March 21, 2010

What IS He Eating?

I' ve been watching this tonight and now I don't think I want Parker eating any more school lunches. Processed junk and I know he doesn't eat the veggies and fruit that comes with his meal--just the entree, chocolate milk and dessert. Dang it! Now I gotta start packing healthy lunches. Bummer.

And I know I'm lazy and the kids have nuggets or frozen pizza 1-2 nights a week. They always have a fruit with lunch and a veggie at dinner and I never fry (too messy!) but we'll have to have more salads. We already eat only whole-wheat bread but I'll definitely have to switch to brown rice and whole-wheat pasta. Good thing I'm too cheap to buy chips and cookies--won't have to cut that out, as long as they don't find my stash under the bed. :)

January 23, 2010

Still Breathing

If you perchance read my scattered posts through Google Reader or some such other blog feed thingie, I've updated our picture on the home page so you can see our cute kids and how old we look.

I love, love this soup. I make it often, which I don't think everyone else appreciates, but I'm the queen and I'm in charge. It's easy, quick and cheap. If I'm out of ham, I use a handful or two of bacon bits from the mega bag I get at Sam's club. Everything's better with bacon.

Read here. Great advice to spark your thrifty spirit. Go cheapies!

Tried this for dinner tonight. Really easy (Hello! 3 ingredients!) and tasted good. (I won't say yummy since it bugs me when adults use the word yummy in their blogs. I am 29ish, for Pete's sake!) Next time I might add just a smidge of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. The kids had Mac n Cheese since I don't think they'd appreciate the depth and complexity of the sauce.

The End.

January 18, 2010

Snowballs in Heck?

Next on Martha: Pole dancing.

Huh? What was that? Sexy Stripper Martha?



Excuse me while I go barf.

January 6, 2010

See, I Did Get Something Done Today

I totally stole this poem from a blog I stalk (one of the many.) It makes me feel validated for having a crumb-filled, smudge-smeared, dusty home. It all works out in the end, right?

What Did I Do Today?

Today I left some dishes dirty
The bed got made around 3:30
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall
will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those windowpanes
will still be there next time it rains.
Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?
I held a baby till he slept,
I held a toddler while he wept.
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that's true.
Unless you think that what I've done
Might be important to someone
with dark brown eyes and soft brown hair.
If that is true... I've done my share.


January 5, 2010

Bah Humbug

I hate snow days. We tried to have "quiet time"--no TV or wii, just books and crayons, etc. It lasted 15 minutes before they were fighting. TV may dull their minds and create zombies, but at least they become quiet, stationary zombies. Let their teachers worry about their minds.

December 14, 2009

I'm Odd, Yes I Am

I've seen this lists of 50 random things on other people's blog, so I thought I'd try it to remove all doubt of my bizarreness. But my list will have 51 thingies since this is my 51st post. Woo Hoo!

1. I like Chinese food, Thai food, Indian food, Greek food, Lebanese food and Mexican food, but Italian not so much.
2. I can't sleep facing the middle of the bed if Jay's facing the middle at the same time--I can't stand his hot breath in my face.
3. I brush my teeth with warm water--the cold water hurts my teeth.
4. I brush so vigorously that toothpaste gets all over my hand and it looks like I'm foaming at the mouth.
5. I'm addicted to the local news, especially at noon and 11 PM. When I'm caved in at home with my leeches/little blessings from heaven, the news anchor and weather man are my friends and reassure me that I'm still part of the world.
6. I can't stand nail polish on my fingernails--they fill smothered like they can't breathe. But my toes are always painted; I guess they don't have lungs.
7. I don't mind doing laundry but hate to fold it. I have to make myself fold a load or two before I can put another pile in the washer.
8. I'm a dabbler--I try a new hobby, learn all about it, become proficient at it and then move on. I've dabbled at scrapbooking, rubber stamps, water colors, stained glass, crochet, making and jewelry. Now I'm working on sewing with photography coming in on the horizon.
9. I never did my own laundry or cooked my own food until I went to college--my mom wouldn't let us. She thought we'd make a mess in her kitchen or ruin our clothes.
10. We never had chores growing up, which is why I blame my mom that my house is messy and dirty. She never taught me the love of and joy in cleaning. (Is there joy in cleaning and can I love it?)
11. I loooove to sleep. It's one of my favorite hobbies, past-times, addictions, needs... I'm a grump if I don't get a nap every day and letting me sleep in is one of the best gifts Jay can give me.
12. Three movies I hate and refuse to watch: Gone With the Wind (Scarlett is a spoiled, selfish brat!), It's a Wonderful Life (too cheesy!) and Forrest Gump (just plain stupid-great soundtrack, though).
13. I'm a sucker for dark, brooding Brits. Two favorite movies: Pride and Prejudice (the only version worth watching with Colin Firth) and North and South (not a US Civil War flick). I've read P&P many times and N&S is soon on my list.
14. Jane Austen is a favorite (see #13) and I love watching the film adaptations of her novels. But I hate Wuthering Heights and Dickens is just too dark and depressing.
15. I can sing BYU's fight song on demand and often use it to wake up Jay. He thinks I'm the only one who bothered to learn the song, but I'm sure there are other loyal fans out there. GoooOOO Cougars!
16. Without proper maintenance and pruning, my eyebrows look like small furry worms perched on my face. And yes, they join in the middle; I wasn't call Unibrow in 7th grade for nothing.
17. While pregnant with Uno, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every morning for breakfast. I was still working and always running late, no big surprise, and had Jay make me a sammich to eat while roaming the stacks. Now all the kids have my love of and addiction to peanut butter sandwiches.
18. I picked my graduate program because nothing else looked interesting. I knew I didn't want to teach and grad school was the obvious option for finding a different line of work. And now I change poopy diapers and match socks for a living.
19. I hate raisins, bologna and soggy bread. Ick!
20. I always wanted to be a cheerleader: the allure of popularity and easy attraction for boys.
21. I'm clumsy and uncoordinated, which is why I'll never be a ballerina nor cheerleader. I get lost in aerobics classes--can't seem to get my arms and legs to do two different things and then you throw some dance with steps I've got to keep up with? Not going to happen.
22. I HATE water deeper than my head, especially when I can't see the bottom. Added to #21, it's no surprise I was advised to repeat my "swimming for non-swimmers" class at BYU.
23. I would love to be pregnant for just one day again--to experience the kicks and rolling around one last time, and to have a little newborn to snuggle, rock and nurse again. But for just one day! They grow too fast, especially when I'm distracted with peanut butter sandwiches and smelly socks.
24. My favorite CDs are movie soundtracks--the eclectic mix of new artists to meet.
25. A Streetcar Named Desire is a favorite movie and I really couldn't say why. Maybe it's the black and white, reality vs. illusion and Marlon Brando looks steamy in his white t-shirts. "I have often depended on the kindness of strangers."
26. I HATE pictures of myself; I'd much rather be behind the camera. I analyze myself, my face especially until it begins to look deformed and distorted--am I really that ugly? Is my face really that fat? Are my facial features really that unbalanced and uneven? Yep, really.
27. I'm not a big fan of children, but I guess I like mine most of all.
28. I started this months ago and can't remember what I'd thought to put on it.
29. Despite #27, I'm a lot nicer to and more tolerant of other people's children.
30. I hate having company come over, even though I like to visit and show off my decorating. I get paranoid at all of the dust and cobwebs they'll see and never relax the whole time they're here.
31, On the other hand, I never seem to look too close or notice dirt or dust at other people's homes.
32. I'm 21 months older than Jay--robbing the cradle!
33. I hate crowds-probably because I'm so short and feel claustrophobic. Jay dreams of someday being in Time's Square for New Year's Eve while that sounds like my own personal hell on earth.
34. I lied--there's not 51 things on this list and this isn't my 51 post. I kept forgetting to finish it and now I just want it posted. I'm a starter, never a finisher--as evidenced with my piles o' craft UFOs: UnFinished Objects.

October 26, 2009

On Second Oink

No, I did not subject the entire world to my ill children this weekend. We missed the Primary Program anyway and just hung out at home. Parker is at school today, though; it was his field trip to the pumpkin farm. And HRH Merr WILL be going to school tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do with her...

Watch this: