Thursday, February 26, 2009

The art of eating VEGGIES

I want my boys to eat healthy so they'll be healthy. That task is much easier said then done. Landon would probably be willing to eat about anything but that is a bigger challenge since he can't eat everything due to the fact that food is a choking hazzard. Today my day consisted of projects & I plain & simply did not prepare dinner. I usually pre-plan meals for the week & pull meat out of the freezer in the morning so that it will be ready for me to prepare in the afternoon. So at 5pm this evening Jaden declared he was hungry & Landon was cranky. Trying to think what leftovers were in the fridge I realized that there wasn't enough for everyone. Jaden then declared he wanted Waffles. About two months ago Jaden had a love obsession with pancakes & I was a little worried of what his diet would consist of if all he ate was pancakes so I then decided it was time for creativity. I started making whole wheat pancakes with carrots ground up in it. The great thing about this was a popped leftovers in the fridge & it was a wonderful snack for Landon...carrots are ground therefore there is no choking hazzard. So this evening we altered the recipe for waffles & behold I once again fooled my children into eating healthy. They even both skipped the sugar-free syrup.

I've used this same little trick in recipes including meat loaf & homemade apple sauce. I don't have a problem eating my veggies so I usually elect to eat the non-veggie versions. So here's to tricking my kids into eating their veggies & loving it.

Friday, February 20, 2009

And the Winner is....Comment 47

Because of the large amount of comments I decided that either I'd be super busy teaching Jaden to count beyond 20 or I could use random.org.

Random.org chose 47 which is.....DRUM ROLL!!!!!

JENNA...she left like a kazillion comments so I guess it makes sense:)

Lucky for me Jenna is coming to town today & I don't have to pay shipping but I better get shopping!!!!

So go to her blog to "PAY IT FORWARD".

PS Jenna..I totally realize that you don't have makeup on but I'm in a hurry & had to choose the quickest pick I had access to.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Lots of love

I hope you all had a wonderful V-day...Jaden just wanted to wish you one too:) These are the cards that he gave to his friends.

Before Valentines Day Chris & I talked & decided to do very small gifts. We wanted to keep it simple but also fun. Chris mom is coming this week so we decided to save our alone time when she's in town & plus we didn't want to face all the crowds on V-Day.

Our day of small gifts was no longer....or not spending a lot of money that is. Chris went fishing in the morning and right before he left I noticed that Washer was leaking. This has happened before & a simple twist the tube tighter fixed the problem...our washer is less then 4 years old. After analyzing we did a quick fix & Chris was on his way. As I continued to do laundry I noticed the problem getting worse & then a horrible noise. Our washer has been through a # of moves this year, in storage, out of storage, down a flight of stairs, up a fligh of stairs, & then into our home...finally!!!! I know washer repairs are costly & didn't think our cheap washer was worth it so I began calling all the appliance stores in town; most of which take 5-7 days to get the washer in. This wasn't acceptable since I wasn't about to take two kids to a laundry mat. I continued my phone calls & called Chris letting him know it wasn't good...he was heading home bringing a basketball hoop from my parents (not rubbing it in at all that we're my parents favorite:)). Chris & I had also decided this week that we were going to buy a swing set for the boys. We really analyzed wood vs. metal...obviously we are a fan of the wood but the metal is much cheaper. After thinking about it all week (sale ended yesterday so we had to decide quick) we settled on the metal as we are trying to meet some financial goals. So after many phone calls we found one in stock at Home Depot & Chris headed out to pick it up. When Chris got home we again debated the swing set wondering if two big purchases in one day was wise. We gave in out of love for our two boys.

Our day was getting crazy fast & we had invited a bunch of people over for the evening. I've been sick all week & was feeling tired quick & was kind of grateful when some of our friends had to cancel being sick themselves. So we had one set of friends with two kids come. We made heart shaped pizzas & had yummy treats. Jaden thought it was great & we did it early enough to get the kids in bed on time. I was pooped & not very fun for my honey...sorry!!! I went to bed & Jeff & Melanie came & hung out with Chris. I'll make up for it this week!!!

This week is also a little crazy since Chris's mom is coming to stay with us & my brother & sister & their families are coming too!!! Good thing I love family!!! And I just got invited to be in a BUNKO group...I'm totally excited since it's been a while. That is this week too.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Are you READY to "PAY IT FORWARD"???

So I know some of you have been waiting to play. This is how it works. I just won on Charaynes blog or should I say...Charayne is paying the love forward that she recieved from someone else.

So pretty much I give something fun to a random winner on my blog; I've got some ideas so you definately want to win. All you have to do it leave a comment. There's only one catch, when you win you pay it forward too. AND yes, most likely I'll leave a comment on the winner to see if I can keep "paying it forward."

Leave as many comments as you want. I'll let Jaden pick a number out of the hat. Deadline is Feb 20th...totally pulled that date out of the air.

So PLAY away!!!!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Birthday Festivities

I'm grateful to have survived this crazy week. This post will be short but full of pic's so you can check out how we celebrated Landons Birthday. Saturday was swimming & dinner & then this evening was cake with triplets that live a street over. Isabella adores Landon & we didn't want to leave out the other two. So here's our celebration!!! And I'll end this post with some cake-eatin fun!!! I bet you wish you were eating those sprinkles!!!BTW...keep posted for a "pay it forward" post. I just won on Charaynes blog. More info soon! AND yes, you should be jealous of me for winning:)

Thursday, February 5, 2009

An email marking a year!!!

Today my dad sent this email to all of his children. He sends us daily emails, some are funny & some are more serious.

It was a year ago this weekend that the boys were suffering without Chris At the crown Burger in Salt Lake before the jazz game As we were walking Chanse received a text announcing the arrival of a handsome healthy boy. And the good news that Kim was well. Happy birthday Landon. We love you and I am sure none of he boys remember he onion rings and trimmings or who won the game. Or who paid!! Love DAD

I've been thinking about Landon's Birthday & how to celebrate. Landon's official Birthday is monday but we'll be celebrating Saturday & Sunday. I want Landon to have a day all about him doing things that he'll enjoy. My dads email took me back to his actual Birthday. The early morning at the hospital & the slow progression of labor. The struggle to find a heart beat so they attached the wire to Landon's head, the drop in heart beat every time I had a contraction (happened with Jaden too), the throwing up (my body apparently likes to react this way to labor), the many interns in the room (under usual circumstances this would probably bother me but for some reason in the moment I'm not as self conscience), the nurse almost delivering Landon because the doctor thought he had more time, my mom waiting in the hall with Jaden, mom running in when I started pushing & my brother Jeff showing up to keep Jaden in the hall, Chris sending minute by minute text messages, a very happy mom when Landon finally arrived & was perfect. Has a year really gone by...I'm not ready for my baby to be a toddler.

When I arrived to the hospital that morning a mom ran in right after me declaring to the front desk that she was going to have the baby any second. I thought she looked very young & assumed this was her first. I reached out to reassure her that it'd be ok as she kept screaming at the lady at the desk. After a minute she informed me that this was her fifth birth & that this baby was coming. In alarm I ran & grabbed her a wheelchair. I think this rattled the front desk lady as many ran to her aid. About 5 minutes later she delivered a baby boy. It was definately a day of many memories.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Random thoughts...

I've noticed today that I've had about a million different thoughts running through my head. Those of you that know me really well know that I'm using thinking about the next thing when I'm in a conversation...apparently I have a mind that doesn't stop.

This morning as I was working out I caught the news. I've actually have avoided the news overall & have tried not to be too discouraged by what is happening in our economy. Locally there are some troubling investment reports of 60 million just lost in this area alone. I know that another stimulus is being discussed & pushed for approval...I personally disagree. I'm concerned where all this money is going to come from. I'm concerned the government is too involved, ect. Although I was encouraged by the decision to put a cap of $500,000 on the salary of top execs at the bailed out banks. My only concern is that they are living the lifestyle of something so much more & can't get out of mortgages & other responsibilities.

That then led me to begin thinking about living within our means. About a month ago Chris & I sat down & talked about where we'd like to be financially before he leaves to Twin Falls. In that market he doesn't make as much & we want to make sure we are rely on saving, not debt to get through those months of less income. We made a goal & we both agreed that it was a little over zealous but we'd shoot for it. This last weekend I started looking at his bonus & commission that will be coming in the next couple of months & I realized (crossing my fingers) that we were going to exceed this goal. It's so easy for thoughts to pop in my head of different ways we could spend this income. New carpet for example...my carpet is pretty gross. I used to have less self control & probably would be buying new carpet, new furniture, some other wants, but I'm starting to realize to be content & grateful for what I have. I have two boys, would new carpet really be a wise purchase anyways??? This way I can let them have fun & my mom seriously shampoos it every couple of months. It's clean...that I know:)

Some evenings I look around & am amazed at our blessings. I don't like to talk about how much people earn but I've become aware of something very important this last year. Chris's income is much higher since we moved here, mine is gone. Our AGI this year was $25,000 less (this was due to my lost income). I was shocked...I haven't felt like we've made any sacrifices. We've definately make much wiser financial decisions, stuck to a strict budget, & I think most of all, not giving into splurges. I have a lot I want to do to my house, my clothes are in bad shape (I tell myself I'll get new ones when I lose weight), I don't spoil the boys except on special occassions, we plan one special night out a week as a family or date night, we don't eat bread very often & it goes moldy so I make bread if we need some for something, those are just some of the changes. AND I'm a couponer now.

I share this only because it involves my thoughts lately. My goals, where I want to be. I feel fortunate amongst these rough times to be doing ok & I think they'll continue to be rough for awhile.

Now onto funny & less serious topics.

Jaden is a funny boy & makes me laugh. Lately he's starting talking in his sleep & the other night at 3am in the morning he yelled out 5 more minutes. He a huge phrase copier & I realized that he's heard Chris on enough occassions to know that he got that phrase from him. Every morning Chris wants to sleep for just "5 more minutes." After him saying this a couple of times I wondered if he thought it was alomst time to get up but he was completely asleep.

Then the other day I was meeting Chris & he was running late. I was frustrated & left him a message on his phone that consisted of "Chris, where are you? We are waiting for you." Jaden then informs me not to be upset & that dad would be there in 2 minutes. Believe it or not that is exactly when Chris showed up.

And last of all...although I have a bunch of other things to share including the thems of my ward party for Friday; I'll be glad for it to be over.

I've been doing menu planning every week & all the recipes are low cal, low fat, healthy. Some have been a disaster but I have one to share that made my mouth water. Chris said he liked it too although he might have just been humoring me. This recipes has 127 cal per serving w/ 4.5 grams of fat. Not bad. Here it is...I altered a little just because I didn't have all the ingredients. I used regular onions & the dried parmesan cheese & didn't use the pimento peppers.

Chicken Parmesan Spinach
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped pimento peppers
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl combine cheese and seasoning. Roll chicken pieces in cheese mixture to coat lightly. Set remaining cheese mixture aside. Arrange coated chicken pieces in an 8x8x2 inch baking dish.
In a small saucepan, saute green onion in butter/margarine until tender. Stir in flour, then add milk all at once. Simmer, stirring, until bubbly. Stir in drained spinach and pimiento and mix together. Spoon spinach mixture over chicken and sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender and chicken juices run clear.

That's enough random thoughts for today.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Super Bowl Sunday

I tried to convince Murph that he should write this post since I don't enjoy watching sports on TV. Chris on the other hand would have plenty to write, plays to comment on, ect. Tonight we went to our friends house to watch the game...there were 8 adults & 9 kiddos. It was a little crazy but fun. We had a potato bar & lots of other yummy foods. Jaden was in heaven since he had all new toys to play with & his little buddy Kotter was there. Landon explored most of the time & was such a good little boy. Chris was disappointed in the end but did experience moments of excitement. Megan told me not to judge her husband on how he may act...sports are funny & bring out different sides in people. Until next year!!!