photo frame my mom has, and one to throw in his scrapbook. Soooooo I'm doing one now. 3 1/2 years later, lol.<br />
<br />
<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AZNWbJm5aM3Pw&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=118"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/2AZNWbJm5aM7/2AZNWbJm5aM7c0/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1352759949000/0/" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Stationery card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div><br />
<br />
And I see it already posted 3 times below, lol.<br />
<br />
I will have to edit hahaa. Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-92165317038544505522012-11-12T17:39:00.003-05:002012-11-12T17:39:07.005-05:00Stationery card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AZNWbJm5aM3HQ&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/2AZNWbJm5aM7/2AZNWbJm5aM7cW/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1352759894000/0/" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>Classic Baby Birth Announcement</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Birth announcements, <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/valentines-day-cards-and-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">Valentine's cards</a>, & invitations by Shutterfly.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-45518922035586324262012-11-12T17:39:00.001-05:002012-11-12T17:39:05.892-05:00Stationery card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; 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font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Create beautiful birth announcements at <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/valentines-day-cards-and-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">Shutterfly.com</a>.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" style="padding: 0; background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none;" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-91062309317271692412012-11-12T17:38:00.001-05:002012-11-12T17:38:21.129-05:00Stationery card<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; 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background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-90618827084922172602012-09-23T14:42:00.001-04:002012-09-23T14:54:51.393-04:009/23/12So. Aside from trying new recipes and our normal daily routine, I also started on a diet the other day.<br />
I have had a lot of up and down issues with my weight since I had my first child, and it only got worse after my second.<br />
I hadn't lost all my "baby weight" from Logan yet, when I got pregnant with Meredith when Logan was 11 months old. Luckily I didn't gain that much with my second pregnancy, and actually, funny enough, I was the exact same final weight when I delivered each of them.<br />
I have a tendency to give myself a goal weight to get to by a certain time....usually an event.....a party, reunion, baby shower. And then if/when I don't reach that weight, the event passes, and then I get discouraged and lazy and stop trying. That definitely happened with my 10 year high school reunion in July. I didn't get anywhere near what I wanted to, and then not only did I not really try....but I went the complete opposite way and was basically eating all day, every day. Going extreme with snacking and eating things I normally wouldn't even eat. I let myself get to my highest non-pregnant weight ever. So yes, I use the word diet, which has become a bad word-in favor of people preaching that you need to change your lifestyle, etc, etc. I use diet because it's an easy word, and it's what I feel comfortable with. To lose the weight, I am "dieting," but then maintaining it later is where the lifestyle change comes in for me. Obviously to LOSE weight, you need to consume a lot less calories (or burn more), but once you get where you want to be, you just have to learn how many calories you need to maintain. So while I think the calculator I used online said I need to consume about only 1288 calories a day (with my current low exercise amounts-which I am going to bump up higher at some point, but right now my exercise amount is low). When I get to my goal weight, it estimates (still with the low exercise amount) that I can maintain that goal weight eating about 1529 calories a day. So obviously losing it is going to mean cutting back my calories more than when I maintain it. So yes, I use the word diet, because that's how I feel about the "losing" weight portion of my journey. If I can keep a 3 times a week light exercise workout going when I reach my goal weight I can consume an average of 1752 calories a day. Which is probably a lot more do-able for me.<br />
So it's been a rough couple days, but I'm hoping once a week or two passes I will feel more settled in my routine and my stomachs expectations will change. I also readily recognize that I am an emotional eater and a boredom eater. I've been really catching myself and paying attention when I have the urge to eat, but am realizing I am probably not actually hungry. It's just a habit. While sitting down watching tv after the kids are finally in bed. Or if I'm upset or angry or something I will go to eat. And that's a terrible, terrible habit.<br />
Also, I like a lot of fruit! I really do! But if there's an apple and a slice of chocolate cake in front of me.....I'd say I'm picking the cake 100% of the time. So while it's alright to have "desserts" sometimes, I need to learn to enjoy and indulge in my fruits a lot more often (I do eat a decent amount of vegetables, but don't care for most of them raw). It's also rough because I'm a baker and cake decorator! I LOVE creating desserts and treats and it's too hard not to try them! So I'll have to be more careful about what and how often I choose to make desserts.<br />
I also found it's rougher to lose weight when you have kids. You've got mouths to feed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's time consuming....you find yourself picking at their food, or even worse just eating what you feed them-which is sometimes chicken nuggets and fries. Don't get me wrong, I don't feed my kids all "kid food" for lack of a better term. They eat what we eat for dinner, they don't get special meals. They eat the steak, pork chops, pasta, green beans, corn, rice, chicken, etc. And often if I have leftovers I will make up their lunches from bits and pieces of leftover dinners. But reality is, they eat 'fast food' sometimes. And even the chicken and fries I make at home are likely higher in calories. So that's a tricky situation for me with keeping them happy and fed, and then making separate healthier meals for myself sometimes.<br />
While people find fault with prepackaged or frozen 'diet' meals, I kind of like them. I have found a few flavors in a couple brands that I really like. And while I know you've got to watch things like the sodium content on some of them, they work for me. They are quick and easy, not a lot of dishes are made (our dishwasher is still broken), and it's super easy for me to see the calories. It's easier to read a package than to hop on the internet and try and calculate the calories in each thing I just made. And surprisingly, there are a few of them that I found are actually pretty filling, and only around 300 calories.<br />
Today for lunch I had a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and hard boiled egg whites with a light balsamic dressing. It was good. I treated myself to a small slice of a fresh tomato basil bread I got at the farmer's market, and while my brain is telling my I could eat more, I feel like my stomach is telling me I'm fine, and that's enough. Also while searching calorie counts last night I found that an egg white has only 17 calories! (I don't like the yolks anyway). And also tomatoes are surprisingly low calorie (I forget the exact amount). I also found a few fruits that are very low calorie that I happen to like-such as plums and carambola (star fruit). So that's pretty awesome, and I will be trying to incorporate more of those into my meals.<br />
I've already cut out calorie drinks a long time ago. I only drink diet soda (I don't need any lectures!!), water, vitamin water zero, etc. The only time I have anything with calories is if I treat myself to Starbucks for a latte or frappuccino, or on the rare occasion I am somewhere and have an alcoholic beverage (not often).<br />
<br />
So we're on day 3 of this thing, and I feel like I can do it. I really don't have a choice. I've let myself go so much that I am officially considered "overweight," and I feel like it's now or never to get to a reasonable healthy weight, and then go from there on how to maintain it. I feel I need to drop 30 lbs total. That will bring my BMI from the higher end of "overweight", down to a little higher than the average range of "normal weight." If I can lose 35 lbs that will put me right in the middle of the "normal weight" category for BMI.<br />
If I was trying to be super crazy, and get to the VERY low end of the "normal weight" category for BMI, I would have to lose like 55 lbs, and I'm pretty sure that's not even possible for me, and I'd never be able to maintain it anyway!!<br />
But I'd be more than happy with being anywhere in the normal category, especially with my body type. And if I can get to the middle of that spectrum, I'd be more than pleased with myself!! But, one step at a time I guess. <br />
<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-27106337882783553312012-09-22T16:26:00.003-04:002012-09-22T16:26:53.477-04:00New food menu and recipes!!So I'm back, as I said in my last post. Or at least hope to be.<br />
I was a little busy, and a little lazy for a couple weeks, but we're slowly getting back on track.<br />
<br />
My mom seems suddenly excited to work on some new recipes, so that will definitely help me out with dinners!! I had previously made a two-month long menu for May/June, and then again for July/August.<br />
We were leaving to go out of town in the first week in September, and I never bothered writing up a new menu.<br />
Well when my mom went out to help take care of my grandma, she had been looking up recipes and such to try. My grandma is on an oxygen tank 24/7 right now, and between that and her other physical limitations she wasn't able to cook. Pretty much at all. No oven, no stove, no toaster oven.<br />
So she was basically limited to an electric kettle, microwave, and I think MAYBE she could use a regular toaster.<br />
My mom and I had already been making and prepping a lot of things and vacuum food sealing them here at home, with our FoodSaver, to get ready for winter and busy days. We got tons of fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market at super cheap prices, and prepared them accordingly and sealed them up for winter meals. <br />We even prepared eggplant parm, and meatballs, all ready to be popped in the oven for a lazy/busy night meal. So anyway, my mom was attempting to do the same for my grandma. Looking to find recipes she could prepare, that might freeze well, for her to just later microwave and eat. She came across quite a few good-looking recipes, and a lot of crockpot recipes also. (Not to mention I may or may not have.....um....over 500 recipes pinned on Pinterest :-X )<br />
So we've been mixing it up with a blend of old and new recipes, and trying to keep a nice variation on pasta/beef/chicken/pork/etc recipes.<br />
This week was:<br />
<br />
Monday 9/17- Ground beef with brown gravy over egg noodles (Not new-this is an old family recipe)<br />
Tuesday 9/18- Eggplant parm with ravioli and sauce<br />
Wednesday 9/19- We did a freezer cleanout. All open bags of stuff got cooked up for a hodge podge for dinner.<br />
Thursday 9/20- Slow Cooked Turkey dinner with carrots and red potatoes, stuffing, egg noodles. (The Turkey was a new recipe courtesy of Progresso's website. We switched out cream of mushroom soup for a cream of chicken, and with a little salt and pepper it was very good.)<br />
Friday 9/21- London Broil with an onion/mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans (Not new, another old family recipe)<br />
<br />
Now tonight is another new crockpot recipe. It's a Garlic Pork Roast. Not sure what we are having with it yet (I'm supposed to be figuring that out right now.)<br />
<br />
To finish out the rest of the month, we tentatively have:<br />
<br />
Sunday 9/23- Braised Beef Ragu over fresh fettuccine (new recipe I found earlier this summer, very good)<br />
Monday 9/24- Crispy Chicken with creamy italian sauce over bowtie pasta (new recipe I found earlier this summer, also very good)<br />
Tuesday 9/25- Lasagna<br />
Wednesday 9/26- Chicken Parm with pasta<br />
Thursday 9/27- New recipe- Slow cooker pepper steak<br />
Friday 9/28- Stuffed Pork Chops<br />
Saturday 9/29- Roast Beef<br />
Sunday 9/30- Beef Tacos and Chicken Fajitas<br />
<br />
<br />
My mom made this menu :-)<br />
Which was good, because I really couldn't decide what we should make!!<br />
I better get started on October's menu now!!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-73852302778837442922012-09-17T15:37:00.001-04:002012-09-17T15:37:37.288-04:00I'm back!!It has definitely been a long couple of weeks. <br />
But I'm back now! Or at least going to try to be. <br />
I'm writing this from my phone, so it won't be long.......I have fat fingers so typing too much gets annoying quickly. <br />
<br />
We survived a hectic trip to NJ, which ended with our vehicle breaking down, but overall it was a really nice trip. And I was able to pull off successfully surprising my friend at her baby shower, and she had no idea I was coming :-)<br />
<br />
Now it's just been getting back on track, into routine, and that post vacation cleanup! Yuck. Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-66593298415740183362012-08-30T15:50:00.000-04:002012-08-30T15:52:12.601-04:00We did it!!Well we did it! We have officially survived our first week of school! Overall Logan did pretty great, minus a little freak out about wanting to get on the bus today (yesterday when he got off it made a loud noise and scared him).<br />
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Love this kid! <br />
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<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-62532379996456459372012-08-29T23:49:00.003-04:002012-08-29T23:49:30.797-04:00Blog name!Oh yes, and I changed my blog name/title.<br />
<br />
I changed it twice actually.<br />
I just started thinking they were cheesy, and I'm not witty enough to come up with anything cute.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-6542746056824579962012-08-29T22:57:00.002-04:002012-08-29T23:41:19.649-04:00Sleepy WednesdayToday was a rough one.<br />
Logan woke up at 6am, crying in his room, asking for "mommy bed."<br />
I decided it was a bit too early to get him up for the day, so I let him get in bed with me and tried to go back to sleep until 7am.<br />
He was being silly and not wanting to sleep until about 6:30am. When he crashed.<br />
I tried waking him several times at 7am, and it JUST. WAS. NOT. HAPPENING. Yikes.<br />
I was panicking a little.<br />
We are NOT used to this early schedule.<br />
So finally, at about 7:30am I was like oh boy....what do I do?? I was worried of upsetting him and him waking up his sister. So I decided I'd pick him AND his blanket up and bring him downstairs and figure this out. Well he woke up as we got to the bottom of the stairs. And I was right. He was tired, disoriented, and FREAKED OUT. Ugh. Not cool.<br />
<br />
Finally he calmed down, but the clock was really ticking!!<br />
The last 2 days I've tried to make getting dressed time at 7:45am, and then just chill for a few minutes and go outside right after 8 (bus comes at 8:15am).<br />
Man for a second we were really cutting it close.<br />
We got outside by 8:05 or so though, and he seemed like he was all good. (YAY!)<br />
<br />
He was ADORABLE getting off the bus. I got him off, we crossed the street, and as soon as we got to the end of the driveway, he put both arms out and was yelling "I'm back! I'm back!" as he ran up to papa. Seriously. Adorbs.<br />
<br />
The rest of the day wasn't too bad, even though I could NOT seem to get myself awake today. But hey, that's okay, because Matt was off work at a decent time today, and he took Logan upstairs to play, I put Meredith in the pack n play with her favorite show on quietly, and closed the curtains. Within 5 minutes she was asleep, so I followed suit.<br />
Got a VERY nice nap in.<br />
Woke up and got to work on a late dinner, Kraft fresh take seasoned chicken with herb/butter noodles, and corn.<br />
Kids were pretty rambunctious after dinner. Especially Meredith. I don't know what got into them!!<br />
Matt was in changing Logan for bed, and I went into the kitchen for a minute to wash up a few dishes, and I heard Matt saying "Oh no!" And I'm freaking, yelling from the kitchen with wet, soapy hands "What? What? What's wrong??"<br />
Wellllllllll........Meredith pulled out a bunch of my mom files out of her one low filing cabinet and stuff was everywhere. Sheesh.<br />
This child is something else. She is SO naughty. Seriously. Don't let that face fool you. She will laugh at you if you like gently smack her hand when she's bad (I don't do actual like REAL hitting. I've just swatted her hand a few times when she throws things and such). She will laugh, she will do the bad thing again. She's terrible. I am REALLY going to have my hands full. She will laugh right in your face when you yell at her!!<br />
<br />
Logan also keeps......not throwing a tantrum....that would be the wrong word. But getting very upset and insistent wanting to watch "Tickety Tock" I think it's called, haha. They have been airing commercials for this new series, BUT IT HASN'T STARTED YET!!! Try explaining that to a 3 year old. You should hear his adorable little baby voice with the way he says it, asking to please watch it. And every time I have to break his heart and tell him it isn't on yet. This kid just gets my heartstrings every time man. It's this adorable voice...seriously. "I wanna watch ticky tock mommy, pwease, pwease mommy, i watch ticky tock"<br />
<br />
<br />
Not much else to report. I started last week wanting to lose a couple pounds for this thing I'm going to in 2 weeks....<br />
Well uh, no. I swore I'd be motivated, etc etc. But with the stress, and everything, and I'm an emotional eater.....I've been doing nothing but eating. Seriously. Like snacking all day long. Which is weird, because I don't even like snack foods. I HATE potato chips and things like that. Sheesh.<br />
So I haven't had the nerve to get on the scale, but I'm pretty sure I probably gained a pound or two instead of losing them. Oops.<br />
I WILL get back on track eventually. Hopefully when we get a schedule figured out better, and things settle down, and I can focus and get back on my game and be less lazy.<br />
I have to.<br />
I'm not an elephant or anything, but I know I weigh way too much for my short height.<br />
Oh well. All in time I suppose... <br />
<br />
<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-23119687476784559862012-08-29T00:27:00.000-04:002012-08-30T15:52:38.612-04:00A little bit better....Today was a little bit better.<br />
<br />
I think yesterday I was just so emotionally exhausted from so many things, it just had me all out of sorts.<br />
<br />
I don't remember if I mentioned the one really shining spot of my day yesterday, which was when we put Logan's plate of dinner down on his tray, and he exclaimed "Thank you mommy! Oh thank you mommy!" It was beyond adorable. And so sweet. It wasn't even like typical "kid" food or anything! We had pork roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, garlic butter noodles, and green beans. But he was so happy. Made my day.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to today.<br />
Long story short, and I'm getting tired of re-hashing it all. So I'll just paste what I put on Facebook and be done with it:<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">"I'm pretty sure I'm being treated like a moron.<br /> <br />
When Logan got off the bus, I immediately checked the inside of his
backpack. There was a piece of gray duct tape that says "Logan" on it.
But NOWHERE is the label I put on it with his name.<br /> There's a note from the teacher saying the backpack situation got all figured out. And that she put another name label on it.<br /> But I'm pretttttttty sure I just g</span><br />
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ot the same backpack back, (not logan's original). Inside was just the scholastic book order form, and the note.<br />
I don't have whatever artwork they drew yesterday, and his change of clothes isn't inside it.<br />
I'll assume the artwork is now a lost cause. But am STILL awaiting an
answer as to whether they took his clothes out yesterday to put them
into a cubby space or something similar. They better have his damn
clothes, otherwise I will know I'm being played and the jig is up that
they gave me the same wrong backpack (which is what I think is
happening)."</div>
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and a follow up reply to a comment:</div>
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"I'm just going to let it go (this time). He's got a backpack, it's the same type I had bought him anyway.<br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I FINALLY got a reply, saying that yes they took his clothes out (I
wasn't sure, since they give you the option to either send a packa</span><br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">ge
of pull-ups to stay at the school, or to keep a few in their backpack
everyday. I wasn't sure if they opted to leave the clothes in the
backpacks too). </span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I don't have any art if he did any yesterday (the "other" backpack yesterday had a drawing in it), but oh well I guess.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">This backpack was sent back with a DIFFERENT label on the inside that
says "LOGAN." Not sure why they would've removed mine. I had a nice big
piece of blue cardstock that said "Logan P." on it, that was covered
with clear packing tape. I don't see how it could've fallen off, and
don't understand why they would've replaced it. That's what makes me
think they sent me home the same "wrong" bag. </span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">They had the option
of wearing their required name tags, or putting them on their backpacks.
Mrs. Good wrote on the note that she has tied it to the handle of his
backpack so it doesn't happen again. But honestly, I don't know if the
kid can recognize his name or not. So if they throw all these backpacks
in a pile on the bus, I'm sure he could very well grab the wrong one
again *sigh*</span><br />
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I'm just glad there wasn't any important correspondence or anything I could've missed receiving! </span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I'm going to get him some kind of keychain or something that he really
likes to help make sure he can identify his bag from now on."</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">SO. THAT'S THAT. Hopefully forever and I never have to deal with this kind of crap again.</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Sigh.</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">In other news, today was okay. Logan woke up on his own crying at 6:45am. And I've decided to wake him up at 7am for school anyway, so I just kept him up. He was a little confused and disoriented for a few minutes.</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Got him ready and on the bus and all was well.</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Meredith had her 18 month checkup today. Most things seem good. A <i>little</i> slow on the gross motor skills and speech, but I'm not surprised. Also keeping her eye into consideration-her follow up with the surgeon is Sept. 11.</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">She is 23 lbs. and 10 oz. and she is just shy of 33 1/2 inches tall. I think they said her weight was right in the average, 50th percentile range, and she's around 85-90th percentile for height :-)</span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">She had to get one last shot in a series of vaccinations, and she took it like a trooper. </span></div>
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<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Next visit is for her 2 yr old checkup.</span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-31881508231025534022012-08-27T23:10:00.001-04:002012-08-27T23:10:02.965-04:00.......I am absolutely mentally exhausted and emotionally drained, so I'm not sure how much I'll write.<br />
<br />
Logan had his first day of preschool. He did great.<br />
<br />
I, apparently though, am an idiot for not knowing there are no bus car seat laws here, and getting told by the bus driver that her paperwork states he doesn't need a safety belt.<br />
Then him coming home with some other kids backpack.<br />
Just ugh.<br />
I'm so tired of this constant crap with this school and transportation department.<br />
The school claims he left with the right backpack, so this mixup somehow occurred on the bus. Not sure how. What do they do? Throw them in a big pile? On the way there, they each held theirs in their seat!<br />
Annoying.<br />
I don't know.<br />
Anyway, rather than write a long drawn out story tonight, I'm just going to hope it gets figured out tomorrow and at the end of the day I end up with my kids correct bookbag, and hopefully his art he did yesterday. He also had a change of clothes in his bag we were told to send, but I'm unclear at the moment as to whether the clothes were taken out by the teachers to go in a cubby space or something. I'll be pissed if his clothes go missing.<br />
His name was on the inside of his bookbag, on a blue piece of cardstock, covered with packing tape.<br />
This bag he brought home has no name anywhere.<br />
So I don't even know who has his bag.<br />
<br />
Annoying.<br />
I was fine until this afternoon when I broke down and cried over the stress that has been mounting, and the thought that the other parent might think the work that got sent home was her child's, and not send it back.<br />
I want my kids art from his first ever day of school.<br />
I am returning the art that was in the bag we got, plus the book form, and a note to the parent saying here is your son's stuff, somehow the bags got mixed up, you must have my son's.<br />
The teacher knows, and hopefully she can sort this out.<br />
Otherwise I get on that bus tomorrow when he gets dropped off and I find my kid's bookbag.<br />
Even if it means holding up traffic and pissing off the bus driver.<br />
<br />
I'm hoping for the simpler, less aggressive outcome.<br />
<br />
Just please God, let the bus come, I hop on, open it up, and it's got his name in it, with his stuff, and we're all good.<br />
Please.<br />
I think Mrs. Good is starting to think I am a major pain in the ass.<br />
And I'm sure the transportation department thinks I'm annoying too, after my inquiry about the safety belts.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-3550273343456070722012-08-27T06:57:00.002-04:002012-08-29T00:33:29.247-04:00The big day is upon us!!Well, it's here. Monday, August 27th.<br />
Logan starts preschool today.<br />
<br />
I slept like crap. I got a terrible stomach ache before I went to bed last night, and it carried through all the way through the night.<br />
I honestly don't know if I just have a normal old upset stomach.....or if my anxiety and stress may have caused it. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me. When I am emotionally upset or the like, I have a tendency to inadvertently make myself ill. Annoying.<br />
<br />
We had a pretty busy day overall yesterday. Logan was up WAY too early, and was in a mood all morning. It was extremely frustrating. Especially after he'd been so good on Friday and Saturday. We had a party to go to at 2pm, and of course I had a ton of things to get done by then. Managed to get everything done, and almost leave when I wanted to. The party was a lot of fun and really nice. He had a pretty good time and really wore himself out. Stayed longer than I thought we would, we didn't go to leave until about 5:15pm. Both kids were asleep a few minutes after we got in the car to go home. Meredith stayed asleep and took a decent nap...... Logan did not. My husband tried to bring him up and put him in bed, and I'm not sure how it all went down, but they both came down about 10 minutes later. Sigh.<br />
The poor kid was exhausted and cranky and really could've used that nap. I probably would've left him in his room, even if it meant a few tears. Daddy isn't as patient or good at judging these situations though. Oh well.<br />
We got everyone settled and had dinner a little while later, and then had a big argument with Logan over taking a bath. He just wanted to play "mogydycle" with daddy (motorcycle video game. Ay yi yi.) Got him all cleaned up, with a lot of yelling, which isn't usually like him-he's usually begging to take a bath lately! Afterward I had to try and refocus his attention a little, because we had a few things to do for school. A paper about himself to fill out, and an "All about me" bag, in which we chose 5 items that help describe him for a show and tell type thing they will do. Got all that done, wanted to get a few photos of 'the night before school,' with him putting his stuff into his backpack. He was less than cooperative, but I got a few pictures. Then I just wanted a few photos of him standing in his pjs real nice, and he was being a pain with that too. But again, I think I got at least 1 or 2 halfway decent photos, (I'll post later.)<br />
<br />
Today I've got a little sign with the date, his age, and saying it's his first day of preschool for him to hold up and take a photo of. And I have the video camera all ready and charged with a new disc-my brother was supposed to take video of him getting on the bus and all, but now he has to work until 8am, sooooo.....he says he'll rush right home, but this bus is supposed to be here at 8:15am. So we'll see.<br />
I'll just take a little video of him before 8 with his backpack on and maybe talking about school or something. I don't think I can multi-task good enough to take photos, video AND actually get the child on the bus. I may see if my neighbor can take video if I see them outside-they wake up pretty early almost every day.<br />
I just love videos, and really enjoy how the few videos we have from my parents camcorder from when I was a child make me feel. My grandfather passed in 1993, but it's bittersweet to be able to see him on those Christmas videos from my childhood. A picture is amazing, but having video and being able to hear someone's voice again is priceless. I am not the best mom, I am not a patient person, I can be lazy, I swear, I get angry at my kids.... But when my children are older I want them to be able to remember all these special moments. I want them to have vivid, beautiful memories of their childhood. Cheesy, I know, but it's how I feel. And I have such an amazing mother (though I'm sure for about 5-6 years of my teenage years I didn't make her feel like it), that I feel like I have a lot to live up to. I want my kids to remember all the little things I did to make things special.<br />
I hear people ripping on these projects and things on Pinterest, making fun of crafty moms and such. Saying maybe you should spend TIME with your kids, instead of making them sandwiches that look like owls, or apple slices and grapes that look like cars...... But why can't you do both?? When I look back on my younger years, it's all those small things my mom did, the tiny gestures, that I remember and remind me how much she cared. And I want my kids to feel the same way.<br />
<br />
So hopefully I get some good photos and a little video of Logan today.<br />
Hopefully I can hold back the tears. <br />
Hopefully he isn't crabby when I wake him up (I've got to wake him up at 7am-which is early than he normally wakes on his own).<br />
Hopefully he doesn't give me a hard time going potty and getting dressed so early (we usually eat breakfast and lounge in our pjs for a couple hours).<br />
And hopefully he's still excited about school.<br />
<br />
I know he was excited about riding the bus, and every time he sees a school bus he yells and points and gets excited. I'm just hoping that him getting on the bus and realizing I'm not coming with him won't be a problem. He's not going to know anyone on the bus, and I'm sure he doesn't realize that. I just hope maybe there will already be some other kids on it to get him excited (I doubt it-we might be the first stop, he gets picked up at 8:15-and school is at 8:55, so that's a long bus ride).<br />
<br />
I kind of wish my mom was here today. She's so organized and calm and collected.<br />
I try to be organized, but forget things sometimes. I think I've got everything he needs in his backpack, which I'm assuming the teachers check everyday? I don't know how this works exactly. I would imagine they check it everyday for anything from me, and I check it every day for stuff from school/the teacher.<br />
I've got his clothes laid out and ready to go. We might be wearing our new sneakers, but something tells me he is going to give me a hard time about it, and want to wear his current ones-he can be very decisive sometimes.<br />
<br />
Well, it's just about time to go wake him up. Id' better go get his breakfast ready and hope for the best.<br />
<br />
I'm more worried about me having a breakdown than him though I think.<br />
<br />
<br />
EDIT:<br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-52966709885613366102012-08-24T23:52:00.001-04:002012-08-24T23:59:56.033-04:00Great day!Today has honestly really been great.<br />
With the exception of me being a zombie for a little while after I woke up, and feeling like I couldn't get my butt up and moving, anyway.<br />
<br />
I should start by re-iterating to those that don't know, that we live with my parents. This was a mutually beneficial decision that came about after my emergency C-section in 2009. I had to be out of work and on strict limitations for at least 6 weeks, and my husband couldn't take much time off work. My dad also has a back injury and some other health problems. So I helped out my mom with cooking, cleaning, etc. My husband helps out around the house, with yardwork, etc, things that are painful or difficult for my dad to do.<br />
All in all it's worked out really well. Especially when my mom watched Logan for me when I went back to work, and had to leave for work at 5:30am! No waking kids up and dragging them to a babysitter :-)<br />
<br />
Anyway, my mom left today, she's taking care of a relative for 2 weeks. And is it weird if I say I was nervous? Don't get me wrong-they are MY kids, and I primarily take care of them. I'm not some young teen mom leaving her kids with her parents all the time going out and partying. We live in the same household, but that's all. Of course they change a diaper now and then, or make them lunch, the occasional bath. And they babysit sometimes too of course. But it's not like they are my kids caregivers.<br />
But, nevertheless, I've been nervous. Its us 4, my mom, dad, and my 2 brothers currently living here.<br />
I pretty much do all the cooking, dishes, vacuuming. My mom primarily does the laundry though. She does everyone's together, we don't separate or everyone do their own. It'd waste too much water. So I'm stuck with all 7 of us's laundry for 2 weeks. And I don't fold. Not the specific, particular way my mom does. So I'm not even going to bother. Anything I fold that's left when she gets back would drive her OCD self nuts anyway, and she'd re-fold it I'm sure.<br />
Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyy, today was good.<br />
I got 2 loads of regular laundry done, and 3 loads that containing Matt and I's bedding (2 comforters, fitted and top sheet, 2 pillow cases). I have a few dishes left to wash, but kept up pretty good all day (our dishwasher is currently broken). Took BOTH kids with me to run some errands, dropping off bills and running into Kohl's to use my Kohl's cash and find a present for a birthday party we are invited to this Sunday. Then Logan was asking for chicken nuggets from Burger King (yes, I let myself and my kids eat fast food sometimes- I don't need a lecture, but thank you for your concern). So we grabbed lunch, then he wanted me to go get "mommy juice," so I treated myself to a mocha frappuccino. We came home, pottied/diaper changed, and I let the kids play a little while. Then I put Logan up for a nap, with minimal fighting, which is saying a lot lately. He hasn't been into wanting to take a nap without a real fight recently. I came down from putting him for his nap, and closed the drapes, turned off the lights, and put Meredith in the pack n play with the tv on very quietly. She laid down, so I did too! We both took a really nice nap!! It was wonderful. I woke up, Logan was up shortly after, I got dinner started : http://www.ourtableforseven.com/2012/08/baked-pierogi-casserole.html<br />
Both kids ate pretty decent AND with really minimal mess!! It was a breath of fresh air!! Logan was fully using utensils by the time he was a year old. I don't know what happened, but now at 3 years old, it's hit or miss, and I swear he is messier now than he ever was as an infant!! Meredith is a different story all together. She is a messy eater and gets a little sassy attitude. She will purposely throw food on the floor when she doesn't want. Not dropping it, not tossing it, but with attitude-THROW it.<br />
But tonight was good! Got both kids all washed up, pottied and diaper changes again, and I told Logan we could have a snack and watch a movie if he was good. So he wanted to watch Cars (a nice break from watching Robots every day the last like 3 weeks!), and I made him some popcorn. The kids played and watched the movie for a while until it was pajama time, at which time Logan informed me he wanted to have a "dance party." He asked to have one a few times this week. It's so cute.<br />
I kind of started up this dance party thing a while ago, where we watch the music videos we have On Demand on our cable, and be silly before bed. So we got all ready for bed and had a short dance party.<br />
Then when I was putting him to bed, and holding him for a bit in the glider, I said something about what a great day we had. And he starts listing everything we did today!! It was so cute. He starts saying something like:<br />
"i pay games", "go shopping", "get Boo Kig", "mommy juice-a", "do puzzle", "have dance pawty"<br />
<br />
(I play games, go shopping, get Burger King, get mommy juice (starbucks), did puzzles, and have dance party.<br />
It was adorable. I wish I could've recorded it.<br />
One of those moments I hope to remember forever.<br />
<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039986828217916425.post-70960447324575183602012-08-24T12:37:00.000-04:002012-08-24T12:37:07.414-04:00Not a morning personI am not a morning person.<br />
I think Logan is going to do much better with this new schedule of getting up early and going to school than I am. Especially considering my random sleep patterns, and the fact that I haven't been a "working mom", in over 18 months. I feel like a zombie. And we weren't even up today as early as we need to be next week!!<br />
I am not a morning person.<br />
<br />
Logan's been fairly good today. I guess I've gotten a little bit done, a load of laundry, washed 2 more loads with comforters in them, and have a load of sheets going in now. Did the dishes twice. But really I just feel like I'm exhausted and all I've done today is sit around and eat.<br />
I got halfway decent sleep so I really shouldn't be this tired. And all things considered I went to bed earlier than I usually do.<br />
I've got to get off my butt and feed the kids something for lunch, then run an errand. Then maybe if I'm lucky when I get back I can get them down for naps and possibly take one myself.<br />
Probably wishful thinking thought.<br />
I think I've got dinner figured out, new recipe, saw it on Pinterest last night, and it seems pretty easy.<br />
http://www.ourtableforseven.com/2012/08/baked-pierogi-casserole.html<br />
<br />
Logan was pretty cute earlier, he was asking if we had any of 'his' cheese (a certain brand he likes), and I told him we didn't, we were out. And then he surprisingly turns me and says "we have any hammm mommy?"<br />
It was pretty cute. Surprising because he only just recently started eating the cold deli style ham. And the way he says "ham" cracks me up every time.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08337283931065859862noreply@blogger.com0