Menu Plan Monday 2

Click here and visit OrgJunkie! She is the organizer of Menu Plan Monday!

Menu? What Menu? Okay so this week my husband is out of town on business. When he's gone I don't cook. Treat for me and a treat for the kids. As much as they miss daddy, they also like to eat TV dinners. Great for me because they are a quick cheap microwave meal (Banquet is 99 cents) and I eat leftovers from Sunday.

Monday: TV dinners for kids and leftovers for me.

Tuesday: Same as Monday.

Wednesday: Same as Monday.

Thursday: Pot Roast with potatoes, carrots and celery.

Friday: Roasted Chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Let the food and festivities begin!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Enjoy!

Eat!

Be Merry!

Take a Nap!

Eat Again!

Take another Nap!

In The Blink of an Eye

I don't know what happened. How can this be? I woke up yesterday morning and my house is a complete wreck. I've done so well the last couple of months. Everyone was putting in their fair share of helping me clean. Everyone has stopped.

Well if they can stop why can't I? Why should I clean the same exact mess, every single day? I am so tired of no one caring.

If I pick up clothes off the floor, someone else strips down and throws their cloths in the same spot. I still don't have a washer and dryer because my husband says he has someone to do the plumbing and electrical work but he's never been here. I have to go to the laundermat. It's no picnic for a family of five. It's not a matter of money. We saved the money to do this a long time ago.

Doing dishes wasn't so bad because Monica was clearing the table and scraping the dishes. Now she has to be told, over and over to do her chore. It doesn't help to take things away. She already feels like she has nothing since we moved. She misses her old friends. She isn't doing well socially and hates her new school. I can't really say that I'm happy with the school either.

Alexandra has been sneaking food all over the house. She has been told, reprimanded, screamed at and spanked. She is by far the most stubborn child on the universe. I love it when my mom says to me "Well you will just have to make her do what you want!" Yeah okay. I'll try that one too.

Lucianna is cute as can be but wants to be held all the time. She's starting to go down the willful stubborn road that Alexandra has been traveling. Lucky me.

I haven't had a child free time to myself for a long time and it's really starting to get to me. Can you tell?

Thirteen Thursday 7

Thirteen Things about Preschool Children and Their Christmas Program 1. There's always at least one who crys. 2. There's always one who sings so loud they are screaming. 3. There's always an escape artist running off the stage. 4. When the escape artist is put back on stage they run from one side of the stage to the other while the others are singing. He's trying to find another way out. 5. The children all know the hand gestures to the songs, their timing is usually a little off. 6. The dancing is adorable! 7. The children are bursting with pride when they are done. 8. Mom has cried at least once while watching. 9. At least one parent has ruined a part of your video by standing up in front of you and not moving out of the way. 10. The teachers always put hours and hours of work into these programs that last 30 minutes. 11. If you have to save all year for 1/2 day sick or personal time for this event, it is sooooo worth it. 12. There's never enough parking or seating for all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends that want to see this special event, but we all manage to squeeze in somehow. (There was a whole street of cars that got a parking ticket because the meters only have 1 hr of time. Ours was one of them. It's the best $10.oo show I've ever attended!) 13. Every parent thinks their child is by far the cutest one there. How is it possible that our children out cute every other child everytime?

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Wordless Wednesday 9

The Tree Is Up......Way Up!

My husband and the children went to pick out a tree on Saturday. It's huge. Way huge. Since we now live in a home with 9 foot ceilings, my husband decided to take advantage of that. The tree he brought home stands 4 inches from our 9 foot ceiling.

Apparently, Chris walked up to the guy selling the Christmas trees and said, "I want the biggest tree that you have." I wasn't there but that's what Chris tells me. Now knowing my husband the way that I do, I can only imagine the pride that went with this statement.

Everything is big. We have big furniture, a big house and now a big Christmas tree. Did I mention that we are big people? We look like very small people standing next to the tree though. I don't have a picture yet, but I will post one when I get all three girls in red and green garb and have them stand next to it. It's enormous. I'm going to have to come up with a nickname for it. It definitely deserves a nickname.

Well we put the lights, garland and some ornaments on the tree. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....... Tomorrow night we will finish decorating the tree. I'm going to set up the nativity set. I will have to have a heart to heart with Alexandra as to why she's not allowed to play with it.

Menu Plan Monday 1

I was so excited to happen upon OrgJunkie and the Menu Plan Monday. I have been doing this for about two months and now I get to write it down and share with others.

Monday: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (ham is leftover from the baked ham dinner Sunday)

Tuesday: Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits & Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Garlic Bread (sauce is frozen, hubby makes once a month and freezes a bunch in plastic containers, his is the best!)

Thursday: Tacos made with Ground Turkey & Pinto Beans(family Fave! you'll see this one a lot!)

Friday: Easiest and Tastiest Meatloaf in the world (recipe below) Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Saturday: Homemade Pizza! Family Fun Night! Alexandra's Third Birthday!

Easiest and Tastiest Meatloaf in the world!

2 lbs 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef.

1 jar Nance's chili sauce (can get at Walmart grocery condiment section)

2 eggs

1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs - depends on your taste

mix well

put in crock pot (this comes out very moist)

put tomato sauce on top after two hours

cook until done

If that is too moist for your family's taste

put in oven on 350 degrees covered for 1hour

uncover and put tomato sauce on top

cook for 1/2 hour uncovered

You can also substitute ground turkey for half of the ground beef.

The Nance's is so tasty. You don't have to add anything. Don't try to substitute other chili sauces. It doesn't work. Trust me.

Take a Picture. It'll Last Longer.

So lately, I've been a little self-conscious. You will most likely never see a picture of me because I am the one always taking pictures. You will not see a picture of me now because I will break the camera and hurt the photographer that tries. Here is my story.

If you have read my blog you know that I had a pretty stressful summer. Buying a house, selling a house, one daughter with a birth defect (which doctors cannot figure out), one daughter with an injury and all the other crud that daily life can throw at you.

When I get extremely stressed out like this, I get a bright red, peeling, flaky dermatitis ON MY FACE. Yes, I feel like a clown. Yes, people stare at me when I'm in public. No, there isn't a cure. I have to wait for it to run it's course, which takes months.

I have also put on a few pounds. I am in process of eating better and I bought a gym membership which I am going to start using today. I don't feel very good about my weight right now.

If that's not enough, my husband suggested that I dye my hair like I used to do. He likes it red. I am a person that looks good with red hair because I am a natural redhead. Over the years my hair color has changed to a brownish copper. I have good skin tone for the red so I can get away with it. Well, I did it. Now I look like the Little Mermaid's fat cousin with a skin condition. I don't know. I picked the wrong red I guess. Too much red, not enough copper. It also brings out the red in the dermatitis on my face even more. ARRRGGGGHHH!

When I go out in public, people literally stare at me. Well, at least I know it's all temporary. The fat can come off if I work hard enough. The hair will eventually fade. The face will clear up eventually, I hope. In the meantime, I keep reminding myself that God still loves me no matter how hideous I think I am.

The Mysterious Baby

I have a very sneaky baby. She does things without letting anyone see her do it.

You see, for the past week or so, I'd put the baby on the floor. The next thing I'd know, she was across the room. The other night I put her on the floor. I was watching her play on her stomach. I looked away for an instant. When I looked back, she was sitting up.

I got very excited. I told my husband (who by the way was sitting in the same room) and he told me I was seeing things. I must be mistaken. There's no way she could have sat up without us noticing. I disagreed with him. You know how she moves across the room and we never have seen it. Well this is the same. Nope, couldn't be. We would have noticed that. He argued back. I gave up.

The next morning, I heard Lucianna in her crib. She was doing her morning "complaining" as I call it. It's not a cry and not a coo. It's somewhere in between. I know when she "complains," I better get her in a timely manner. If I don't, it turns to a full blown cry. Well I was extremely happy when I went in to get her. She was sitting up in her crib. Now I know I wasn't seeing things the night before!

Since then, I have watched the baby when I knew she couldn't tell I was watching. She sits up with ease and she crawls backwards. The mystery is solved.

Punished for Procrastination

I may have mentioned it before, but just in case you didn't know, I'm the world's biggest procrastinator. Yes, that was me scurrying around the grocery store at 7pm this evening. List in hand, trying to maneuver a front heavy cart around, hoping I don't miss anything so I don't have to make a trip to the store in the morning.

I got to the turkey aisle. A frozen turkey was out of the question because there wasn't enough thawing time so I was forced to pay 3x the amount for a "fresh" turkey that was half frozen. Not only is it half frozen but it is twenty pounds. They were all out of turkeys below twenty pounds.

This is crazy because there are only going to be four adults at the table. I was considering a turkey of maybe 10 - 12 pounds. We will be eating turkey for a month. I'm sending everyone home with as much turkey as I can pawn off on them.

Tonight I made two loaves of bread, fresh cranberry sauce and I stuffed the turkey with oranges, lemons, limes, garlic and dill. It's in the fridge now but it was soaking in water all night to thaw it as much as possible.

Well, I guess I will go to bed now so I can wake up early and get the turkey in the oven. I wouldn't normally get up early but a twenty pounder takes most of the day to cook if you want an early serving time.

By the way, I did forget something at the store. Chicken stock for the stuffing. I'll be sending my husband in the morning.

Wordless Wednesday 8

Boxes, Boxes, Still Everywhere

Okay, so it's been awhile. My plan was to stop blogging, get the house unpacked and put together, then start blogging again. Well I guess that if I don't want to blog for the next 5+ years, that plan will work.

There are still boxes everywhere. It's the day before Thanksgiving, I haven't even gone to the grocery store yet. Schools out today so the house is extra messy and to top it all off, my milk supply is diminishing so the baby is more cranky than usual.

I love my new house. I still enjoy cooking in the new house and yes, even cleaning it. What in the world has gotten into me?

We found a nice church. I was so dreading the whole "drag the children to a different church every week until we find one we like" process. I found this church through the MOPS group. A lot of the women attended church there. They were really nice so I thought we'd give it a try. We all enjoy the church very much. Wow! That was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

So much has happened since I last blogged. It wouldn't even be fair to try to catch up. I guess I will just start fresh from here. We are starting a new life in our new house going to our new church. I will start blogging fresh.

A Little More Balance and Less Chaos

Can I just say that I LOVE MY NEW HOUSE! I'm so happy that we are finally here. There is so much to be thankful for. It's been a long road to get here, but now I can enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong. There's still a ton of work to do. Boxes are everywhere and there are still a few carloads of things at the other house. But every morning I have been waking up so excited to get downstairs and take a look around. It's all ours. I talked to my husband this morning and he feels the same way. It's like it hasn't sunk in yet.

I have been cooking dinner every single night. This was something I hated to do in the other house. I have been cleaning the kitchen each night. I love it. I don't know what's wrong with me. I actually enjoy cleaning this house. If I get too crazy with this housecleaning thing, I may have to change my profile.

With this house, my husband and I have come up with some new rules. These rules help to keep the house cleaner and I enjoy life more. Here are the rules.

1. Absolutely no eating anywhere except the dining room table. I could never enforce this rule in our other house with the 2 yr old because we had let her eat in front of the TV for so long that she didn't understand the concept of a "new rule." With the new house it was easy to tell her she couldn't eat anywhere but the table. Now if she even has fruit snacks she automatically sits at the table. This has made clean up time a thousand times easier.

2. Shoes off at the door. This is a rule that we have decided to enforce because the floors are unfinished. The hardwood has been sanded down but not polyurethaned yet. I have said this house is a work in progress and I mean right in the middle of the progress. We have to be extremely careful not to get anything wet on the floors. This is a rule that will stay in effect even after we finish the floors. It keeps the house cleaner and I hate cleaning dirty floors.

3. If you make a mess, you clean it up. Even Alexandra has had fun with this rule. I think she even takes pride in our new big house.

4. Dishes done and kitchen clean before bed. This is a non negotiable rule for me. I love my new kitchen. It is so functional that I enjoy spending most of my day there. I don't want to clean first thing in the morning, so I make sure it is clean before I lay my head down. I have cooked dinner every night and I have made bread from scratch everyday and enjoyed myself while doing it (everyone else in the family has enjoyed eating too.)

5. Bedtime is bedtime. Period. Mom and Dad need time to themselves. This is a rule that we have been working with. Alexandra sleepwalks and wakes up with night terrors each night so we have to make sure that we take care of her but I think she will grow out of that once she grows comfortable with the house.

6. Minimal TV. We hooked up the TV with very basic cable. We did have every channel known to man in the other house. We had become slaves to the television by revolving our activities around the shows on in the evening. Alex and Monica were watching way too much TV. Alex would be like a zombie in front of Noggin channel all day not wanting to do anything else and Monica was developing a bad attitude. We are already enjoying our family time together. Monica and Alex do so much more playing together. Chris reads to Alexandra each night for about an hour. I do more housework. It's amazing what that "boob tube" can do to destroy quality family time.

7. Healthy food only in this house and no more eating out for a while. After living in a hotel for 5 weeks, we have had our share of fast food. We have gained a substantial amount of weight (not the girls, they are still my little skinny minnies.) The thought of eating out repulses me. McDonald's is a dirty word in this household no matter how many Monopoly prizes they try and tempt me with. No fried food for a while. And we won't even go the homemade pizza route for a decent amount of time. Our digestive systems need time to heal.

This is just a start. I'm sure more will come. We can already see the changes in our quality of life. These rules have eliminated so much chaos in our lives. If we keep this up, I may have to change the name of my blog to something like "Gentle Waters," or "Peaceful Bliss." Just kidding. I know that I will always have to balance the chaos in our lives. Right now is just one of those times that I feel more balanced than others. I am thankful to God that He has put me where I am right now.

One is the Loneliest Number

I have moved many times in my life. None of those times have been anywhere near as crazy as this one.

It's been a long road in the closing process. We have finally closed on the house and have moved most of our stuff. I say most of our stuff for a reason. We are at a standstill. Why? You ask. Let me tell you.

The man we bought this house from is a very nice man, but he has some issues. It seems that he cannot break free from this house. Half of his stuff is still here. One room is half full of his stuff and the porch is overflowing with his things. We are at a standstill because his things are in the way. Each day he has been puttering around in the backyard not really accomplishing anything. I think that he thinks he is accomplishing a lot. He is so meticulous that he is using an air compressor to blow the dust off of every single little gadget and thingamabobber that he owns. He then stacks it somewhere (other than the trailer he is using to move).

I don't want to be mean because the man is so nice. He has given us a lot of useful items (we take just about everything he gives us because we look at it as one less thing he has to take time getting out of here). He is also very lonely. He had a failed marriage and it's been six years since he has spoken to his 15 yr old son who lives in the same town. We won't ask why because that's personal but I think it's very sad regardless of the reasons. I cannot imagine going through life not speaking to one of my children for so long. The man is also eccentric. I cannot always figure out his reasoning for things he has done or does. He doesn't seem to do well in social situations with people he isn't familiar with. The closing of our house was an all out circus. Again, this is something that people who know him say was not always so.

It's amazing that I do things like get up at 3:00am just so that I can be alone. I yearn for alone time so much that I would rather go without sleep. Yet at other times, I see people like this man who I speak of above, and I see how loneliness can eat away at your very being. It can be so damaging to every part of your life.

Wordless Wednesday - Middle Child Syndrome

Moving Wreck......I Mean Week!

Yes we finally closed on our house. It's been long time coming. I cannot believe that I'm finally going to be in my new house tomorrow night.

Moving is always so much fun. Yes, I am being facetious right now. I do however, look at it as the perfect time to CLUTTER DOWN!

Conversations in the past have gone something like this:

Do we need this thingamabobber?
Of course, it's in perfect condition.
But we haven't used it in 5 years.
What if we need it? I wouldn't want to have to go buy a new thingamabobber.
Okay, pack it up.

This time the conversation is different:

Do we need this thingamajig?
Have we used it in the past year?
No.
Put it on the curb. Someone will pick it up because they think they need a thingamajig.
What if we end up needing it at some time or another?
I will go to Walmart and buy a new one.


Now of course, this conversation doesn't apply to expensive tools or other things that are considered more of an investment. It does apply to just about anything made of plastic or rubber. I'm so tired of carting junk from one house to another. How does one family collect so much stuff?

I am really going to work on scaling our lifestyle down. I want our house to be less cluttered. If we buy every new gadget on the market, use it once and never throw it out, then things will never change for us. Our problem is not that we don't throw enough away. Our problem is that we accumulate too much stuff.

I've been online too long now. It's back to work for me. I hope to post again soon. I will have to get everything situated in the new house. Hopefully the chaos level will be back to normally chaotic soon.

Thursday Thirteen 6

Thirteen Nicknames we call our children 1…. Monica has been called Monnie Moo Moo since birth. 2. Alexandra has been called Houdini ever since we first put her into a chair with straps. This child has refused to be confined since birth. She never slept in a crib, refused to play in a playpen and no stroller, carseat or highchair straps have ever held her down. 3. Lucianna has been called Hunny Bug since birth. I don't know why but that is just what comes out when I look at her. 4. Monica has been called Drama Queen for the last couple of years. And the emmy goes to......Monica for her role in the made for television movie, This is the Worst Day of my Life! 5. Alexandra is often called BooBerry. Don't know why but that was what I called her when she was just a little baby. 6. Lucianna is called Pudge by her daddy. It's amazing that this baby that was born with too much skin for her itty bitty baby body is now a little ball of pudge. 7. We often call Alexandra by the name of The Machine. She never stops running. It's exhausting watching her. 8. Alexandra is also called The Rockstar. She loves to sing, dance and entertain. 9. Lucianna is called the Princess (although all of our girls have been called princess at one time or another when they were the baby.) 10. Alexandra has been called Sweetie Pea by me for a long time. Now I find myself calling Lucianna by that one as well. 11. Lucianna laughs uncontrollable when I call her Fat Baby. It must be the way I say it that tickles her so. 12. All three of our girls have been PorkABaby, Little Pig, Pig and Porkababy Stew as little chubby babies. These were started by my husband. 13. When my husband and I are talking about the girls, we refer to them as the Three Little Indians. Individually, we refer to them as the Little Indian, the Middle Indian and the Big Indian. It's a wonder that any of our children even know there names!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Our Trip to the Shriner's Hospital

Well, we made the trip to the Shriner's Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts yesterday. It was a 5 hour drive to get there. We arrived with time to spare for the registration process. Chris had to work so I had to take Alexandra with us as well. She did very well on the drive up.

Being a children's hospital, it was way over-stimulating for Alex. She loved it. She ran away from me to play with other children. She thought it was like a McDonald's playplace in that she could run around where ever she wanted.

We got registered and waited for approximately 5 minutes (which I thought was amazing) when the nurse called us in for Lucianna's appointment. Alexandra was having none of that. She wouldn't come out of the play area. She ran away from me and her pants fell down. She's running around the room with her pants around her ankles and I still cannot catch her. It wasn't until she tripped and fell that I was able to grab her and hoist her over my shoulders to get her to come with me.

We got through the exam and then they sent us down the hall to get x-rays of Lucianna's legs and feet. Alex ran away again and her pants fell down again (2T's are slightly big but 24 months aren't long enough and since she isn't wearing a pullup anymore.....) She continued to run away until she tripped again. She can really run. I really can't run. A nurse from the x-ray department took care of Alex while I helped with Lucianna's x-rays. It was crazy.

I've had not one, but two specialists say that they can see the difference in leg length and her feet. They took the films and measured Luci's leg and foot bones. They are both the same size. There has been a lot of prayer for this baby. I consider this a miracle. She does have a problem. She has the drop foot, which is neurological and will really affect how she walks. Her development at this time is completely perfect and symmetrical. I am so happy and relieved about that.

The good news is bittersweet in the fact that we still don't know why Luci has this birth defect. We don't know how it will affect her walking. All we can do is wait and see. The doctor at the Shriner's Hospital wants to see her again in January. She should be standing in her crib by then and we will see how she stands on her own. We will probably need a brace of some sort to aid her walking.

The people in that hospital were so nice. I cannot tell you how good they made me feel. I saw so many children that were being helped. It was mind boggling to me that access to some of this country's best orthopaedic doctors was free of charge. It's a truly wonderful thing.

I decided to cancel my hotel room for the night because we were in and out of there in less than 4 hours. I drove the 5 hours back and collapsed in bed. It was a very long day.

Nervous Mom Equals No Sleep

Hardly any sleep last night. I had to force myself to put the computer down and close my eyes. I finally fell asleep at about 2am and woke up at 5am. At least I got a full three hours.

I am taking Lucianna to the Shriner's Hospital today in Springfield, Mass. I am leaving at 7am. That should give me plenty of time for driving, eating stops and pee stops (Alex is completely potty trained except for an occasional accident at night. I wouldn't want this trip to make her regress.)

I don't know what to expect. I'm so nervous. I'm praying that her condition is one they can diagnose and one that is fixable. I just want her to walk and run.

Wordless Wednesday 5

In Other Words - What My Husband Did For Me

"A husband is a guy who tells you when you’ve got on too much lipstick and helps you with your girdle when your hips stick."~ Ogden Nash ~

I couldn't resist this quote. As I read this quote tonight and thought about my husband who I love with all my heart, one story, fits this quote to a tee.

When I was pregnant with Lucianna, I was very sick. I had high blood pressure with each pregnancy, but it was the worst with Lucianna. I was 32 weeks pregnant when I was put in the hospital and put on magnesium sulfate. Now it was just a matter of waiting as long as we could without any damage to my body. Lucianna was completely healthy.

My husband was a corporate restaurant manager at the time. He worked all hours and his restaurant was short staffed for management. It was nothing for him to work 12 10 hour days in a row. They don't call us restaurant widows for nothing.

So between his job, getting Monica to school and back and making sure Alexandra was well cared for, he was going crazy. He even brought the family to see me every other day or so. It was even more stress on him, but he knew I needed it.

The day I hit 34 weeks it was time to induce. My body couldn't take anymore. When the contractions started hurting I made the call that my husband was dreading. You see, he's one of those old fashioned wait in the waiting room and tell me when it's over types. He did not, under any circumstances, want to be in that delivery room.

My mother was in the room with me with my first daughter. My good friend was in with my second daughter. This time it was too early and I was scared. I wanted no one else but my husband with me. He reluctantly agreed.

He sat at the corner of the bed holding tight to my hands. I could see the fear in his face as each contraction came. My doctor had broke my water at 8:00 am. At 8:45 I knew the baby was coming soon. My husband went to get some juice in the little kitchenette because the nurse wanted to get me up. I didn't want too. I did not have the energy to fight even though I knew I shouldn't have gotten up at that time.

I sat up, walked around and then sat on the toilet. The nurse said that it would help the baby move down. I told her that when my husband came back I was going to tell him that he could wait outside. I didn't want him to have to be there if he really didn't want to be there. I had two nasty, long and painful contractions and wanted to go back to the bed.

What happened next was very surreal as if it were straight out of a movie. I can look back and laugh now. My husband walked in the delivery room, orange juice in hand. The nurse came to help me up so the bathroom door was open. I stood up. I screamed that the baby was coming RIGHT NOW AND RIGHT HERE! Lucianna fell out (came out bungee jumping as I like to say). The nurse was able to catch her so there was no injuries.

My husband just stood there, mouth agape, unable to move. The nurse had to tell him to help. I had so many things hooked up to me, wires from the baby monitor and iv's galore. I had to walk holding the cables, the nurse was holding the baby (it didn't help that the umbilical cord was extremely short) and Chris pushing the iv poles through the mess that he feared so much like some sort of zombie. He could not believe what he just witnessed.

Our baby was healthy. She was so healthy at 4 lbs 4 oz that she did not have to go to the NICU and she came home with me two days later. Many prayers were answered March 14th at 8:55am when Lucianna came bouncing into our world.

Later, I asked my husband why he didn't pass out. He said it was too much like watching a movie. Maybe he's not romantic but he loves me.