Hodgepodge

SO! I have come to the conclusion that all my misery should be funny instead of, well, miserable. Thee miser-y endth now. My blog was getting far too lame. Here are a few things:

1) Have you ever had to hold a three-year old down while he has a tooth pulled? How about strapping him to a gurney with a straight-jacket to pull the tooth? Yep, that was my morning on Friday! Turns out the bump on his gum was in fact an abscess, and the tooth was not only dead but split and could not be treated - had to be pulled. So in the next couple months my toddler will get his very first (and hopefully last for a very very VERY long time) partial faux tooth replacement. How does one keep a two year old who flips out at the thought of any dental or doctor appointment still to take care of said tooth? By strapping him to a gurney-type structure while we all tried to calm him (there were two office workers, me and the dentist all holding him). Turns out my child is unnaturally strong (I could have told them that) - it was fun.

2) My car is currently structured like a filing cabinet holding all sorts of work that I don't have time to do actually at work. I don't know if I'll get around to doing it at home either, but deadlines be damned. I'm supposed to be caught up by Monday (end of month) and I just don't see it happening unless I buckle down at home. Ha! Caught up, that's a new one.

3) When I was driving Spencer to Grandma's after the dental escapade so that I could head to work I witnesses the aftermath of a slight fender bender. There was little to no damage, but the lady in the car in front had gotten out of her car and was screaming at the person in the car behind while on the phone, and then she let loose and kicked the second car. Evidently someone else was having a bad day too. Hopefully she doesn't claim injuries to her big toe.

4) The plague is starting to pass over my house. Hubby is the only one who has escaped it; I'm still coughing pretty hardcore and the boys have very stuffy noses but we're all in better spirits. Henry spent two nights sleeping in his swing (I never realized how many batteries swings go through - wowie! Spencer didn't like the swing so we never went through extras with him).

5) I am addicted to these:
(img via your truly, these are my homemade sweet potato chips.)

6) but these look like what I'm making tonight:

(img via Jennie)

7) My mom is going to be staying with me after her surgery, for I assume about a week. I haven't lived with my mom since I was 19, when, as she puts it, I "ran away from home". In actuality I packed all my stuff in garbage bags and took them out to my car and then woke her up to let her know that I was moving out. Right now. So ... maybe I did. Anyhow, the point is I have not slept in the same house as her in 11 years and now I'm going to be taking care of her. I think it'll be fine, but I am slightly skeptical of these living arrangements even though I'm the one who suggested it.

8) Due to the nursing, I am thinking of doing all crock-pot meals all week long. So now I have to decide what to make. Maybe some chili, maybe Greek pitas, maybe Pot roast. Any recommendations? Oh, BTW - if you plan on using your crock pot more than once and don't feel like cleaning it every night (this is my only draw back to cooking crock-pot style), invest in these. They are overpriced for what they are (I bought mine with a $1.50 off coupon) but they can be a lifesaver. And if you have any recommendations on how to do this without spending $3 every four times I want to use my crockpot, I'm all ears.

9) Isn't this the sweetest? Spencer loves to hug his brother and tell him that he is his best friend.

Waiting

The thing about waiting rooms is that you spend an awful lot of time waiting. I'm sitting in one right now while we wait to have my mom's second biopsy (lymph nodes this time) and we've been here for now two hours and they say 30 more minutes before we get in for the needle. I'm not looking forward to "being there" for the needle. Fun.

So with nothing to do and me feeling like pulling out my nook is more rude then just fiddling with my phone, I'm here wasting your time by giving you a bit of nothing to read.

Number one had a fever this morning, and then number two had one by 11 am this morning so after this appointment I get to pick up the kids and drag them to the doctor too ... A mother's/daughter's work is never done, right?

I ran 5k on my lunch break yesterday in 39.48, which beat my self-imposed time to beat of 40 minutes. I've been informed that a time over 41 minutes is considered "walking" (who are these people and how long is their stride?) So my goal was to not walk it. Next goal - beat 40 minutes in sunday's actual race while not dying. It's a legitimate concern. This race is a "trail run" which means much more terrain than I'm used to, but hopefully I will be distracted by the pretty trees and the people and will get my butt in gear.

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Have I told you lately?

I love these shoes. I love all my shoes really, but these ones I almost gave away because they were too tight until the person I almost gave them to said "try having them stretched". A novel idea, and I've now had them two years and haven't worn them because I never got around to doing it. Until now. $10 later and I'm now comfortably wearing my beloved wedges. Thanks, shea-shea!

In other news, my cold has broken (like a fever?). Evidently I still sound like crap and I still can't breathe well, but I no longer feel like death. Hooray.

I would answer today's 10 on tuesday but I'm doing this from my phone so I don't think I can swype all that out. Sooooo ... The only questions I can remember are no, I don't decorate for valentine's day (i hardly celebrate it), I use outlook on my work computer and my phone calendar for everything else and that is the extent of my planner-use. I have a photo of my kids on my desktop, I use turbo tax and it's never too cold for flip flops (spoken like a true floridian).

Tonight I'm trying my hand at homemade thai food - I'll let you know how that works out. I'm kind of excited. Also, on a tangent - spencer keeps saying "I'm so excited" whenever we do something new (like when we were headed to the parade) and it's seriously one of the cutest thing ever. And I want to break out into song a la the Pointer Sisters every time he says it (oh who am I kidding, I do break into song every time). So funny!

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McSickerton

It turns out that going out in 50-degree windy weather to fight with grown women who won't get out of the way of your two year old who just wants to watch the parade because they want cheap plastic beads is detrimental to your health, especially if you are all ready starting with the scratchy throat.

I was just a tiny bit sick. I thought I was well enough to traipse to the Gasparilla children's parade.

Ahem. No.

So now I'm full-blown-plague sick, just in time to take my mom to her biopsy and deal with children on my own for hours between when I get home and when Hubby gets home. Where does it end? I went to bed at 8pm last night and didn't get out of bed until 8:30 this morning, quarantined myself to my cubical for 7 hours and then came home to make myself soup. This one time, I'll say thank God for Caillou. Watch as much as you want, please and thank you. Number Two has spent over an hour wanting to be held, and now he has bounced himself sleepy and is taking an impromptu nap in the bouncer - I love that.

Anyhow, I am better now than I was this morning, and I'm hoping that Hubby will bring with him some more Tylenol Severe Cold which I can chase with soup and then hit the hay again. My flight on Friday will be awesome with a head cold, let me tell you. Let's hope it goes away pronto.

Menu for this week:
Monday: tortellini and spinach soup
Tuesday: pad see-ew
Wednesday: grilled chicken salad
Thursday: pulled pork sandwiches and homemade sweet potato chips
Friday: chicken tacos
Saturday: I'm out of ideas ... any suggestions?

Rainy doldrums

I wrote a very long post today about all the stressors in my life and why I can't seem to find my peace and be happy.

I'm not going to post it.

I think actually getting it all down on paper made me realize all the things I need to let go of. It's been a bad week.

I need to start smiling again.

I need to start laughing again.

I came home today early from work, suffering from the rainy day doldrums and buried myself in my bed for a couple hours to finish reading a sufficiently trashy book. Then I picked the boys up and we buried ourselves in my bed reading Dr. Seuss and Sesame Street books and watching a classic car auction (my boy is a little odd sometimes; that's what he wanted to watch). It was a good, stress-free night complete with spinach and garlic chicken sausages and homemade sweet potato chips that Number One ate all of (I'm still amazed). Number Two didn't cry once, and they both went to bed easily.

Sometimes you just need an easy night to remind you that things really aren't that terrible, and you really do have it pretty good.

Is it only Tuesday?

I didn't post Menu Monday this week because a) I posted two weeks last week, b) I forgot and c) I would feel compelled to include my "ugly toes photo" and I was very unhappy with it. By Friday I had lost another 3 lbs, but then I got my monthly and even though I didn't eat any more than usual (although there was a bit of alcohol consumed at a Saturday bridal shower), I gained 4 lbs back. Bah.

Spencer has developed an abscess on his gum above one of his front teeth. I don't know what this means, and by Google-diagnosing I'm now afraid that it means that tooth is dying and will have to be removed (although it's been 10 weeks since he broke it, and all the research I can find says that if the tooth was going to die it would have done so in the first month). I'm also worried that they will want to drain it which will be traumatic for all of us, and that by not taking him immediately to the doctor yesterday I've endangered his life because they said that untreated the infection can reach the brain ... it's just a big scary mess for me. He could care less, because it actually causes him no pain. However, we have a doctor's appointment this morning which is going to be a horrible ordeal and thank God my husband dropped Henry off at my IL's house this morning so I only have to contend with the one.

After all of that, I'm taking my mom to get her bone scan today to confirm again that the cancer hasn't spread. Supposedly, it will be an all day affair and I've never been to Moffitt although I know generally where it is. I kind of bullied my mom into letting me help her with some of her appointments, but I still don't know what I'll say if she needs to stay with me while she recovers. I would assume that my husband would be fine with it, but I have a small house and I'd have to empty out the library and put a bed in there (I assume my Ikea futon would be uncomfortable for long-term recovery). I just don't know. You know?

All this and I didn't get up this morning for my run - I have a feeling I'll need my workout tonight to settle my nerves anyhow. Toodles!

Sunday Scrambles

Over our Sunday breakfast scramble this morning, my husband asked: "So, are you documenting this?"

The answer was no. "Well, you should."

So here I am, documenting it. The names of the dishes are because my husband also insists on naming any meal I make that I don't follow a recipe for, in case in an alternate reality I were ever to open a restaurant I wouldn't need to decide names for anything. I just use whatever's in the fridge, so it's unlikely that I will ever duplicate these scrambles, but in the event that you want to, here's a list of the ingredients:

1/2: New Year's Scramble
Collard Greens, Black-eyed peas, garlic, onions, low-fat ham, 1/2 eggs, 1/2 egg whites

1/9: Clean Kitchen Scramble
yellow bell pepper, summer squash, onion, garlic, tomato, black-eyed peas, low-fat ham, half full eggs and half egg whites, topped with a little cheddar cheese. For the leftovers for my lunches through the week, I sauteed some spinach and mushrooms and added them in too.

1/16 Mexi-Cali Scramble
onions, green peppers, the last of the black-eyed peas, turkey, pico de gallo, green chilis, 1/2 eggs 1/2 egg whites, topped with the last of a jalapeno cheese ball that my neighbor brought over on New Year's Eve, fresh cilantro, sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream

These were lovely healthy (more veggies than eggs and just a touch of cheese) breakfasts, and 7 eggs (3 full, 4 whites-only) plus the add-ins made 5 generous meals (feeding me and my husband on Sunday, and then 3 breakfasts for me through the week). I hope to make Sunday Scrambles a weekly tradition, and maybe in the future I'll start remembering to take pictures!

Are you my Twin? And other bits.

-- They changed the zodiac chart so I'm now Gemini. I'm not sure how I feel about this; on the one hand, people are always saying they know someone who looks like me. It really sucks for those who had their zodiac sign tattooed on themselves. The only one in my family who is what they used to be is Henry.

-- I like to say that the universe so didn't want my mom to have cancer that they changed my sign to Gemini.

-- What the heck is an Ophiuchus? You born between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17 will need to know this.

-- Yes. I realize that astrology is, um, "for entertainment purposes only".

-- Thursday morning I emailed Hubby that I wanted a shredder/grinder attachment set for my mixer for my birthday (you know, in July). I did this because he always tells me I never gave him any ideas for gifts. Two minutes later I get a "Happy birthday, baby!" email with a screen shot that it's been purchased. Six months early. Way to be proactive! Now what will I actually be getting for my birthday?

-- Have you seen this? Funny stuff.



-- I really hate when people who have always been one way drift away from me and then do a complete about-face with their personality. I'm not really explaining that right, but here's one example: I was with my ex-fiance for 3 years. In that time, which was the prime of my college experience, he disliked drinking, smoking, bars, and general shenanigans. I would not go so far as to say he forbid me from enjoying any of those things, but I didn't want him to be disappointed in me, so I abstained. A month after we broke up, he drunk dialed me. By 6 months later he was regularly throwing parties, drinking, smoking, and having all sorts of fun (note: I don't think all those things are great, but college is college) that I never got to have with him. Maybe we would have lasted longer if he didn't have that great big stick up his ass for so long.

-- The point of the above bullet was actually not about him. I really don't care and if we had lasted much longer, my Hubby and I may not have gotten together. But anyhow, my ex-best friend moved to Virginia. Now she's attending culinary school and cooking and doing all sorts of things that are completely out of character for how she was down here. I don't think it would bother me except she doesn't really talk to me anymore, and it was her damn fault we stopped being friends for so long that I both don't want to be the one to make all the effort and damn it, wish we were still good friends.

-- Why is it so hard to make friends as a grown up?

-- I'm officially running a 5k a month earlier than originally planned. January 30.

Counting calories

A friend gave me a recipe for chicken a couple weeks ago, but she prefaced by saying that it was delicious but very high calorie and could use a few substitutions. Challenge Accepted (channeling Barney Stinson).

Mission accomplished (channeling anyone except G.W.).

I don't know what the original dish tasted like, and I assume my version has a lighter flavor, but it was excellent. Verdict: yummy. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture, but it's one of those meals that is all the same color anyhow so it won't photograph near as good as it tastes. Trust me. If you need something easy, filling and tasty you should try this one out. 3-4 servings at 471-628 per serving. The new dish has 30% of the calories of the original, not accounting for serving differences (because I have no idea how many people the original fed).

Lighter Baked Poppyseed Chicken Spaghetti

8oz whole wheat linguine, cooked and drained
2 chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1 can cream of chicken
1 can water (chicken broth only adds 20-30 calories and would give a stronger flavor)
6oz nonfat plain yogurt (I used regular but greek would probably be better)
poppyseeds

mix all and place in 9x9 pan.

topping
1/2 sleeve whole wheat ritz, crushed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tbs butter, melted

Mix together and crumble on top of the casserole. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes until topping is browned and filling is bubbly.

Serve with a side of something green and steamed. hehe.

TOT - random bits

1. Is there a band/artist that you HATE? I really hate rap. And angry metal - it just makes me A.N.G.R.Y. So no specific artists because, to be honest, I have no idea who they are.

2. What do you do when you get a gift that you do not like? How do you react? It depends on who it's from. I have one gift that is sitting on my desk because I got two and don't know what to do with the second and I don't where it came from and I'm too embarrassed to ask so I can exchange it. Sometimes I regift (especially with kids stuff) and sometimes it just sits around not getting used.

3. How is your work office/cubicle decorated? Pictures of the kids, friends and family and random memos from the last five years.

4. Do you use all of your vacation every year? ha! I didn't even use all my vacation time when I was on maternity leave! Somehow I've been back for two months and I have 140 vacation hours - looks like I need to take another leave, doesn't it?

5. Did you have a real or fake Christmas tree? This is the first year I've gone with fake and I'm so glad I did - it's much lower maintenance, much bigger than I would otherwise be able to afford every year, and next year I'll be able to actually put it up the day after Thanksgiving without a big ordeal.

6. If you could have anything for dinner tonight, what would it be? a gigantic bacon cheeseburger. Likerightnow.

7. Do you bite your fingernails? No, but I sculpt them with my teeth. :D

8. How many cups of coffee do you drink each day? Two very large ones, one in the morning and one at night - so four normal-people-sized cups. I never claimed to normal.

9. Do you have a nervous tick? I rub my thumb and forefinger together. It's a disturbing sensation, actually.

10. How often do you vacuum? *I* do not vacuum. My husband prefers to do the deed. He has a Dyson Animal, and he loves it dearly.

For more TOT (and for cute pictures of her baby boy), visit here.

Menu Mondays - can someone please tell my stomach to stop growling?

My downfall is twofold: a) seconds, and b) snacking on leftovers while I clean up from dinner.

Obviously this means that I need to STOP cleaning up after dinner. One plate, do not enter the kitchen again.

Ha.

Anyhow, after Monday I googled "how to make brown rice not taste like death" and I'll be darned - someone thought of that. Friday night's brown rice was way better. Way better. Like, I might get through this switch to brown rice, it tasted that much better. The key, like the Yahoo! answers page says, is to soak it. Did you ever think about the fact that brown rice is a whole grain? Yeah, me either. I know it's better for me, and it's kind of chewy, but I never really thought of the grain-iness. So I threw a cup of rice in some water and let it soak through the day, and then when I was ready to cook I drained and rinsed it and cooked it normal with 2 1/2 cups of water and the rice cooked faster and fluffier, and had more of a texture like sushi rice, except not so sticky. More mushy. But NOT chewy! Score! I added about a Tbs of fresh grated parmesan cheese to it but I didn't really taste it so next time I won't bother wasting the calories.

Last week's menu:

Monday: flounder, brown rice and roasted squash (very uninspiring meal -- I thought it would all be better)
Tuesday: whole wheat linguine with spicy red sauce and ground turkey (I ate mine over salad)
Wednesday: Roast pork, corn and spinach (ate over salad)
Thursday: This healthy broccoli cheese soup. My changes: 1/2 water and 1/2 fat-free chicken broth and skim milk instead of 1%.
Friday: shrimp, brown rice and roasted zucchini and squash (way better than Monday on all fronts)
Saturday: A 6" subway club, sans cheese. Not satisfying, but adequate.
Sunday: homemade pizza with mushrooms and spinach

And I actually have a two-week plan this time, because there were a lot of sales and if I don't document what I'm going to use things in, I'm afraid they'll get lost in my freezer:

Monday: salmon and asparagus and whole wheat pasta with low-fat alfredo sauce
Tuesday: grilled chicken salad
Wednesday: pork enchiladas and beans
Thursday: low-fat version of Sarah's poppyseed chicken with brown rice
Friday: lentil soup
Saturday: shrimp stir fry

Monday: green chili chicken with asparagus (this was an Apron's recipe in this week's Publix ad)
Tuesday: pulled pork sandwiches with homemade baked sweet potato chips
Wednesday: chicken sausages and side salad
Thursday: stuffed peppers (with ground turkey and brown rice)
Friday: filet steaks and spinach
Saturday: mustard and pecan coated pork chops and brussel sprouts

And my ugly-toes picture:

Barks without bite

I obviously can dish it but can't take it. The last post was a rant and I expected it to be taken so. We have other problems besides a lousy $10, like that I feel the tv is on too much and I wish they were doing creative things like coloring, reading stories and the like.

All this is neither here nor there; my son is very smart and I know he is learning a lot on his own. I also know I could not run a daycare I don't have the patience for that many kids. My daycare woman does not seem to have an impatient bone in her body and she treats my kids like gold. This is why we're still there nearly three years later even though I do have my problems with the place (I'm really not unreasonable).

I don't know why I'm being so defensive about this; I was mad (and I still feel rightfully so) and I took it out here and not directly at her.

But enough about that - we're headed to the circus! My mil wanted to take the kids so we are all headed over. It's not my cup of tea, but I'm excited to see how spencer reacts. Toodles!

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Shin-kicking the daycare lady (what I'd like to do)

I'm beginning to not like my daycare lady. I don't think she's very truthful, and I don't think she is very attentive. She keeps me talking for 20 minutes every time I pick up my kids while the other ones are in the back room, and if she does that with me I can only assume she's doing that with every one. Plus, I don't think she teaches the kids very much, and I'm becoming very worried that when it comes time for school, they will not be prepared. I do what I can, but she's with them 40 hours a week.

The last couple days Henry has come home with a full or overflowing diaper, and while I've been stretching the smaller diapers during the day until we run out, it's a 5 minute drive home so I know he's not doing it all on the way. I don't think she's mistreating my kids (on the contrary, they are her pets) but the last straw was today when I paid based on the amount that she told me it would be starting in the new year and she told me I was wrong. A month ago she said that Spencer would be going down in price (by $40) and so would Henry (by $10) and I'm broke as all get out so I was excited. Now she said that I misunderstood her, and Spencer was correct but Henry would be the same price. So it's only a $10 difference but she's full of crap and I'm so mad I could pull my kids out of her care completely ... if I could afford it and had something else lined up.

So after fuming about it for the last two hours (yes, I dwell), I talked to my husband who told me to start looking around for someone else.

So. Anyone know of a good daycare in my area that's dirt cheap?

Friday Hodgepodge

-- My mother gave me a pair of boots that her friend gave her because she didn’t like them once she ordered them. They might be the ugliest all-black boots I’ve ever seen, and they are very roomy inside (I think they were made for wide-width feet, which I do not have) but I wore them anyway to work on Thursday. There was a monsoon. They will heretofore be known as the monsoon boots. My feet were dry, and I wore comfy socks with them. I feel that’s a win – who am I trying to impress at work anyhow? I work in a cubical.

-- I made cookies last night for my manager’s retirement party and I managed to not eat a single one.

-- I typed that last sentence on Thursday morning as wishful thinking. I ate the misshapen one, and the hubby had one. And maybe I had a bite of his too. All the others are wrapped for work, and I think I'm stronger now.

-- The amount of money in the pot for BiggestBloggingLoser makes me want to not eat for the next three months.

-- Gold's Gym Dance Workout is really hard, especially when you skip the "beginner" workout and go straight to the intermediate one ... especially when you are not an intermediate exerciser.

-- I may be a wimp, but 49 degrees is really freaking cold to go jogging in. I only got in 1.1 miles before I wimped out and came back inside so I could feel my fingers.

-- I don’t like Chelsea Handler. I’ve never seen her show, but I tried to read My Horizontal Life and I was not impressed. Are the other books any better?

-- I do, however, like Harry Potter. I didn’t expect to like the series, but I finally got around to reading them and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I’m on Half-Blood Prince now.

-- Henry takes catnaps in his jumper, and then wakes up to play some more. I don't realize he's woken up until his toys start spinning again.

-- I don't think I've named these Friday posts the same thing two weeks in a row.

And on the third day I fell off the wagon ...

I think about how hungry I am all the time, and it’s not because I’m depriving myself of food, but the moment my body hears “diet”, it thinks “HUNGER!!” and kicks into survival mode. I’m still waiting for the screenshot of the weight loss pool so I can print it out and put it on the fridge at work, the fridge at home, the pantry, and anywhere else I might be looking for something to gorge myself on.

Monday and Tuesday – I was relatively good, both in exercise and in eating. I ate what I had already supplied myself for meals. Wednesday I got up and did my run and was appropriate at work and even skipped having a lunch out on my way back to the office after a meeting … but I think my downfall started when I accidentally took the elevator down to leave work instead of taking the stairs. Then I got home and I was so hungry but I held out for dinner – pork roast, spinach and corn, all of which I piled on top of a big bowl of lettuce to keep my portions in check (it was pretty tasty). Then … I ate some candy. Not a little; I have this little canister that I kept an assortment of m&ms, Reese’s Pieces and Skittles as reward candy for when the potty was used. However, now that he’s 95% trained we don’t use it much and it was still pretty full.

I. Ate. It. All.

And let me tell you, lemon skittles really don’t taste that great when shoveled down one’s throat with chocolate and peanut butter, no matter how good all things taste individually. But I live by one philosophy: If I eat it all, it’s no longer there to tempt me. Thus why there are no candies in my house anymore.

Ugh.

Today is a new day, and I’m trying to be a good girl (and even exercised moderation with the breakfast pizza at work today). I couldn’t go running this morning due to a monsoon, but I did my Wii Fit workout until I was exhausted and Spencer generally let me kickbox in peace (and now there is video of him attempting the merengue). At least there’s 11 more weeks to the BiggestBloggingLoser, right? Here’s to a new wardrobe!

Ten on Tuesday - Home Edition

What type of home do you currently reside in? (house, apartment, etc) House

If you could completely redecorate one room in your home, what room would you pick, why, and what would you do to it? I think I’d actually pick my outside “room”, my backyard – I want to tear down the existing porch, extend the deck and replank the current deck, fill in my grass, clean up the flower beds and replant completely. Not a pipe dream though – I’m hoping to get the hubby to get the deck done in January and I’ll do the rest in late February once the warmer weather takes over.

What is your favorite place to gain inspiration for your home décor style? I don’t really have one. I shop a lot at Ikea and Homegoods and I drool at the stuff at Pottery Barn, does that count?

What is your favorite piece of décor in your home? I love my bedroom set, it’s the Ikea Hemnes set – we have the whole thing: king bed, two nightstands, dresser, chest of drawers. It’s great – I finally feel like I have a grown-up bedroom.

What do you want visitors to feel when they visit your home? Do you think your home gives off that feeling? I want them to think it’s warm and inviting, and for the most part I think I’ve succeeded - especially when I'm forewarned that they're coming over and can therefore stuff the toys in their appropriate (or non-appropriate) places.

Describe your home in one word and explain why you chose that word. Home. It’s home, and I’ve spent my life not wanting to ever be home – I always wanted to be out and doing stuff and in the past year I’ve realized that I really do enjoy just staying home, reading, playing with the kids, playing games and just being home – especially days that I can open the windows. It’s a nice feeling, and also it’s a lot cheaper.

What are some predominant colors or patterns in your home? The main area is green and a warm butter color (okay, it’s green and gold but I swear I wasn’t going for my alma mater’s colors when I painted). The guest bathroom and the master bedroom are brown and blue, the library is red and the boys’ room is blue, brown, white and lime green.

What is your favorite room in your home and why? My room. When we got the bedroom set I spent 9 straight months laying in bed watching tv with my son. Okay, so I was pregnant but I’m not much better about things now. It’s my son’s favorite place to be too, because he can snuggle under my covers and watch Caillou.

Do you take a hands-on or DIY approach or do you enlist or hire help? I think it’s 50/50. On the big projects I prefer to hire help but we haven’t tackled any of those projects because we don’t want to hire help. We almost hired a plumber when my water main broke but my neighbor helped instead. I think we’re going to hire a friend of my FIL to do the deck but that’s why it’s been in the talking stage for more than a year.

Where is your favorite place to shop for home furnishings? Homegoods. Ikea.

For More TOT, click here.

Menu Monday, and Fat Plans!

Today = first day of working out and working earnestly on my Plans to Get Healthy. This is my weight:

Which you'll notice is 7 lbs heavier than I was three months ago. It's actually 8 lbs heavier than I was 6 weeks ago, when I went back to work from maternity leave. I blame it all on sitting in a cubical all week, eating lunch at my desk and snacking on the chocolates that my assistant leaves next to the printer.

Saturday - no good about any dieting plans, or working out: we went to the Outback Bowl, tailgated with a box of wine and rosemary tortilla chips and strawberries (yes, random but delicious) and drank beers at the game (Miller Lite - not generally my taste but perfect for game day), ate at barbeque chicken sandwich and broccoli at Alehouse (I don't generally eat fries, so while broccoli is indeed the healthy choice it's my only choice). Then there was sweet, sweet sleep. It was a long beautiful, Gator-winning day.

Sunday - no exercise unless you count walking the mall in wedge heels (I do), but I was smarter about my food choices. We missed out on eating black eyed peas and greens on New Year's day, so I made this fabulous dish with eggs, lean ham (97% fat free), collard greens, black-eyed peas, onions and garlic. Hubby thought it needed cheese to feel more like breakfast but I thought it was awesome ... so awesome that I used the leftover greens/peas mixture and mixed it in with half a dozen scrambled egg whites (and two yolks) for my breakfast the rest of the week. We missed lunch and had linner at our favorite Mexican joint, where I limited myself to one vegetarian mushroom quesadilla (if I would have ordered two, I would have eaten two. There's crack in them thar mushroom quesadillas).

Today was my official start, so I dragged myself out of bed at 5am (okay, 5:30) to go for a run. I only got in 1.7 miles before I felt like hacking up a lung, but I thought it was a good start. I drank my coffee black with a little creamer (not too bad) and had some of the egg mixture and a banana for breakfast. On my way! Hopefully I can keep it up.

So I haven't done Menu Monday in awhile, but here's the plan for this week:

Monday: flounder and roasted vegetables
Tuesday: pork roast and garlic spinach
Wednesday: broccoli cheese soup for hubby, and I'm not sure if I'll eat that or something else.
Thursday: grilled shrimp and brown rice
Friday: a lo-cal version of Sarah's Poppyseed Chicken (if it's successful I'll post the recipe) w/ whole wheat pasta
Saturday: grilled chicken salad

***update, ate 4 (small) pieces of pizza and two Coke Zeros at Chuck E Cheese with MamaFuss today ... pretty sure that's not in my diet. Maybe all the calories I burned off packing Christmas away this morning helped? I'm sadly still hungry so I'm going to go clean my kitchen instead of staring bleakly into my refrigerator.

Happy new year!

Aren't these tea tups the most darling things? I was searching for a Happy New Year image and came across my mama's table which then prompted me to Like her on FB, and enter her contest for some darling little cups and peruse the pretty ceramics ... I can already tell it's going to be a good year!

I have black eyed peas soaking in a bowl, collard greens in my fridge and Outback Bowl tickets burning a hole on my dresser. I can even say that Project: Neighbor was a success! I dropped a Christmas card in their mailbox, which led to Mrs. Neighbor friend-requesting me on Facebook, which led to me inviting them over for New Year's Eve festivities ... they were here for 5 hours, not even with the social lubrication of alcohol (she's 8 months pregnant) and it wasn't awkward at all!

Anyhow, I'm off ... I hope everyone had a safe and fun NYE in however you celebrate it, and here's to hoping that 2011 is everything it's cracked up to be!