fried burritos

This is actually something I started making recently. I'm feeling very pregnant these days. Standing up for too long makes me achy. So these burritos are great because they take me a few minutes to make. We bought some tortillas the other day for dinner and had some left over. I made the girls quesadillas for lunch and thought I would do a burrito for me. I think that was the first time I have made a burrito since college. Not sure why... They are a great, fill you up lunch or dinner. We always have black refried beans in the house. (I use them in my enchiladas) I put some refried beans and shredded cheese in the tortilla and made me a nice little burrito. My grandpa always used to make us fried burritos as kids. We loved them. I used my olive oil sprayer and lightly coated my frying pan and got my burrito all crispy. So yummy. I used salsa to dip it in. The beans and cheese didn't get totally melty in the frying pan so I put the burrito in the microwave for 30 secs before I fried it the next time. Perfect. Mya doesn't like beans but Winter loves them so I will have to find something else to use in Mya's. This meal could be totally healthy too. Use a whole grain tortilla, organic black refried beans (Trader Joe's), chopped tomatoes, low-fat cheese (optional) and "fry" it. You could even add brown rice and make a healthy BRC. You could even do "fried" breakfast burritos with eggs, cheese, sausage etc. The possibilities are endless!

mom's homemade oat waffles

This is my mom's recipe. They are delicious and healthy. You do need a waffle iron, however. Oh and they freeze great too.

3 cups quick or old fashion rolled oats, raw
3-4 dates or 1 TBSP honey
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup raw cashews, rinsed
3 cups water

Blend above together until almost smooth. Pour into heated waffle iron, which has been sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Bake in hot waffle iron 10-11 minutes.
I like them with maple syrup or apple sauce. Sliced bananas are a nice addition as well. Strawberries, blueberries and blackberries too.

I wish I had a pic... I need to buy a waffle iron first! =)

a touchy subject

This is something that I have avoided writing about for a while now. I usually try to keep my blog light and friendly. But I kept getting this nagging feeling that I should write it. (Also known as the Holy Spirit :-)) This is an important subject that I feel I should explain from a Christian's point of view. 

A few years ago, I was all for gay rights. I claimed to be a Christian with an open mind. I agreed with all of the arguments for gay marriage and statements like, "God made them that way so how could it be wrong?" And "We are supposed to love everyone and be accepting of all different types of people." And the one I hear the most, "All of those laws in the old testament are old and don't apply anymore to this day and age." I get it. They are good arguments. They make sense.

It was something that I really didn't want to look up for myself. One of my best friends is gay. He's probably one of my top 10 favorite people in the world. He loves the Lord and is so much fun. He is truly and amazing person. I love him like a brother. I also spent most of my 20s frequenting gay clubs because my friends and I loved the freedom of dancing where no one was hitting on us or making sleazy comments or undressing us with their eyes. Plus most of us had boyfriends who didn't like to go out and dance so it worked out great for everyone. We could wear flats and jeans and just have a good time. I totally see why most women are drawn to gay guys. They are fun, they have style and they are well groomed. They are like us!

A few years ago, I felt like I really needed to read the bible for myself. I had tons of questions about several subjects including homosexuality and wanted to find out for myself what God actually had to say about them. To be a Christian means that you believe that Christ is the Son of God who came and died and rose again so that anyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. To be a Christian also means that you believe that the bible is God's word. Pages written by man, inspired by God, every single word. There were several passages in the bible that were hard to swallow. They meant making changes in my life and changes in the way I felt about certain things. One of the subjects that was pretty black and white was homosexuality.

Reading through, I found several texts that repeatedly pointed out that the act of homosexuality is wrong, plain and simple. There were several places where this is talked about and there was never a question as to what the texts meant. It is super clear. Here are the texts that make it pretty clear that God does not approve of homosexuality.

Gen 19:1-11
Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 20:13
Judges 19:16-24
1 Kings 14:24
1 Kings 15:12
2 Kings 23:7
Romans 1:18-32
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
1 Timothy 1:8-10
Jude 7

Yes, I included Leviticus because it is one of the passages that mention homosexuality. It also mentions other ceremonial laws that were fulfilled when Jesus came so they don't apply today. You can skip the Leviticus verses if it makes you feel better.

That being said, I still don't understand why people seem to be born a certain way and then are told that they can't be that way. It would be like telling me I need to be attracted to and marry a woman. It would be against every grain in my body. I really feel that most gay men and women feel the same way about the opposite sex. However, I can't take part of the bible and believe in it and disregard the parts I don't understand. I have to trust that God has his reasons for this and I need to have faith that He knows exactly what He is doing. He is God after all. He created each and every one of us. 

So, yes, I believe that homosexuality is a sin. And of course we are not supposed to judge anyone else for their sins. Love the sinner, hate the sin. That is what we are instructed to do in the bible. That is how Jesus lived. He loved everyone and was not afraid to hang out with prostitutes, cheaters, liars and outcasts. He did, however, answer questions honestly when asked. I am not about to tell gay people to stop being gay. I have no right to tell them how they should live. That is between them and God. I do feel that if I am asked, I will state my beliefs and reasons for them.

This is a tricky sin because most of the world would not agree that it is a sin. If you asked most people about the other sins mentioned in the bible, they would agree that they are probably not a good idea. Religious or not, most feel that we shouldn't lie, steal, kill, commit adultery, or be jealous of others etc. Those are obvious. 

I think that homosexuality is such a huge issue right now because it is not seen as a sin. The devil has used this issue as a way to turn non-Christians off of Christianity because we are seen as "gay-haters." He has made the issue about acceptance and discrimination. It is really unfortunate that it has come to this. It makes me sad that Christians are seen this way. It doesn't help that some so-called Christians get mean and violent toward gay people. But that doesn't mean that we should not take a stand and pick a side when asked what we believe because we are afraid of offending someone or being part of the mean crowd. We either believe in our bible or we don't. It is all or nothing.

There are Christians who do not agree with what I've said and that's totally fine. Every Christian should read the bible for themselves and come to their own conclusions.

There. I've shared my thoughts on the subject. I promise to keep things light and fun from now on.

big black booger

This happened a while ago but I felt it blog worthy. Plus I want to document these things in case I forget them.

I was brushing Winter's teeth one night before bed when I noticed what appeared to be a black booger in her nose. I tried to squeeze it out and suck it out with the booger sucker (best invention ever!) but it didn't work. This was a big stubborn booger. I thought about it for a minute. It wasn't very booger-like. Then I asked Winter, "Did you put something in your nose?" Winter  smiled and said, "haha yeah." So I ran and got the tweezers and pulled that sucker out. It was a raisin that had pretty much turned into a grape from the moisture in her nose. So gross! At first I couldn't figure out where she got it. We were out of raisins but then I remembered that I gave her a cookie around lunch time that had raisins in it. It had been sitting in there for nearly 6 hours and she didn't even tell me. She even took a 3 hour nap with it in there. What a little weirdo.



1st cuts

This is a HUGE event. My husband and I have never cut our daughters' hair. They are 4 and almost 3. Mya's grew so fast and got so thick and beautiful, I decided to let it grow and give it to Locks of Love. We waited until after the wedding she was in a couple weeks ago then made the appointment to get it cut. It's kind of ridiculous how long it got.

I LOVE the place we took them to. I highly recommend it if you live in the area. It's called "Little Kuts" in Glendora. They have tons of distractions for the kids as they are getting their haircuts including a movie and endless toys for them to play with. They even get to sit on little plastic animals that spin around. This lady, Maria, has serious talent. She cut an A-line bob on both girls and neither of them were still for her and both turned out super cute. It was a very enjoyable experience and I got to mail off Mya's beautiful hair to another kid that will appreciate it.

Here are the before pics:

 

during...

 

and after!

 

 

 

 

They love their new haircuts and Mommy and Daddy do too now that we can brush with ease and no more tears over tangles! :-) Everyone is happy. 

still got it

Today was one of my first free mornings in a long time. Both of my girls are in preschool twice a week for 4 hours a day. It's just enough time to recharge my battery so I can function for the rest of the week. There are so many things I can think of to do in those few hours. I've been trying to walk every day that I can so I don't get too huge this pregnancy. And it's really good to walk when you're pregnant I've heard.

So I grabbed one of my dogs (two is too much work these days) and headed up the canyon. I took my dog Twitch this time. He's 9 and could use the exercise. I used to run with him before I had babies. We were both young and fit in those days. We would run 3 miles without breaking a sweat. The last time I ran with Twitch about a year ago I had to coach him and pull him. He's not a fan anymore. And my pregnant body is so not running these days. I feel like I'm at the end of my pregnancy and I still have 3 months to go. Ugh.

So, a walk is the perfect exercise for us right now. As we were walking back down the canyon. I heard a honk behind me, followed by a smile and a wave. I gave the guy a confused look because it just didn't make sense that any guy would find my pregnant waddle attractive. But that's the impression I got. He did see me from behind so maybe he didn't notice the baby I was carrying. And I was wearing sort of slimming black stretchy cut offs that hid a few of the 20 pounds I've gained in the last few months, mostly in my butt and thighs. Maybe he liked my pigtails. And maybe he was just one of those guys that are into preggy ladies.

I used to roll my eyes at the honks I would get while jogging. It didn't make sense to me. Why would anyone honk and yell or wave? What did they really expect? Did they think I would run over to them and jump in? As the honks lessened as I ran with a baby stroller, then a double stroller, the less annoyed I became when I would hear them. And now, it's kind of nice to know that I'm not totally repulsive.

So today, after I realized that the honk was for me and this middle aged guy in his work truck liked what he saw, I said to my dog with a smile, "Yeah Twitchy, we still got it!"

mom days

Naptime
Ah, naptime. It is a beautiful thing. I feel it slipping away from me but I refuse to give it up yet. Mya still takes a nap easily. She goes to sleep pretty quickly and rarely puts up a fight. But Winter is a bit more difficult. Everything is a bit more difficult with that one. We are changing her over to her big girl bed soon here but she is still in her crib and has to get out several times to go potty. It takes her about 2 hours to fall asleep once I've put her in there. Today, she was calling me from her crib and kept getting louder and louder until I finally went in to quiet her so she wouldn't wake up Mya. She said, "Mommy, I wake up." I told her she never went to sleep. And she said, "Yes I did, I did this." Then closed her eyes really tight and opened them again. She was totally serious. I had to laugh.  I love seeing her two-year-old little mind work. It made sense to her! :-)

Losing it

I invited one of my single childless friends over to hang out at the pool with my girls and me. She likes kids and actually enjoys mine. She arrived at the house and was still in her car when my girls ran out to greet her. Winter asked her, "Where's your baby?" No idea where that question came from. She's never had a baby with her. I guess Winter assumes that every lady should have a baby or two in tow. :-)

Anyway, so I was gathering everything in my pool bag like snacks, towels, sunscreen, pool toys etc. The girls were super excited because they love the pool and there was a guest in the house so they were bouncing around, laughing, squealing and talking. I was trying to focus my pregnancy brain to remember everything when Mya asked about something in the kitchen. She found a plastic stick I used to stir lemonade earlier. I could hear her asking, "Mommy, what is this? Mommy, what is this? Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy what is this?! But I was focused on something else, semi-tuning her out. But she persisted until I yelled sharply, "IT'S A STIRRING STICK!!" Then I continued putting stuff in the bag. My friend was amused by my turret's-like outburst and commented with a smile, "Wow Amie, you're losing it. And you're having another one?" Thanks friend. Yes, I am losing it. She's got no idea what these little ones are capable of. That was nothing.

running on empty...for real

This morning, I picked up my girls from their first day of preschool. I'm driving along listening to what they had for snack and who they played with when I noticed that my gas light was on and my little gage was below the E line. Hmmm, interesting. I thought, alright, I should probably get gas.

I'm not used to my new car yet. The little light is so teeny. My old gas light was huge and noticeable. Plus, I am suffering from the worse case of pregnancy brain I've ever had. I also overdrew my checking account but that's beside the point. Some have claimed that it is a myth. It's real people! It is a proven fact. There is a massive fog that comes over each and every poor pregnant soul out there. Oh well, I will keep a closer eye on the gas gage in the future... 

Anyway, so I'm running on empty. Then I remembered that my new minivan tells me how many miles I can go before I run out of gas completely. So I pushed the button to switch over to the right screen. And there it was, ZERO! I have zero miles left before I need to get gas. HOLY CRAP! I've never run out of gas before but it sounds like a major inconvenience. Yes, I know it's really bad on the car too. And it's even more of a pain in the butt calling AAA and waiting until a truck can bring me some gas with two cranky little ones ready for their nap. I had at least half a mile to the gas station. Panicking, I prayed and prayed all the way to the pump. I made it! Sooooo relieved. It entered my mind that maybe the gage was off. Maybe I actually had a few more miles to go before my new van sputtered and stopped in the middle of the street. But when I filled it up, turns out my 20 gallon tank was pretty much empty. I put 19.959 gallons in it :-)

what to do today...

It can get boring, dull and lonely staying at home with your littles ones day after day. Below are some ideas of things you can do with your kids to make the day go by faster that they will love. Get outdoors as much as possible. Kids get cranky and crazy indoors. Adults do too :-) Make anything mentioned below into a play date. That way you can have some adult conversation and your kids are more likely to behave themselves with the distraction of other kids to play with.

(note - for anything that gets messy like crafts or food, buy some disposable table cloths at the 99 cent store and reuse them)

1. There are lots of things you can do in your backyard, front yard, or a park nearby like -
-Blowing bubbles
-Drawing pictures with sidewalk chalk
-Riding bikes/tricycles
-squirt gun fights
-water balloon fights
-playing games like hide and seek, tag, and simon says
-play catch (You can roll a ball back and forth with a baby)

2. Go to the 99 cent store and let them pick out a coloring book. You can get crayons there too. Then, you can go to a park bench and color.

3. Same goes for other crafts. Visit a craft store like Michael's and pick out a craft for a dollar or two. Or visit pinterest.com for ideas. Then take them somewhere fun to do their craft. (backyard, park or grassy area) 

4. Go for a nature walk/scavenger hunt around the block or at a park. Have the kids look for a list of things like a rock, stick, pinecone, leaf etc.

5. Go to the beach. SoCal is beautiful any season of the year. If it is Winter time, throw a sweatshirt on them, roll up their pants (or remove them) and let them walk along the water, splash in the waves and build sandcastles.

6. Combine any of the ideas above with a picnic. Bring a blanket and a basket of yummy food and have a picnic.

7. This one can be done inside or out, especially if you have a good spot in your backyard for it. Decorate cookies. Make or buy some sugar cookie dough, get some cookie cutters, sprinkles and frosting and let your kids go to town.

8. Ice cream sunday party! This will be a bit more expensive but it shouldn't be over $10. Just make sure you go somewhere that they sell the following items for cheap. You'll need ice cream, nuts, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, whipped cream, bananas and cherries of course! Invite a friend who has kids and you can all enjoy together. Do it at a park and let them get all the sugar out playing on the slides and swings.

9. Institute snack time and story hour (or 15 mins :-)). Make a fun snack like apples and peanut butter or carrots dipped in ranch and have them sit and eat their snack while you read them a story or two. Give them a few options to pick from.

10. Give them instruments like tambourines, drums, maracas, kazoos etc. and have a little jam session to a few of their favorite songs. Again, check out the 99 cent store for cheap instruments.

11. Have a movie night. Everybody gets in their jammies, pop some pop corn, grab some blankets and snuggle up together while you watch a movie on the couch or in mommy and daddy's bed.

12. Pick some berries. You'll have to look online for a local farm that is having berry picking. It's free. They just charge you for the berries you take home. And they always taste way better than the store-bought ones. The kids will love it. It's okay if they pop the occasional berry in their mouth too :-)

13. Go camping in your back yard. Set up a tent with sleeping bags and flashlights/lanterns. Roast some marshmallows on the BBQ or inside on the stove and make smores.

14. Make a giant fort out of chairs, sheets, blankets and pillows. Color or read stories inside.

15. Let them help make dinner. Pull up a couple of chairs to the counter, get some pizza dough, a cookie sheet, pizza or pasta sauce, cheese and a bunch of your favorite toppings and help them make a pizza. They will enjoy eating it so much more knowing that they helped make it.

16. Make cards for people you know. Think of someone who is sick or going through a rough time and could use some cheering up. Get some construction paper/card stock, glue sticks, stickers, crayons/markers and go to town!

These things will be way more fun to them than to us but it is so nice to watch them light up and get excited over little things. This is the time when we can do it, before they are too cool for us :-) All they want these days is to hang out with mommy and daddy. I guess we should probably hang out with them! :-)

It's easy to read a list like this and think, yeah I'll do that one of these days. Mark it on the calendar and set a reminder on your phone. That way it's an appointment you feel guilty for missing. I am way more likely to do something if it is on the calendar. I am ten times more likely if I tell my kids we are doing it. Then I have to do it. It doesn't have to be a daily thing. Try it once a week and see how it goes. Call it something fun like fun day or happy time or silly time. Announce it like it's the most fun thing they'll ever do and they'll get super excited about it. Even older kids can't resist doing something fun with mom.

What other activities can you think of??

art book

I downloaded this smart little ap on my phone called artkive. You basically take pictures of your kids' art and it stores them until you are ready to make a book. That way you don't have to save tons and tons of art and crafts and you don't have to feel guilty about throwing them away. Great idea huh? Unfortunately it is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. I didn't check the price until I was done with my daughter's preschool art collection from last year. She is starting another year so I thought I would make a book of her first year of preschool art. I figured it would be like $20 or less. Not even close... $75 bucks! What?! So absurd. Why would anyone pay that? I don't care how awesome the book is. These aren't wedding photos! Anyway, I'm still going to do it. I have all of the photos saved on my phone so I can just download them to the computer and create a book with shutterfly or snapfish or one of those picture book companies. There are tons now. Your loss artkive, crazy company. Here are some of the pics that will be part of Mya's first art picture book:

 

 

Here's a pile of about half of the crafts she brought home this year:

 

 

thankful for the mess

Whenever I am having a long day and I start acting like my 2 year old, pouting, slamming cupboards, stomping up and down the stairs and just being a spoiled child, the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that I have no right to complain. I have so much to be thankful for, it's ridiculous. So again, my long day with my sweet little monsters and endless housework has brought me to my blog. This time, a prayer of thanksgiving...

Father in Heaven,

I thank you for this messy house. Underneath the toys, dog hair and dirty laundry are beautiful hardwood floors downstairs and brand new carpet upstairs. Thank you for the piles of clean laundry I have yet to fold. I was able to wash them in my own washer and dryer, a luxury many do not have. Thank you for the dishes I need to put away. They were cleaned in my dishwasher and I did not have to wash them by hand. Thank you for the ear piercing screams and endless questions that drive me batty. It means that my children are healthy, happy and learning more and more every day. Thank you for my big silly dogs that sometimes keep me up at night when they snore or bark at nothing in the middle of the night. They make me feel protected and keep me company when my husband is not home. Thank you for those long shifts that my husband works when I don't see him for days. He has a great job that supports us well. Thank you for the extra fat on my thighs I can't ever seem to get rid of. It means that I always have plenty to eat. Thank you for my increasingly uncomfortable pregnant body. My baby is growing healthy and strong. 

Thank you for everything I complain about. It is all a blessing in disguise. Keep reminding me of this when I so easily forget.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen!

official mom

This may sound like an advertisement for the Honda Odyssey. It may as well be.

I was one of those people who always said, "Ugh, I will never get a minivan." My husband worked on me for years until I finally caved and looked into it. After all, I am a mom. I'm not going to pretend I'm above looking like a mom next to the other sweet less mom-like rides out there. So we did it. We bought the 2013 Honda Odyssey and I have to say I'm loving it. I've never heard one complaint from someone who bought a minivan. Everyone I've talked to absolutely loves theirs. Plus, we are having baby #3 and we have outgrown my Corolla. We are selling it to my mom so at least I still get to see her. 

It makes me so sad to give her up. I LOVE that car. I will miss her. There is actually an emotional attachment there. It's pretty bitter sweet. I feel like I grew up in that car. I bought it before I had kids and drove a tad recklessly. It was my first brand spanking new car. We've been through a lot together. I cried the first, second & third time I got in a fender-bender. She was so fun to drive that I got my first speeding ticket for going 94 in a 70 mph zone and another for running a red light. Today I had a ceremonial good-bye drive down the freeway. I told her how much I appreciated her and rolled down the windows and cranked up the tunes. I sang loud, danced in my seat and drove like I did when I first got her. It felt so good. I almost teared up a little.

 

The minivan is so convenient though. I couldn't resist the sliding doors with a push of a button, built in DVD players, back-up camera, back seats that fold down using one hand with a baby on the hip and loads of extra space to fit car seats and a few friends and all of their drinks. You can remove the middle seats easily too. It seats 8 and gets 27 mpg highway. Common. They even thought of putting a cooler box and a hand held vacuum in the Odyssey! I'm also loving new additions like built in retractable shades for the windows, a USB port for my iphone that plays music AND charges my phone, and volume, channel and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. All that is missing is a system to deliver snacks to the kids in the back row while driving. My friend Nancy wants a limo window she can roll up so she can still see her kids but can't hear them. Brilliant. One day =)... I realize that many of these features do come on other cars that aren't minivans. But they don't have sliding doors. That's my favorite feature.

Everything about this car is easy. I just had to voice my new appreciation for mommy mobiles. I am a new member of the club and proud of it! I researched all of the different options out there. We've been a Toyota family up until now. The Odyssey just offered more for less money and Hondas go forever just like Toyotas. I did like driving the Sienna but the Odyssey was just a little bit better and offered a little bit more. So here's my new mode of transportation! =) Need a ride? I can pick you up. I've got extra room now!

 

 



easy microwave cleaning

I haven't cleaned my microwave in months... probably like six. I'm not proud. I keep forgetting. Once it is closed, I don't see the mess and it disappears from my brain until the next time I use it. It was covered in dried pasta sauce, refried beans, and all other foods that have a tendency to splatter when heated. If you read my "3 things" blog you may have noticed that one of my things to do today was clean the microwave. I read on pinterest that you can use several different things to steam clean it so that you can just wipe away the mess without scrubbing. Lemon and distilled vinegar were at the top of the list. I have neither on hand. So I just heated up a bowl of water for 5 minutes in the microwave. (You could probably do 10 to really make it easy to clean) It sat for a few minutes then I took a sponge and cleaned it out. I have to say that it was really easy. I only had to do a tiny bit of scrubbing. I mostly just used the soft side of the sponge and just wiped it clean. I will try adding lemon when I have it next time and see if that works even better. It may improve the smell too! I forgot to take a before pic but here it is afterward. It was really bad before. Probably another reason I avoided it for so long =)

laundry tips

Of course I got this tip from another mom. I don't remember who but it makes so much sense in my house.

Instead of putting dirty clothes in individual hampers, I just skip that step and throw them straight into the washer. I stopped sorting colors a long time ago unless there is something super white that I need to stay white... can't think of anything right now. (I pretty much stopped wearing white after baby #1) But if I have super whites or delicates I care about, I can put them in their own hamper. Everything else can go from my body straight into the washer. I wait until it is full, then start the load. I use shout color catchers to keep colors from running too. They aren't expensive. Probably a couple bucks for 20. There are clothes all over my house from dirty socks downstairs to dirty jammies in the girls room. I just collect them when I see them and throw them in the washer. If I'm downstairs, I throw them on the stairs then collect them when I go upstairs. The washer is upstairs. Every house is different but you get the gist.



And to save myself from hours of folding, I just lay the clothes flat in my girls' drawers. I fold mine and my husband's but I find that those little shirts and pants don't need to be folded. The girls dress themselves so even if I bothered to fold them, they would be unfolded in a day from all the little hands rummaging through drawers.

I need to save time and energy where I can!

 

Another thing that has helped with the laundry process is my clothes line right above my washer and dryer. I had my husband hang it for me. I'm sure anyone could do it with a couple of hooks and strong string. It has helped tremendously. When I don't want to dry something, I just hang it up above my head. I don't have to take a step away from the washer. So convenient. I highly recommend it.

 

 





little techies

My husband and I rarely let Mya use our phones because that little stinker manages to figure out how to do things we wouldn't want her to be doing like downloading games, erasing pictures and important notes etc. She figured out how to use the voice text and sends embarrassing texts to random people that say things like "mommy, daddy, peepee poopoo." It's usually at 6:00AM when I'm not awake enough to notice she's hijacked my phone again. Sometimes we make exceptions and she is happy for hours. 

Technology has officially taken over the world. This is what happens when there are no kids invited to the wedding but the flower girls and ring bearer. I would expect the same from a couple of teenagers but a 1 and 3 year old? They are cute though. =) 

3 things

I remember a time when I could write a to do list consisting of about 30 things and manage to get every single thing on that sucker done by the end of the day. Or I would set out to clean the whole house and actually manage to clean the whole house. Those days are long gone and I have no idea when I will see them again. My guess is somewhere around retirement.

The thing is, kids are masters of time suckage. Just getting the daily stuff done is hard to accomplish sometimes. Things like feeding the dogs, watering the plants, emptying the dishwasher, getting the mail, bathing the littles, bathing myself  rarely ever ALL get done. I would say about 80% on average.

I am still up for the challenge of a to do list, however. I have discovered that if I don't make a to do list, those other important things that come up just never get done. So I came up with a way to make myself feel better about my accomplishments for the day. I know that being a full time mommy and wife are huge accomplishments and this is the job that God has given me but I have always been the kind of girl that needs to see concrete evidence of my work. I need to check things off and feel that sense of pride that comes with completing a task.

Obviously a 30 item to do list is out of the question... unless it is 30 time-outs or spankings. I could do that no problem. I have whittled my list all the way down to 3 things. Yes, 3 is the magic number for me. I pick my top 3 things to get done during the day and strive to complete all of them. This is not as easy as it sounds. Yesterday I set out to make 3 phone calls and only managed to get 2 done. I'm okay with that because my cell service was down at my house so I had to make them while driving. Most days, I can complete the 3 things I set out to do. Obviously, I can keep going and add to the list if I feel super energetic and ambitious that day. But 3 is a good place to start. Here's my list for tomorrow. It is on a magnetized sticky pad on the fridge where I can't miss it. I even get to check the box beside my tasks when I have completed them. =)

the haystack

This is a haystack:

 

 

This is how you make a haystack:

 

Layer the following from bottom to top. Fritos, pinto beans, ground beef (or meat substitute), shredded cheddar cheese, chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream, salsa and avocados (or guacamole). That's the basic version. You can add things like cucumber, corn, cilantro, bell peppers, nacho cheese or ranch dressing.

 

I just had to share this meal because it is so easy to make. You really can't mess it up. And it pleases the whole family from toddlers to hungry teenagers and dads. If you don't like something you just leave it out. Each person makes their own haystack so it is to their liking. 

 

Haystacks are a staple in my home. We also serve them when we have big get-togethers. My sister's family makes them every Friday night. We grew up Seventh-Day-Adventist and SDA's pretty much invented the haystack. There are lots of vegetarians and vegans in my family so haystacks please everyone. Try it! I guarantee you won't be disappointed =)

velcro

Velcro is really an amazing clever invention. It isn't as popular as it was in the 80s but I'm a huge fan. I thought I would share a trick that makes my life a teensy bit easier. As I've mentioned before, I use several magnetic note pads on my fridge. I use velcro to fasten a pen or pencil on the fridge right next to the pad. You just peel off the sticky part and stick one on the fridge and one on a pencil or pen. It saves me from looking for a pen and it encourages me to make lists, an extremely helpful tool in my crazy frazzled mommy world. You can get velcro at Michael's or Joanne's Fabric for pretty cheap. I think it's like a dollar or two.

meals and containers

My church is big on taking meals to those in need. You can sign up to take a meal to anyone who just had a baby, just had surgery, a death in the family or anything big going on that is making it hard to get dinner on the table every night. Having a church family is awesome like that :-)

There is so much baby making that you can pretty much guarantee someone will be having a baby any given month of the year. I usually sign up because I enjoy making people meals. It's easy and they really appreciate it when it's hard to cook for themselves. If you've never made a meal for someone, try it. Think about the people you know. Do you know a family with lots of little ones? Maybe someone is going through a separation or divorce or maybe they have a lot going on and could use a night off from cooking. It means so much and it is really not that much work. I usually make something I make all the time for my family like enchiladas or pasta with meat sauce. It doesn't have to be amazing.

We had meals brought to us when my husband's mom passed away last year. It was so nice. We felt loved and supported. We were eating lots of take out and fast food and were craving home cooked meals but just couldn't do it at the time.

Plus, I got ideas from people who brought us meals. One friend reused cottage cheese containers to put spaghetti in and a sour cream container for green beans. So brilliant. I am all about thrifty. Now I save all containers that can be reused like Tupperware. That way you don't have to worry about getting them back from people and you don't have to keep buying new ones. Anything plastic with a lid works. Just throw it in the dishwasher and reuse it. Things like margarine, large yogurt containers and sour cream containers work great. I label mine with a sharpie when I use it to take a meal to someone. You can put a plastic bag inside to seal whatever you are putting in it too. (If I'm taking something like enchiladas or pasta and salad, I like to use those disposable aluminum pans you can get in bulk at Costco for pretty cheap compared to regular stores)

I love having such a large community of fellow moms. I've learned so much from each of them.

grandma's house

Every couple of weeks, the girls and I visit my 89 year old grandmother. The girls call her Grandma Snow. She lives with my mom and aunt. They kind of all take care of each other in a way. It is kind of a crazy house to visit. I'm used to it and always leave with a smile because there are so many funny amusing things about our visits.

I grew up in that house. I was always there after school and on summer vacations. My grandparents helped take care of my siblings and me. They helped to take care of everyone really. Now, things are a bit different. Everyone kind of helps to take care of Grandma. That is the way it should be after all.

I took over her finances a few years ago when she started losing track of things and couldn't really keep up anymore. My mom moved in recently and will probably take them over once I have the next baby. But my grandma likes for me to come over and do her bills. It keeps me coming back so she can see the girls, her great-grand daughters. They do liven the place up. My mom watches them so I can go through grandma's mail, balance her checkbook, pay bills and file. I also do my aunt's finances because she needs help with that kind of thing. My grandma has always done it for her.

It's so chaotic once we get there. The girls are running around screaming, grabbing things they shouldn't touch like prescription pills and grandma's teeth. (Winter likes to bring them to her so she can eat a snack with her) If grandma is awake, the TV is blaring because she is deaf. She's always yelling at my aunt to bring her something because she can barely walk with her walker. My aunt has to yell back so she can hear her. My mom is going crazy from it all. She is used to her peaceful apartment where nobody yelled and it was quiet all the time. She does have a pool so that's good. The girls get to swim during the summer time.

Last time I was in the middle of balancing two checkbooks and I could hear grandma say that it was time for her show in a few minutes, "The Young and the Restless." She turned on the TV and "Jerry Springer" was on. I was in the kitchen so I couldn't see her or the TV. I'm not sure why but she left Jerry on for what seemed like 20 minutes but I think it was probably about 5. There I am trying to add numbers with "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" in the back ground CRANKED UP. The TV speakers were distorted it was so loud. I am NOT a fan of Jerry. Never have been. It makes me cringe to watch some baby mama fightin' some other baby mama because they got the same baby daddy who doesn't have a job and for some reason they both want him. Ugh. I tried to just ignore it and keep going. Then she changed the channel or tried to but she must have hit the wrong button because all I heard was static... BLARING static. It was just about as pleasant as fingernails on a chalkboard. I was semi-releaved because I didn't have to hear Jerry anymore but this wasn't good either. She has about 8 remotes so I wasn't about to attempt to help. After about 5 minutes of static, she yelled for my aunt to come and help her. They were yelling at each other because they couldn't hear anything with the blaring static in the back ground and grandma can't hear anyway. At that point, I was wishing I was deaf. They finally gave up and turned the TV off. Wow. I finished up and went outside to swim with the girls.

It is quite amusing when you can see the humor in it but if I lived there I'm sure I would feel differently. My poor mom :-)

Here's Winter in her favorite spot with grandma in her recliner.