Holy cow, these are tasty!!! trying not to eat the entire box by myself. Jake picked these out last week and we are our 5th box by now. addictive!
another addiction, kid's clothes a big sale EVERYWHERE, hanna, boden, garnet hill. I really need to stop!

I really need some ideas...

for summer

activities to keep my kids occupied besides Wii, computer, T.V. but that does not require me to go out a ton with all the kids, sometimes I find it too overwhelming

and lunch ideas. Besides sandwiches/paninis/wraps

I wonder if Maggie will have a fat complex because we call her "MOO" all the time

I wonder when it is time to step in when a child is having some trouble with friends

I wonder why I have been off sugar for almost 3 weeks, did a detox for three days, and lost 9 lbs that I think it is not enough. Why can't it just come off over night. and no I do not want to hear you didnt put it on over night. Kind of when I was pregnant with Anna I pretty much did gain it overnight. I am actually excited for results. and shamelessly bragging about my efforts. Please be excited for me, because it gives me validation.

Is putting my kids in private school next year the right answer?

Where is the perfect place (ok near) for our family?

Why does it have to get so HOT here????

I dont like rats and bugs or mosquitoes, and tornado terrify me? even though I have never had a close close encounter with any rats or tornadoes.

Why don't my kids get along all the time?

How come I don't know all the answers to my kids incessant questions and though I am college educated feel dumber than a box of rocks sometimes? and really "they" were right nobody cares about my GPA or degree, anyway my kids don't.

How come I have so much gray hair? When should one use GREY or GRAY?? I cannot believe I have not have a cut or color since December, yikes. It is frightening.

Should I feel guilty for driving a huge SUV since it is Earth Day?? I don't really. I do not cut dryer sheets up, don't cut my dishwasher soap, sometimes leave the water on while brushing my teeth, don't recycle those plastic bags and though I have tons of cute reusable ones find it a hassle to bring them to the store. I even throw away things I shouldnt. I don't make my kids use reusable snack bags or laptop lunch boxes. I am not really as green as I think I am.

WHy do you love your kids SO VERY MUCH when you see them asleep? almost enough to want to wake them up to cuddle...almost I know better than to wake a baby. When I had Anna the nurse insisted I did to feed. MISTAKE.

How can I get excited about cleaning the same floor, emptying the dishwasher more. I think there is some Camilla Spencer quote to that effect. Again I have trouble with effect as opposed to affect sometimes.

Why do I hate when people give me unsolicited advice so much? ESPECIALLY people with less kids. Maybe they do know something I could benefit from. I doubt it though. and where did that saying "Boy, You've got your hands full" come from. Or are you going to have more kids? What kind of birth control? really? annoying

well crazy Moo needs to be put in her jammies and then our last run to pick up big sister from dance.

il fait chaud

it is getting hot in Mississippi, our AC is not working. Today I will be glad (but this might be the ONLY day) that we are renting bc we will not have to pay to get it fixed.

I am annoyed that we have stayed home all day waiting for the ac guy to come, and he is not. Really though we couldn't go anywhere because miss Maggie has a weird rash. All but two of the kids J and HN have had and still get weird rashes. Anna is all puffy and red and scaly, she and Mississippi springtime do not get along well!

I wanted to go to Spin this morning, at first I HATED this class, and still I went and after a bunch of pain meds for a sore bottom for the first few weeks, I still hate this class. However I love it at the same time. Maybe the closest thing to a "runner's high" I have felt. It pushes me and I feel like I've accomplished something when it is done. My friend Autumn and I go to a few other classes, like Zumba, power (a weight lifting class), circuit, blah blah. I am glad she goes.
I have finally come to the realization that one cannot (well this slow metabolism that is not getting any younger) eat whatever they want especially with saying I work out. Many of you already know this, but this is my lightbulb coming on. I've done weight watchers after Jake and had good results, I tried Atkins and south Beach but I am not a carnivore with only liking bacon, pepperoni, and sometimes a Hebrew National Hotdog so those aren't great options for various reasons. I am using thedailyplate.com it is good for me. FOUR pounds in 3 days, if you are skinny you will not get those kinds of results. It may be water but still nice to see. Plus no sugar, and no eating after 6pm.
I bought a new scale and saw I GAINED 6 pounds of the 16 I have lost since joining the gym the last week of October. I averaged about 3 times per week, with kids being sick and such missed a few weeks here and there.

Since my 40's are creeping up, I think that I really need to commit to change. (not Obama's kind though)
I will try not to think of the last TWELVE years I have been overweight after gaining 77 lbs with baby number one and never getting it off. I never made ME a priority.

I cannot get enough of this salad right now, butter lettuce, walnuts, raspberry vinaigrette, and BLUE CHEESE. I love it. it is good maybe not as good as the Carver's Salad or a Italian salad with Zia's dressing but right now it's what I am all about, that and some Chobani Greek yogurt! oh, and add in some scallions too, it makes it even more fabulous!!!

Maybe when I figure out this new external hard drive I will post pictures from Spring Break, Easter, GPA Sam visit, dirtbikes, the pink go Cart, and the rest of our crazy life!

I have seen cupcakes where the swirl is two different colors, and thought it was too cool, and how did they do that? found the answer at sur la table...look who is fancy now!! (mE!) non, C'est Moi! that sounds way fancier!

sam started this throw up nonsense last week, Thursday with his moaning of an upset tummy. Friday night he was fine, and Sunday morning nobody else got sick so I thought we were good.
We went to Stake Conference, Chris got called into work so I stayed with the kids and they weren't horrible. I am glad we made it home for HN to start with the throwing up. Maggie got it in the middle of the night and then Jake and Emma Monday morning. A lot of laundry, but I didn't have to make any meals on Monday and we have so many leftovers from the wknd I think we will be good today. trying to see the positive. I do love some clean sheets and everyone has plenty of those.

Yesterday was great (aside from the vomiting) weather wise. Sam helped Chris plant our little garden. I am hoping we get a bumper crop. With no chicken fertilizer I am not sure if it will compare to our PA gardens. I look forward to canning this summer. We didn't have a garden last year, so we had no salsa, or tomatoes, or anything to enjoy in the fall/winter.

Today is gray and icky. It makes it easy to be lazy since the kids are home, (except J) and still feeling somewhat lethargic. I haven't been to the gym since last Thursday, and I need to go bc it helps me be somewhat calmer in the chaos.

So a seventy came to speak at Stk conf, his talk was really the only part of the mtg I heard. NOW vs MOST. He told a story of an 11 yr old boy who was diagnosed with leukemia. With 3 yrs of treatment, this form of cancer had a 90% cure rate. The little guy started with chemo and wanted to leave...he wanted to be a kid NOW, but of course what he wanted MOST was to be cured. Dieters want to loose weight MOST, but want to eat that cheesecake NOW!!! Apparently there were two more important words but I had to take some kids out so I missed that. I liked that and for now it will be my little catch phrase. I think it can applied to all sorts of situations in life.

In my life right now, it feels like limbo. We rent a home with the hopes of buying our own, but where? we are not finding anything that is "just right". I am not 100% sold on this area, for many reasons, being where we stay for a really long time. I do not like feeling unsettled. I am not at a stage in my life where spontaneity of big life issues is appealing to me. I try to simplify my life, not get involved in too much, but at the same time i feel like I distance myself from things/people and it is not fulfilling. well, this deep soul searching will have to take a place on the back burner as the kids are going crazy!!!

great skin and cupcakes

my mom has been a QVC gal for many years...Chris ordered a scooter for Jake that we happened to see while flipping through the channels this past Christmas.
last night I was channel surfing and saw the Philosophy Hour and cannot believe I ordered the Today's Special Value! it really is a bargain price and now I will get a jumbo purity cleanser, micro cleanser and some microderm abrasion thing. since anna and Chris both use this stuff, there will plenty to go around now! and what is more exciting, it will come every four months. thank you QVC.

it is getting me through bc the fancy cupcakes I worked all morning on for an EQ social are now all over the floor. thanks to a child of mine, which I did not yell at but he/she had to clean up the mess and that was a BIG mess. I didn't even help, I had to leave the room because I wanted to get really upset!! still a teeny bit mad. ok more than a teeny bit. i guess I can bring those Girl Scout Cookies. No, I will go buy some popsicles.

just so you know, buying EIGHTEEN boxes of Girl Scout Cookies was not one of my brightest ideas. that and getting my eyebrows waxed by a gay guy in a mall salon on a whim.

I just saw this, CUTE! I think these sandwiches would need to go in a bento box.
herehttp://funkylunch.com/

We have had this book for 3-4 years and now have ordered ALL the Williams sonoma kids cookbooks. They are fabulous, and love that my kids can bake things from other than a cake mix or bisquick. I couldn't cook when I went to college I do not think I ever cared to learn but I love to bake and these books are great for adults too. and they have the best frosting recipes EVER. when my baby is not screaming I will post it