Book Review: Smack-dab in the Middle of God's Love

Brennan Manning and John Blase have created an adorable children's story in Smack-dab in the Middle of God's Love.  Set in the village of Hopi with the childless couple Willie Juan and Ana, the story talks about Abba, Willie Juan's name for God and the love he has for all.  The illustrations are well done and the children's questions and concerns hit home for little ones learning about God.  It got a big thumb's up from my toddler!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com

Book Review: JRR Tolkien, Christian Encounters Series

Mark Horne puts out a really interesting biography on the life and religion of JRR Tolkien in this edition of his Christian Encounters series.  Horne takes a look at the contributions of Tolkien's Roman Catholicism on his writing of the LOTR saga, as well as his relationship with the another prolific Catholic writer of the day, C.S. Lewis.  The book examines the life of Tolkien through a Christian lens, and while generalized in some ways, he does hit on important aspects of his religion's contributions to his work.  My biggest criticism truly is that he didn't dig deep enough to really allow the reader to come away with a very involved understanding of his motivations to write the books or his faith's contributions to the evolution of the work.  On the whole, the book is a good introduction to the world of Tolkien, although for a more indepth view, other books may provide more.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com

Book Review: Rumors of God, Whitehead and Tyson

Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson set out to examine the declining religious nature of the American public and attempt to enlighten the reader with a more thoughtful, insightful experience with their faith.  The premise is that the Christian of today is drastically removed in faith and devotion from the first believers in the church that we have lost our way.  They set down guidelines they believe will be both life-changing and motivational, but fall flat.  Perhaps it's simply that in this point in my Christian walk I'm not "in this place", so to speak, but I felt it generally oversimplified the faith of today.  As a Catholic, I feel that the rich tradition of the Church has continued though the Liturgy.  Maybe a Protestant viewpoint may differ, but I feel just as strongly that any believer of today can be just as passionate for the Lord as those in his time.  The idea of lukewarm Christianity being a new idea, unique to America and this time, is somewhat lacking and historically inaccurate to boot.  I think that this book seems to capitalize on the idea some have that the faith of those around them isn't as strong as their own.  It seems jaded at least.  I was looking for something less agenda-driven and something more personal, so this book, while having some interesting ideas, lacked any depth for me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com

Book Review: God's Love Letters to you

The book God's Love Letters to you is a 40 day devotional piece by Dr. Larry Crabb portrayed as an inspirational quick read.  The intent is to give you a snippet of scripture with a dose of prose and prayer and send you on your proverbial way. The entire text can be read in under a minute.  Truthfully, I think more insight could be garnered from simply taking the citations and reading them straight from the Bible, rather than the lukewarm look Dr. Crabb gives.   I found the book a little too simplistic and not always connected to the scripture passages it contained.  I prefer something a little more thought provoking and insightful and I feel this was lacking in both categories.  Also, in regard to the inspirational nature and the "...chance to completely change the way you think about love" (taken from back cover), this one definitely falls short.  I would possibly gift it to someone learning about faith and Christianity, or to an older child or teen.  But as for someone looking for a devotional that could truly deepen your faith experience, I would look elsewhere.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Summer is in full swing...

Ahhh...can you feel it?  Warm, balmy breezes and sunshine...glorious sunshine!  Finally, summer has arrived.  And boy, did we desperately need it!  After the humdrum existence that was this spring, a little light and warmth was just what the doctor ordered :)


Things have been good on the family front.  C is officially done with graduate school on Friday!  He'll take his certification exam some time in August, but for all intents and purposes we have a full-fledged OT in the family.  An accomplishment, for certain.  As for AJ, he's successfully avoided all the summer school work I planned on him doing.  He just returned from a trip to DC with C's family and is heading to Ohiopyle to go camping on Thursday.  I wish I had his social life!  Hopefully things will settle down after this next week and we'll get back on our school schedule.  It's not essential that he be working right now, but I worry that a break will put us way behind in math and language arts.  He struggles a little in both, and he's right in the middle of learning multiplication and division.  Those are tricky enough without too long in between lessons.  That said, the kid did well this year and deserves a break.

Diva is well...she's got her big girl britches on and is testing my patience with potty training.  She is physically ready to be certain, but less than interested in the whole process.  If I could slow her down for five minutes, I'd be set!

Cookies and movies...

A good evening tonight...Chas surprised us with cookies this evening and we rewatched Toy Story 3, again :)  Fun was had by all.  Now we're going to snuggle down and watch some movies.  This makes for a good day, I must say. 

Strep sick and yuck...

I have the world's most annoying rash.  Apparently, I've been attacked by the strep bug.  I don't actually feel terrible, but very tired and run down.  Hopefully, the meds I got yesterday will kick in and make things clear up, but as of 24 hours post medication, there is little change.  I'm hoping day 2 will improve things.

On other matters, I am already tiring of Toy Story 3.  I love the stories, but I am tiring of hearing it as much as I did with Barney.  It's a great story, but watched 17 times a day, anything can sour you.  Oh well...I'm sure she'll be on to something new next week.  She is being really good this morning, so what can I complain about?


AJ is doing really well finishing up his schoolwork and working on his blog.  He's interested in work again, which is great to see.  I really think a less traditional approach to schooling works best for him.  I think that's how we are going to work things next year.  He is doing so well this way that I'm going to manipulate the K12 to make it work more to our advantage.   He is still going to have to get the basics down, but I'm willing to open up and explore more next year.  I'm thinking that engaging him with books and stories is going to do far more for him learning-wise than what I have been doing.  Plus, this will hopefully make him more inclined to creative thinking and writing and more imaginative work.  He is afraid to think outside of the box...I think that's the Aspie in him.  He has so much imaginative potential, but he seems intimidated and afraid to be wrong.  I could kill PS for that.  The first grade teacher truly made him afraid of "wrong", so he hesitates to think independently.  More independent work is going to be an item on our agenda next year!

Rain, rain, go away!

It's still cold and dreary here in SW PA.  If it doesn't let up soon, my beloved garden is going to suffer root rot and I'm going to have to rip everything out and replant.  That is time and money I don't want to waste.  That said, I have have quite a little garden going to date.  The kohlrabi and broccoli went in on Mother's Day, as well as some spinach.  The next weekend I got the zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.  As of right now, I still have herbs and cucumbers waiting to get into the ground.  And at this rate, they may be waiting another week or so.

Also, I've been a bad blogger again.  I was so diligent at the beginning of the year, but alas, I have fallen yet again from blogging grace.  Oh well, fortunately, no one but me reads this, so I'm probably pretty safe :) 

On a more positive note, AJ's FHC went off this weekend splendidly.  He was so excited and pleased to receive, and we were so happy for him. He was truly jubilant.  It was such a happy day, despite the rainy skies and cold weather.  He is growing up so fast!  We are going to let him have his own little blog as a way to try to connect to other homeschooled kids and work on grammar and sentence structure at the same time.  He struggles with creating his own sentences and stories, so I'm hoping that this summer his blog will work to make him more willing to write and more interested in creating his own adventures. 

On the Diva front all is well.  She is so verbal and so busy that it's almost impossible to keep up with her.  Unfortunately, this keeps me more on my toes than I have been for a very long time.  That aside, she is growing up too fast for my taste as well, so I try to enjoy her now rather than stress over her tantrums.  Only too soon she will pass this baby phase and I'll wish for a tantrum over shoes or milk. 

C will be graduating in 5.5 short weeks...none too soon for us.  He is exhausted and misses us all.  Needless to say, this fieldwork isn't going as smoothly as the last.  But, he will finish soon and the real world of jobs and expectations awaits.

We aren't in Kansas anymore...

Yesterday a pretty impressive storm system blew through here, leaving in it's wake an EF2 tornado and a ton of damage to the area. We are safe, but I have never seen a storm like that. We had golf ball size hail and insane winds and such. Thank goodness everyone is safe and although the damage is extensive, no life was lost.

Otherwise, in the wake of this fiasco, our world is otherwise normal. We went to Sam's tonight and stocked up on healthy foods and veggies. We are going to try to make this weight loss thing work again. We have too. Lord knows I tired of this extra weight, but I'm too lazy to do anything about it. We ate out tonight and ingested probably 2000 calories, all of which tasted yucky and benefited us none. We have to stop it. We have to try harder. No other way out...so tomorrow Slim Fast and fruit snacks begin.

I also got my new composting bin tonight. Sad that I'm so excited about compost...but soon I will have wonderful compost for the garden and such. Yeah for me!

I'm off to help C work on his resume...we'll see how this one goes :)

Crackers and cheese, please...

I sit here this evening noshing on some delightful Rogers Sale Amish cheese and Wheat Thins. That makes for a good evening. Kiddies are in bed and C is playing SOCOM to prep for the new release of the next version in a couple weeks. Yeah for him :) Sad little man...I will truly never understand the lore of video games over men folk. That said, I'm sure this time it will be a fight with the little man too, because AJ thinks he's old enough and C secretly wants someone to play with. So battles will inevitably ensue...I will win, but we will battle nonetheless.

On the AJ front, life is very good. Mom is planning on taking the man to Disney World in three weeks, so needless to say he is overjoyed with plans involving mouse ears and pirates, oh my! Diva and I will have an interesting week of it, because C will be at the AOTA conference the same week. So from Tuesday through Sunday we will be a boy-free zone around here. It'll feel weird to be on our own...when AJ was this age, it was just he and I. We had already lost Brian, so the two of us were a pair. With Diva, it's always been a foursome. So the loss of the boys will be unusual for me.

Tomorrow more roofing contractors are coming to give estimates. We already have one for $6000 and we'll see what these guys have to offer. Something has to be done about the roof, so within the next six weeks or so the repairs will be done. I'd like to let it go until we decide whether or not we're selling the house, but in all likelihood we'll be staying, so we might as well get comfortable and get it done.

Sleep, sweet sleep...

I'm tired, but totally and completely unable to sleep. So until my dose of valerian kicks in and knocks me out (hopefully), I sitting out here listening to C bring down the house with his snores. Blech. This will totally kill my attempt at getting up early tomorrow. I feel more productive and generally get more accomplished when I do the early wake-up, but at this point, the idea of the alarm going off in 4 short hours makes the prospect unlikely. I know I'll just give myself an enormous headache in the process.

So for now, I'm off to waste time on the internet until the sandman cometh...

A new, better habit...

Or at least I'm trying to establish one. I'm not an AM person, by any stretch of the imagination. I love my blankets and covers...I adore snuggling deeper under and letting the world slip by quietly. But, I feel that I'm not getting enough done to have made my day worthwhile, so I'm trying to get up with C and get him out the door. Then I've got a solid hour or so to myself in the mornings to become functional. I can have already had my tea, a light breakfast and possibly workout, not counting the load or so of laundry I could be ahead on if I try really hard. I will never be a morning person, but perhaps I can be less of a slug-a bed :)

Goodbye, dear bed...

So, our bed is dead. Kaput. Done for. The main frame rail cracked and it will be impossible to repair or replace. The rails we tried to buy on the cheap are useless, so we are officially stuck buying a new bed. Crud. I hate spending money on something like this. Especially considering the old bed was only about five years old. I mean, seriously, what happened to craftsmenship and quality? Argh. So now we are on a mission to find something reasonably priced and sturdy enough to fit the four of us...because Lord knows we can't leave out the kiddos!

Diva has her 18 month shots tomorrow...joy of joys. She's just over being sick and we're going to have to deal with immunizations. I feel bad for the mite. Otherwise all is well in our world. C and I are spending the evening staring out at computer screens searching for deals or ideas to make the bedroom situation work. Hopefully this will resolve quickly from this point. I'm tired of dealing with it!

So good, so long...

I did so well keeping up with my blog after New Years. I was quite proud of myself, needless to say. But then life crept in, slowly, and kept me from writing or reading. Sickness invaded, and we are just now recovering from it's onslaught of awfulness. Everyone is still slightly congested and snuffy, but we are all far better than we were two or three weeks ago. Thanks be to God that the sickness seems past for now and we are returning to real life again.

That said, February is almost over. Diva is officially 18 months now and showing her independence more every day. AJ is getting bigger, and I'm noticing bigger boy tendencies in his behaviors and attitudes. I am not ready for that, needless to say. The cuddles and snuggles are still there, so not all is lost. As for Diva, I'm thinking we are just starting to dig in for what may be a very long terrible twos stage.

Lent begins for us on Wednesday. I am ready for the opportunity to pour my heart into something great and good. I feel relief that this season is here, which is strange. I am almost looking for the chance to sacrifice and have a reason to resist indulging. I have yet to decide officially what I will choose as a sacrifice because I don't feel anything I've come up with so far is truly a sacrifice. So I will dwell for a while longer on that one to make a good decision.

I'm off to organize laundry and get something done before bed tonight. We have piles of laundry to get done...blah. One of my least favorite chores!

A very happy birthday...

Today is my 32cd birthday. In a way, that number both scares and humbles me. I am, of course, petrified by the idea that I have surpassed 22 years old. Remember 22? Me neither. Great year, 22. I was on top of the world...college graduate, in graduate school...the world was at my feet. Then, 23 came and everything changed. Literally, in the span of one month I was laid low. Life was no longer my oyster. I couldn't afford store brand fish sticks, let alone oysters. 23 was marked by Aidyn's birth and the effective end of my youth as a whole. In the span of three months I became a wife, mother and my college career was curbed. My reverse birthday was definitely a life changing year. Funny how it seemed tragic then. Now if for my reverse birthday year at 32 I could have another baby, life would be grand. Priorities definitely change.

I'm hoping 32 is a banner year for Krista :) Our world is looking pretty good...the kids are healthy and happy, C is inching closer every day to finishing his OTL/R and we're even contemplating going to Disney World. How much more fun is life than that? I'm also hoping to truly renew my weight loss effort. For this, C and I have decided to splurge and buy an elliptical. I have wanted one for ages, but now seemed the right time. Of course, as soon as we got it home and started putting it together, we realized a part was incorrect. So, for the moment, my banner year is on hold until my new parts get here.

Otherwise all is well in our house. I need to get in gear and get writing more. I was doing very well at the beginning of the year, but I have been slacking off lately. Silly girl. I really need to buckle down and get those thoughts of mine cataloged. So many important things to say...lol. I'm going to get ready for bed now...cuddle up with my honey and enjoy the sounds of his snores as the snow/rain/ice hits the roof. Good birthday :)

A week in the life...

This week literally flew by for us. Between having a sick kid Monday and Tuesday, through dentist's appointments and basketball games and everything in between, I feel like I haven't had a minute to think. But, Sunday has come, naps have commenced and CCD was accomplished, so all of us are sitting around doing a little bit of nothing. C is playing Civ, AJ is playing Football, I'm on the computer and Diva is flittering around between the three of us. Her main goal is enticing us with promise of Elmo karaoke. Little does she know, the only one that likes Elmo karaoke is her!

So a new week is on the horizon and we will bid adieu to January this week. Other than being frigid, snowy and gray, you've been good to us, January 2011. We've pretty much mad it through in one piece, which is more than I can say for many months. I feel like I can almost see the light of warmer weather (that being above 20 degrees, I mean). If I can get through February, I can start thinking about my garden and other summer goodies. I can stop worrying about snow boots and heavy coats...and how I hate heavy coats! And on a garden note, I got my seeds yesterday. We'll see how this experiment in starting seeds myself goes this year. I'm positive, but not sure how well it will go...think happy, green plants!

I'm off again...Diva lost her banana and it must be retrieved. Oh the glamorous life I lead!

Small steps...

I was roaming around the cyber world this evening, checking the blogs of various cyber friends and other interesting places around. I was particularly thankful to run across Erica's blog this evening to find some great insights. Elizabeth Foss has a great website on Catholic families and education (along with many other interesting topics) that offered a great article with insight into my life recently. I have been in a funk...I have been grumpy, grumble-y and altogether unpleasant at times. I have put that burden on my family. I read that post she offered, as well as what Erica wrote and thought to myself...these are simple, small steps I should be taking. Why am I not? I am being uncharitable to others because of my own discomfort. This definitely not the attitude I need to have, or the way I want my children or others to see me. So, I am going to take to heart the idea of small steps. I am going to very consciously make an effort to put more joy into my life by adjusting my attitude toward a larger picture.

I am going to put a smile on my face and be thankful for the small moments with my children, no matter what time of the day or night I find them.

I hope to find joy in my daily tasks. Beautifying my home is a blessing for us all.

I am going to strive to think more calmly and act more charitably toward those I have grievances against. Even if I am frustrated internally, allowing my feelings to show externally only teaches my children to be spiteful and vengeful.

Hopefully these small steps today will lighten my heart tomorrow. I want harmony and happiness to be in my home, and I need to be the catalyst for it. I definitely need to quit enspousing the "sour saint" mentality.

To a better tomorrow!

Meal Planning Monday

Monday...Roast Pork with cabbage and potatoes
Tueday...Out to dinner with associates of C
Wednesday...Italian sausage veggie soup
Thursday...Stuffing and turkey casserole with mashed potatoes
Friday...Mahi mahi steaks with roasted garlic potatoes and veggies

Invasion of the belly badness...

Poor AJ has spent the better part of the evening since we returned home puking his brains out. This is a kid who doesn't have a light stomach and isn't much of a retcher (unlike his dear mother). I've finally got him in bed in my room under the covers. I've banished Chas, who also tossed his cookies twice, upstairs to AJ's room and am waiting for Diva to wake up for now. I'm going to give in and just bring her down with AJ and I tonight, because as it is already almost 1 am and I still have laundry in the wash. I'm not going to be in the mood to do more than roll over when she starts her nightly fuss-budgeting.

I am weakly hoping this is a touch of overeating or even food poisoning from the party tonight, but I'm not holding out much hope. (Isn't it sad I'm hoping for food poisoning??) I'm more inclined to think that Chas brought home the bug that's been going around the assisted living center. He was talking all week about how sick all the residents were and we've been washing his scrubs daily to keep the funk to a minimum. I was thinking we got lucky and skipped out of the incubation period, but with this, I'm betting I was wrong. I'm hoping in vain Diva doesn't come down with it...at least AJ can make it to the bathroom...Diva will simply heave-ho anywhere. Not that you could blame her, or him, but cleaning up vomit is one of my least favorite mom jobs. Yuck. Just yuck. Ewww.

Other than that, the weekend is over and the week is beginning anew. Sadly, as happens every Monday morning, the house is a wreck from the weekend and the kids are cranky from messed up sleep from the weird schedule we have. Remember when weekends were for rest and sleep? Nope, me neither.

Really wishing caffeine wasn't the answer for all that ails...

But sadly, it is. After what has amounted to two solid days of being awake, it was time for me to throw in the towel. I have been off the caffeine bandwagon for nearly two weeks, but today I had to give in and dose up to avoid my lack-of-sleep headache from becoming a migraine headache. So, I have a glass of tea and within 20 minutes the headache clears up and danger is averted. I have successfully given up caffeine before, but I feel crummy every time I do. I really want to stay off of it and use it more medicinally rather than recreationally (is that a word?), but I truly miss the zing it gives me when dealing with unruly children :)

Snow is falling, again. What else can I say? It's January in Pittsburgh, so that's what you get. I am definitely considering looking into vacation destinations this summer in the sun. But then again, it's 90 degrees here in the summer, so what's the point? I need the vacation and warmth now...in July it will do me little good. Besides, if we went away, we would miss Idlewild, right? Because that is definitely worth braving the cold of November-March in SW PA, right? Yeah, I know, I'm not really looking for an answer to that. Or at least not an honest one.

The weekend is looming again, but we are already booked solid. We have basketball in the morning, but C is going to be gone all Saturday afternoon with family. So that leaves an evening alone with the kiddos to me. We really need to get out a little more, but with Diva still being young and not great with others, it limits us. We are going to try to get a sitter for Theology on Tap. They just started one around here, and I'm excited to go. We'll see...there will probably be a snow storm that night.

In the darkness...

I sit here in quiet repose...or rather, I sit here quietly and Diva is screaming her head off in an effort to never sleep. C usually does nighttime duties, but he has a conference call tonight, so I get the fits and screams. I've come to the conclusion that she is virtually impossible to get to sleep...she does it for C, but not for me. For me she shudders and shouts and screams bloody murder. I have tried ever sleep solution book known to man, and the attachment parent in me abhors "crying it out". But she won't do anything else. She simply screams for C at the top of her lungs. During the day at nap time we're fine, or the occasional evening C is out of town we do quite well. However, if she knows her Dad is home and not putting her to bed, all hell breaks loose.

So it is with a tired head and a cranky child that I write tonight, because cuddling has been unsuccessful and I'm to the point that bodily harm sounds intriguing. Not really, of course, but every mother knows that point when for all the love you have for your child, if they scream any longer or louder, you are certain your head will explode. Especially considering they have already had a nice warm bath, comfy jammies, a tasty bedtime snack, prayers and cuddles...at that point I want my little hour of me time. But, I guess that's what being a momma is some days...and apparently she has decided today is going to be that day.

Why do cookies taste so delicious with milk?

And why does milk only taste good when it's full fat? I'm indulging in some of Diva's milk and made cookies to treat myself this evening. I only really drink milk when I'm eating cookies, so I guess it's alright :) We're all sitting around doing our own activities this tonight, none of which are practical or useful. (And after I write this, I'm going to go do more useless activities like play Civilization with C.) Our little corner of the world is quiet today, no muss or fuss or hurts to mar what was otherwise a good day. C is insanely busy right now with all of his AOTA activities and fieldwork. He barely has time to breath. Poor guy. I'm trying to be supportive and smile for him, because there is little else I can do. Besides having dinner on the table and his clothes clean, he's kinda on his own right now. I can't help with papers or editing or the like, so I'm just trying to make him comfortable as possible in his misery. This is why medical students hate being on rotations. It's a nightmare.

Talked to Mom today about the debacle this weekend, or rather, we didn't talk about it purposefully. She's still sad and there is little else to be said to make anything any better, so I'm just hoping that when she gets company tomorrow it will make her feel better. Wish there was a way to make others feel as miserable as they make my loved ones feel. Oh well...that's actually a terrible thing to wish for...so scratch that. I should be a lot more charitable and forgiving than I am. As a Christian, that is definitely one of my weakest gifts. I always hold a grudge. Although if I had held a grudge the last time something like this happened, then this time wouldn't have happened at all. ARGH. So what's the difference between not forgiving and removing someone from you life because it's for the best? Because right now this has become my sin, and it's not one that I'm enjoying. (Not that you should enjoy any sin, but you get the idea.) Ramble, ramble.

Tomorrow is a new day. The kids and I are planning to be in all day and C won't be home from 6AM until about 9:30 PM. So it's just me and the littles carousing all day. AJ has a ton of schoolwork that we are still catching up on, plus a meeting with the lead teacher tomorrow. As much as I love the K12 curriculum, I wouldn't mind not having to answer to a teacher other than myself. But, since I can't afford the curriculum otherwise, this is what we get. Although maybe accountability isn't such a bad thing, considering it's only the third week back from break and I already feel behind again. Double ARGH.

Meal Planning Monday

Monday...Wings at Dinos
Tuesday...Beef Veggie Soup
Wednesday...Tuna Noodle Casserole with peas
Thursday...Sausage and Pasta
Friday...Chicken stirfry

Upset and exhaustion in the land...

Turmoil has peppered the last several days in our family, and I sadly think that it may be permanent. The short of it is that there was a disagreement/misunderstanding of some sort causing a huge falling out in our family. My mom is crushed and hurt and sadly, I'm just a little numb. This is a place I've been in before with this person, but it's new for my mom. Resentment is rampant and I'm pretty certain that bridges have been broken that will take years to be rebuilt. It's definitely made me think twice about letting toxic people into my life...and then letting them in again and again. I realize that my immediate family, C, AJ and Diva and my mom are what counts. And others, who may or may not have the best interests of them in mind have to be watched with a wary eye. I'm definitely going to need time to get over feeling skiddish with others.

That said, for C the weekend was sublime. He had an amazing experience at AOTA and is excited to begin his EL internship. As for his fieldwork, there is a stomach flu circling the home he's working in, so he was thrown up on twice today before lunch. Needless to say, the idea of OT is sometimes more glamorous than the everyday. But I applaud he effort and what he is achieving. We are definitely proud of him.

All this aside, I'm also feeling a little woozy and off tonight. I'm afraid the tummy badness may be making it's way back to me as well. Not what I'm looking forward to, so for the remainder of the evening I'll be sipping Pepto and swallowing hard. I hate feeling nauseous.

PSA for inconsiderate bad weather callers...

Since I know on occasion C reads this, I am making a special post just for him. When terrible weather strikes and your family loves you, a call when you reach your destination is appreciated. Otherwise, your family spends the day uncomfortably, with a little unnecessary tension that could easily been alleviated by that simple call. Seriously. You should have freaking call.

That said, the weather is blustery and cold, with about 6-8 inches of snow on the ground and more snow coming as the week continues. Not exactly making for warm, happy feelings (or warm, happy feet). I'm a home body for sure, but even I am getting a little stir crazy with all this absurdity. The snow needs to leave. It's only mid-January. I can't imagine if I have another winter like last...trapped in the house with nothing but housework. Lord have mercy! That said, even if I did go out, I'd probably wish I hadn't ventured out. That would just make me feel colder.

Other than cursing at C for not calling, we are having a lazy day of sorts around here. AJ did LA this morning and we've laid about. I'm calling for a nap since Diva didn't sleep well last night. After said nap, I'm thinking we'll jump into our Math and History assignments for the day. Tonight is C's late night, so no rush to finish school work quickly today.

Two days at calories...

Not half bad...at least not half bad considering how bad I've been and how far off the weight-loss wagon I have fallen. I'm not actually "counting"calories officially yet, but after years of obsessing over at CC, I know approximately what I'm eating and where I'm at. I don't want to start counting outright yet, simply because I don't want to obsess over calories and weight. If I can successfully drop my first ten pounds (again), then I will start counting officially again. The easiest part of watching again is not eating out, which, if I must say, is undoubtedly what brought this weight back. I get so frustrated with myself...I did so well. I accomplished so much! And then I backslid...big time. So now I have to get motivated again. But I need to do it this time without the obsession and without the fixation. Hence the calorie eyeballing rather than logging...

Finally got into the school rhythm today. I caught up on all my prep work last night and today went more smoothly. We did get a little done last week, but it was a precious little. Yesterday was okay, but disorganized. Today felt good. We finished by 2 and had time to detox this afternoon, rather than rushing to finish work before speech comes.

An epic snowstorm is headed our way...again. I was hoping that C would make it home before the snow began in earnest, but no such luck. It's snowing full force, not looking to let up before some time tomorrow night. Yuck and double yuck. It would really help the tone of the house if we could get out and do something fun, but it's far too cold to really enjoy any outdoor pursuits. I might manage to get AJ a little sledding time in this week if we stay home. I'm still up in the air about heading out to Ohio...not so much wanting to catch the tummy bug floating out there or sleep on a couch. But AJ is gun-ho about going, so we'll see. C will be gone from Th-S, so that leaves us pretty much open to decide our schedule.

I must go. Diva is throwing a tantrum for all time because I won't let her in the desk drawers.

Meal Planning Monday!

It's that time again...time for organization and time for menu planning. I always feel a little more "with-it" and calm when I have a menu plan developed. That way nothing sneaks up on me and I at least have all the ingredients on hand for meals at short notice. I've tried it before and am now on the MPM wagon again. So...here we go!

Monday...Italian sausage sauce with spaghetti squash
Tuesday...King Ranch chicken over quinoa with green beans
Wednesday...Roast pork, potatoes and cabbage
Thursday...Toasted cheese and tomato soup
Friday...Turkey and stuffing with gravy (casserole)
Saturday...Baked Greek fries and chicken bits

I'm using one of my already prepped casseroles on Friday, because with C out of town, I doubt I'll feel much like cooking. Plus, that's one of his less favorite dishes, so it's only fair that he doesn't have to "indulge". The kids and I love the Trader Joe's stuffing though, and I stocked up over the holidays. I wish they had that stuff all year...sigh. So good!

How do you know when coconut has gone bad?

Seriously. I want to know. I bought a coconut at the store and opened it and it tastes...off. I hate to throw it out, although that is undoubtedly it's destination. Crumby coconut. I love the stuff and next to never buy them because of the cost and inherent difficulty and mess they are to get open. AJ expressed interest in trying a "real" one though, so I took advantage and bought one. Sigh...I was excited to eat you, Mr. Coconut.

Today has been a humdrum day. We've got the hurricane cleaned up from Georgiageddon and almost have laundry done. C starts his field work tomorrow, much to his chagrin. He's nervous about starting, which is completely understandable. I am going to miss having him around the house all the time, although we do need to get back to our regular routine. Schoolwork has been sacrificed and the kids need to get back to normal. At least normal for here. So I'm going to get all the school stuff reorganized tonight and dive back in tomorrow with a vengeance.

The kids are out of the bath and I should go help get the bedtime routine started. Diva has had a rough evening...she's out of sorts. I think she could use a little cuddle time before the inevitable struggle that is bedtime.

Coffee and a cookie can do wonders for a girl...

Got out of the house tonight for a little grown-up girlie R and R with my friend. Starbucks and an hour free-ranging at B&N made me feel like a new woman, ready to take on the challenges of crazy children and loud noises with ease :) We stopped on the way home from basketball practice to grab some milk and such to keep the kids fed tomorrow, because we're expecting 2-4 inches overnight. So I'm stocked with bread and cheese and other such necessities of life.

AJ's basketball is a disappointment. I believe we made a mistake going with this league because we don't have a regular coach and practices are a nightmare. C thinks things are really disorganized, which is not what I expected from a small league of this sort. I guess I expected better from a church-run organization. Although I don't know if you can blame them either. I wish there was a CYO team around, but alas, none exists. And he would probably have to attend Catholic school to go to it, of course. I'm not sure how the homeschooling angle would work there. But nonetheless, AJ's going to stick it out for now. He does have friends there, but he also would have liked to learn something from the process.

I'm very turned on to looking into my spring planting. K turned me on to a great looking organic heirloom seed catalog tonight. I'm hesitant to go the seed start route, just for fear of screwing up. But, I think worst case scenario I kill some plants. We'll see :) I'm thinking about what I'd like to have come summer...good thoughts as we brace for more ice and snow. Definitely tomatoes and zucchini, of course, but I'm also thinking of adding more broccoli and kohlrabi since we had such great luck with it this year. Eggplant is on my list again this year, and I'm hoping I'll have more luck than I did this year. More luck than absolutely no luck, that is. I always end up with them having flea beetles. Maybe I'll be okay this year :) More to come on that topic!

Otherwise all is well in our little corner of the globe this evening. Other than washing diapers and watching C play Civilization (our current obsession), nothing else to comment upon. Good night!

School's in session...

We started back to work today, albeit slowly. We accomplished more than I expected with the noise and craziness of the house and the kids. We got to Math, LA and Science, which as I said, was quite impressive in the insanity of speech and the new garbage disposal installation. Children run to and fro with no place to go but crazy and all are tired and cranky by bedtime. In Diva land, we had a bit of a scare today...she sneak-creeped upstairs and then tumbled down the stairs. She didn't break anything, but she will definitely be sore and bruised for couple of days. Needless to say, I lost several hairs to gray from the experience.

Georgia-geddon...

The invasion force has descended upon...Lisa and the kids have arrived from Georgia and are here to stay and play and live up the PA sun for awhile. The kids are having a ball and wrecking the house, thoroughly enjoying themselves in the process. Other than playing, very little is on our agenda for the next couple days. AJ is supposed to start school tomorrow, but I doubt little in the way of anything constructive is going to happen. I'm off to pick up the disaster so that when Georgia-geddon begins tomorrow, we'll at least have a clean slate to start with :)

Sometimes you just need a funky llama...

Kids are in bed, a glass of mild chardonnay is in my hand and all hell is going to break loose tomorrow :) My sister and her kiddos will be descending on our humble abode to say for awhile and needless to say, with an 8 yo, 4 yo, 2 yo and 16 month old, life will be interesting. So I'm fortifying myself with a little Funky Llama in anticipation of the invasion.

Tomorrow will be a bit of a crazy day, but Tuesday begins school anew for Aidyn and the institution of our new school routine. I feel that after a semester of homeschooling under my belt, I have a better idea of what to do and what to implement to really make a difference in our classroom. I've changed a ton of things around and am really looking forward to making a smoother daily experience happen for us all. Ideally I'll have AJ on a more defined schedule for assignments and time and Caroline will be more engaged and involved in the whole experience at large. She will probably never be homeschooled herself, but I would love to have her uber-prepared when her first day of school eventually does come.

I changed the blog up a little bit today. I wish I knew more about layouts and design. I'd really like my own custom header, but I lack the programs and skills needed. Oh well...so much more than that to worry about :)

In with the new...

So much munching, so much food. I desperately need to eliminate all the holiday delicacies out of the house and get back to eating clean. Needless to say, New Year's Day was another day of eating things I shouldn't in quantities I couldn't possibly need. But, thankfully tomorrow is another day and all the excuses for eating bad stuff are eliminated. Holiday begone! Better things are ahead :)

Last night was fun...pizza was made and vast quantities of tasty treats were consumed. AJ had a ball with his sparkling grape juice and watching the ball drop. Too bad that we had no idea who most of the acts were amongst the entertainers. Apparently we're all too old to appreciate current music and style in this house. Thank God :) So real life begins again for us starting tomorrow.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the last of the holiday with the Winter Classic on television. Go Pens!