Draining...

Ugh, I am exhausted.  Belle's school was having a dinner fundraiser after church tonight, and I had signed up to make three desserts.  So I spent all day baking while Chris watched the kids.  I was planning on making at least one thing yesterday, but I never got around to it.  Don't get me wrong...I love baking!  But now I am just a little tired from standing all day.  (Although I did take a 30 minute break and laid on the couch in the afternoon.)  I ended up making snickerdoodles (which were "fantastic", according to Belle), a berry cobbler (which, despite not having any sugar in it, is actually quite good!), and chocolate cupcakes.  I had actually made the cupcakes last week as well, and they are not as chocolate-y as I thought they would be.  They definitely taste like chocolate, but they are not overwhelming.  I still needed a glass of milk after eating one though!

Since the kitchen was already a mess (and still is because I don't think I could've stood another minute to do the dishes), I also made dinner tonight.  And I am not someone who cooks.  All the dishes I make I can probably count on one hand...if I'm lucky.  But there was a recipe I had been wanting to try for a while, and I thought I should make it first instead of Chris.  (Chris likes to improvise and make a recipe his own.  He is actually quite good at it and I think out of the 6 years we've been married, there have only been two dishes I haven't liked.  I can't remember what one of them was, although I can vaguely picture it, but I remember another one was some kind of ranch mashed potatoes.  It just wasn't good.  Although, I'm sure now he'll pester me about the mint chicken (what was I thinking?!) I made for him when we were dating to impress him with my culinary skills...which turned out to be lacking.  So it's a good thing he can cook!)  It was a cajun chicken pasta from my favorite blogger...although it wasn't as spicy as I liked since I didn't add as much cajun seasoning as the recipe called for because I was worried the kids wouldn't eat it because it would be too spicy.  Chris said he liked it...although it's hard to believe him because he ate the mint chicken and told me he liked that too, yet later admitted that it was awful.  (Which it was!)  Belle said it was "the best" with a smile on her face...she couldn't be lying, could she?!  And Grahm ate it, which doesn't say much because he eats practically everything.  And Casey wasn't feeling well, so he didn't really touch it...at least I'm going with that reason for why he didn't eat much.  

I must say, I am looking forward to tomorrow and relaxing.  Belle and I are going to spend the day working on her poster for school and playing Barbies.  I felt bad because she asked me a couple times today to play Barbies with her, and I just didn't have the time.  But then she seemed quite content to sit in the kitchen with me while I was baking and play games on the computer.  Her favorite game was decorating a dollhouse.  She was so proud of herself!  She even made sure to put a desk and a computer in it.  *grin*

Buddy

Poor Belle has been battling a nasty cough all week.  For the past few nights, she's been waking up around 11:30 with nightmares.  And last night, after I had her lay in our bed, she complained that her ear hurt.  I gave her some Tylenol and she stopped crying almost immediately.  And then this morning, when she went to school, I asked her if her ear hurt at all and she said it didn't.  So, not knowing if the ear fiasco was actually true or if she was just being dramatic because she was overtired or if she had just slept on it funny, I made a doctor appointment for her after school (after consulting with Chris and also his parents...I needed second opinions!).  Sure enough, she has a double ear infection: one ear is completely red and the other is red on the top.  The doctor told me that if I had waited, at around 3 a.m.  it would've gotten really bad as the fluid would've built up by then.  She's a brave girl and rarely complains, so you have to know something has got to be wrong when she does.  She was so exhausted tonight that she fell asleep while I was reading books to her.  Such a sweetie.

On a brighter note, Isabelle is the "I Am Special" child this coming week in preschool.  So, that means that she gets a special poster to color and gets to hang out with "Buddy Bear".  She was so excited!  She has been talking about this for a few months now...no lie.  If she doesn't bring up the poster, she brings up Buddy Bear.  She kept asking me when it was her turn to bring him home.  I'm so glad that it's her turn now, but I just hope she'll be able to let him go next week.

  

Not only did we take Buddy to the doctor's office with us, but he also got to go to Mimi and Grampi's house tonight for dinner.  And as you can see, she felt the need to dress him for the weather as it's a little cold tonight.  Quite the mother hen she is.  *grin*  It was so cute though...Chris was getting the boys in the van and I was putting my shoes on when I glanced over at Belle in the hallway putting her hat and scarf on Buddy.  I think she is really going to enjoy having him around.  And now he is currently residing in her bed keeping her company while she sleeps.  He has had quite the busy day!

Wordless Wednesday

Enjoying the snacks at Mardi Gras...

Blogger Monikers

Can I just say how much I really hate blogger nicknames?  They really annoy me.  It's one thing to give them to your kids, but to yourself?  One of my absolute favorite blogs uses a blogger nickname (The Pioneer Woman, or PW for short), but she also uses her real name from time to time too so I can't hate her too much.  (*grin*)  One of the most commonly used monikers that I've seen is Mama Bear...seriously, people?  I've even seen a couple of these women name their husband's Papa Bear.  I'm sorry, but if I ever gave my husband a nickname like that, well, I don't think he'd be very happy (and I couldn't blame him!).  I think he would hijack my blog and delete his profile if I did something like that.  It just makes me want to laugh because it's so ridiculous!  There are other nicknames I've seen on other blogs that make me want to gag, but they are too numerous to mention.  I just wish people would use their real name.  Okay, I'm done ranting now.  Oh, and on a side note, I finally found a pair of exercise/lounge pants at Wal-mart that fit my expanding thighs.  I know you're all happy to know that.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 29th birthday, Chris!

No Hiding It Now!

*I thought it was time I made it public since news is starting to trickle out and this way I can 1) confirm the news and also 2) tell those who haven't heard already.*

Well, last week as I was changing into my workout clothes, and realizing that my sweatpants are getting a little snug around my thighs (one too many snacks will do that to you!), I looked at my profile in the mirror and was a little surprised by what I saw.  Today I am now 15 weeks along (yeah!), but I guess I wasn't expecting this much of a belly already.  However, I did just devour two BLT's about a half hour before taking this picture last week, so maybe my stomach was a little full.  *grin*  I'm just hoping it's not a repeat of my pregnancy with Belle, where I gained a ton of weight.  But that was mostly due to my Blizzard cravings and living about 2 blocks away from Dairy Queen at the time.  We purchased the Wii for our family for Christmas, and I was lucky and won a Wii Fit (along with the Wii Fit Plus game and the new Jillian Michaels Ultimate Workout game that she actually autographed!), so I've been using that to help with my posture and back problems.  It seems the only time I have problems with my back lately have been if I sleep on my left side.  I don't know why that is because I feel fine if I sleep on my right side.  Go figure.

Foto Friday

So, who could believe that I was too lazy to upload a picture for Wordless Wednesday?  *grin*  So, to make up for it, I thought I would do a "Foto Friday".  Yes, I know "foto" is spelled wrong, but it looks better than Photo Friday.  Well, at least I think so.  I am in the process of writing a blog post, but I haven't had a chance to upload the photo that goes along with it yet because, well, I've been lazy!  The kids really take it out of me, I guess.  But anyway, I love this picture because Casey is wearing his cousin Luke's long john's.  He just looks so cute in them!

Wordless Wednesday: Jump Around!

*For those that don't know or have never heard of it, Wordless Wednesday is just that: a post without words.  It's quite popular in the "bloggy" world, and I don't know why I've never participated, especially since it saves me from having to write anything.  I'll probably be doing this every Wednesday so that for sure I'll have at least one post a week, even if I don't write anything.  *grin* *

Tired

Well, I have to "get up" in about five minutes to get ready to take Belle to school.  Belle and Grahm have been up since 6:10 though...which means I have been awake since then also since they don't understand the meaning of being quiet when it is still dark outside.  I'm still trying to recover from Christmas vacation and trying to get caught up on the housework and such.  I just have no energy in me to do it.  I have been feeling so tired lately, so I've been taking a nap every chance I get...which is why I haven't blogged in forever.  Also, it's hard to get back in the swing of blogging when you've been gone for so long...you kind of get used to the extra free time from not having to post anything.  I do have some pictures I want to post, but just haven't gotten around to it yet (obviously).  I will try to do it soon.  Really, I will.

Review - General Mills Reducing Sugar in Cereal

I was very excited to find out that General Mills will be reducing the sugar content in their cereals advertised to kids to single digit grams of sugar per serving.  It's a big deal for me because not only do I buy that cereal for the kids, but also for myself.  I'm sorry, I can't help it...I like the sugar cereal!  The "updated" cereal is not out yet, but hopefully it will be soon.  We are big cereal eaters in this house, especially on those school mornings where we are running late and I have absolutely no time to make anything...and also for dinner sometimes.  *grin*  My only concern is that the taste doesn't change when they reduce the sugar in the cereals.   "Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in children´s diets. Other cereal benefits: Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets. Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today. More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures. Studies also demonstrate the benefits of eating breakfast. A 1998 study showed that children who eat breakfast tend to perform better at school. Compared to children who skip breakfast, children who eat breakfast score higher on tests, are less likely to miss class or be tardy, have fewer reported discipline problems, and make fewer trips to the office. For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness. Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals." *This information was provided to me by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.  I was also given free cereal coupons as a thank-you for my time to disclose this information about the cereal.*