Menu Monday

Last week:

Monday: beef stroganoff
Tuesday: chicken bryan and sauteed spinach
Wednesday: chili
Thursday: lasagna
Friday: goat cheese and spinach stuffed burgers, baked beans and baked breaded okra
Saturday: out to Cheesecake Factory for a family birthday (Monterrey burger and sweet potato fries)
Sunday: Steak'n'Shake

Monday: white chicken poblano chili
Tuesday: cajun meatloaf
Wednesday: steak and spinach
Thursday: panini sandwiches
Friday: chicken enchiladas
Saturday: spicy orange garlic shrimp and rice

A different sort of life

I've found myself wistful lately at the descriptions of friends' antics around. Late evenings, spur of the moment nights out ... it all sounds like so much fun. Don't get me wrong, I really love my life. My husband, my kids, my home ...

I started thinking about this on Saturday night, when we got home from an early dinner with family at Cheesecake Factory. I got a glass of wine, chopped up a little cheese and settled in by 8pm to play several (okay, seven) games of Wordfeud simultaneously while reading a book and watching my husband play Grand Turismo 5 (gag me). I was asleep by 9:45pm, which was helpful because Spencer woke me up at 1:30 thinking it was morning and I had to get him to the bathroom and then back to bed, Henry woke up at 4pm angry because it had been ten hours since he last ate, and Spencer woke up again at 6:45am, and again I needed to get him to the bathroom and settle him in on the couch with Disney, cereal and a sippy cup.

So I think, how is this my life? What happened to the sleeping in (moderately, I never really slept past 9am much), going out to the bar with friends, last minute movies, or sex in the daytime ... (okay, well there is a lock on my door but it's hard to concentrate when there's a toddler who didn't care where you were until that lock in engaged and then he's sticking his fingers under the door to find out why he's not allowed in ...)

... did I just write that or did I just think it?

Anyhow, I'm not sure what I'm saying here; I wish I were one of those bloggers that could come up with a succinct and poignant point. I think I just wish I had an occasional night/morning to not be me, with the option to be me on almost every other night and day.

A few of the not so quick

Somehow it’s feast or famine here – Tuesday I posted three times (3!!) and then I haven’t posted since then. I guess I could have just scheduled them out so I had a post every day but obviously I’m not that smart. Anyhow, some confessions/quick takes (whatever you want to call them) on the times (read: mostly Christmas related because that’s what’s on my mind):

1) I have finished all of Spencer’s Christmas and birthday shopping except for a few stocking stuffers (like underwear and cheap toys hot wheels and new crayons). This means that every time I see something else I want to get him I go, “No!” and smack myself on the hand. Most of the time it works. If I come across something stocking-sized though, we’re in trouble.

2) I have not done a stitch of holiday shopping for Henry, but it’s so easy. I want to get him one toy so all his toys aren’t hand-me-downs (I’m thinking something with lights) and some clothes. Maybe some diapers in his stocking? More socks? Any ideas?

3) I haven’t done any of the other shopping: the hubby, my mom and dad (and my dad’s girlfriend), my brother and sister, MIL and FIL and hubby’s grandma, cousin and her husband. These are the people I shop for every year. So far I know that I’m getting fancy chocolate cookies for his grandma (big hit last minute gift last year), thinking of making a fruitcake for my dad (ambitious, might just buy him one last minute), a gift card to a craft store to his girlfriend, and I got some pine cone candles for my MIL so far. For the rest of them I’m stumped. I might order this shirt for my brother, and my sister might just get a gift card that I can use myself if she decides not to show up for Christmas (it’s been that kind of year). I got a phone cradle for the hubby (his insistence) and he’s getting Perry the Platypus stuff in his stocking, and maybe an air compressor if I can find a reasonably priced one. My FIL is impossible to buy for, and my MIL just likes nice house accessories so she’s pretty easy to buy. I'm currently out of ideas all together for the cousin (who is a good friend of mine) and her husband.

4) I bought a cyber-Monday faux tree that I’m still waiting to be delivered and I’ve been completely slacking on my Christmas decorations until it gets here. At this rate I’ll be decorating on Christmas eve. The stockings are hanging from my mantle, I have two snowmen hanging out on top of the mantle and a wreath on my front door. That might be it again this year.

5) Because no post from me would be complete without a potty training update, let me tell you that Spencer has been AWESOME this week. Two accidents on Tuesday with my in-laws, but otherwise he wakes me up in the morning when he needs to go because he can’t get out of his footie pjs by himself. I know it’s another knock on wood moment because we have to see how this weekend goes with no daycare, but I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m finally a believer that just forgoing the furniture and going for underpants is the way to go. The first couple days are frustrating and then it’s so much faster than pull-ups. We’ve been in pull-ups for 2 months, and this week – none. I’ve had him in a pull-up every night and every night he wakes up dry so I stick it back in the bin to use again the next night. Yes, he’s worn the same pull-up overnight for 5 days. Don’t judge me – those things are expensive!

6) My favorite Christmas song is this and my least favorite Christmas song is this.

7) I spent my work day doing some of my work and then doing a lot of my cubical neighbor's work for him - really out of the goodness of my heart. He was out of town for a work meeting so I paid all his bills, found a missing file, sent out a file to an attorney for him, and did all his filing. Plus I did all my filing (PS - the filing is not either of our jobs, but we have a new support assistant and the learning curve seems to be steep), bills and a good amount of actual work. I felt good about today.

8) I'm thinking about going in early on Monday to do my other cubical neighbor's filing, but not really out of the goodness of my heart - I'm just sick of the complaining.

9) Henry can officially turn over from back to front. He did it once last week and then again last night, but both times were on beds so I wasn't sure. As of today, I'm sure. This makes me happy because it means that he's closer to sharing a room with his brother instead of me, because I wanted him to a) be able to turn over to sleep on his belly if he wanted and b) sleep through the night. I'm hoping once he's able to eat rice cereal he'll be more likely to sleep through the night since he's pretty close already, so with any luck they'll be sharing a room by CHRISTMAS!

3.5 mi. = 5.63270 km

That's how far I jog/walked today. I feel like I might puke, or poop, or relatively die, but I got through it. There were a lot of bargains made with myself: four more light poles and then you can walk and just make it to the yellow sign and you can walk and pass the fire station and then you can walk (which is funny because I guess all else fails, I could have rung the bell at the station if I really was going to die and they could take care of it).

It took 45 minutes exactly, which is a 12'51" mile, which happens to be about 4 minutes faster than I did in high school (okay, so I don't remember actually ever running in high school). I'm pretty sure I'm in better shape now cardio-wise than I ever was, but I have a layer of blubber to burn off before I look better than before. I think I pulled a groin muscle at about 1.82, but I kept going.

My goal was/is: to complete a 5k and jog more than I walk, and not stop. Completed.
Next goal: to not feel like I'm going to collapse after I finish. And maybe do it a little faster.

February 26 is the Gasparilla 5k, and now I know I can do it. I truly had my doubts before.

Honey Dijon Chicken

Several weeks ago my friend Sarah shared this recipe with me, and I love it so much that I'm sharing it with the interwebs. Don't be put off by its simpleness -- this chicken is fantastic and so super easy. I also used the sauce with pork chops and then rolled them in pecans and it was almost -but not quite- as fabulous. I usually make it with the full amount of sauce and two large chicken breasts which I cut in half (I love the sauce that much, but I do always end up with a lot of extra) and cook in a 9x9 pan, but here's the original recipe:

Yield: 8 servings
9x13 dish
Oven: 450 degrees
Cook Time: 20-25 min

8 (3 lbs) skinless Chicken breasts
seasoned salt
pepper, coarse
curry powder
1. place chicken in greased baking dish and sprinkle seasonings.

1/3c butter, melted
2/3c honey
1/3C dijon mustard
1/8tsp salt
1/8tsp pepper, coarse

1. combine and whisk until smooth
2. pour on top of chicken
3. Bake uncovered for 20-25 or until it reaches internal temp. 165.

Do you need to go potty?

So I spoke too soon on Sunday regarding the potty training. He went through six pairs of underwear (two #2s and four #1s) and I about had a conniption. I'm not entirely sure what a conniption is, but I'm pretty sure I had it. After the last one I threw my own tantrum, put him back in a diaper (not even a pull up), lectured him about standing in front of me whining about wanting a snack and at the same time taking a crap in his underwear and then gave him the silent treatment for about an hour.

Yes, I know I was acting younger than him. But I hate laundry!

Monday seemed to be better; he had one accident at daycare because she forgot to put him in a pullup when he laid down for a nap (for her he'll still take naps), and none at home. Today he goes to my in-law's house ... I'm kind of dreading that and wish that he went later in the week so he could get used to the undies a little more. However, my husband's grandmother lives with them half the year and she regularly messes herself (TMI?) so maybe it'll be just another thing.

In the vein of TMI, Spencer also discovered the little hole in the front of his underpants and stuck his ding-a-ling out and said "I see my pee-pee!" It was all I could do not to roll on the floor laughing.

More on Adventures in Potty Training very soon, I'm sure. Where's that Thor hat? Does anyone get the reference?

Menu Monday

Monday: Spinach and egg noodle casserole (mixed feelings - it needed a load of salt, more than I'm comfortable adding to one dish, but after a couple handfuls it was pretty good. I might fiddle with it and try again)
Tuesday: ham sandwiches
Wednesday: honey and bacon shrimp with spinach tortellini
Thursday: Thanksgiving! you know that drill, we had all of it.
Friday: Turkey sandwiches
Saturday: Honey dijon baked chicken and rice (recipe to follow this week)
Sunday: I made southern-style chicken sandwiches for lunch (buffalo chicken for hubby, honey dijon for me) so we skipped out on dinner. Although I may have had leftover stuffing, wine and a slice of coconut cream pie, but it was a rough day with the potty training.

This week:
Monday: Beef stronganoff
Tuesday: Lasagna
Wednesday: Chili
Thursday: Chicken Bryan with sauteed spinach
Friday: pork chops and corn
Saturday: goat cheese stuffed hamburgers and fried potatoes