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Thursday Thirteen - Twelfth Edition

Today? Well, I'm already really late, but here's Thirteen Ideas for Lunch. I've already eaten lunch today, but this is an ongoing struggle for me, so I thought I'd list some ideas out for future reference.

1. Leftover pizza (which I had today, thanks, Mom!)
2. Little Caesars individual pizza kits (yeah, thanks, Mom again!)
3. A fish filet (I love the individually vacuum sealed ones you get in a pack of six, or eight, or 25 if it's from GFS. They go perfectly in the toaster oven for a nutritious and delicious lunch.)
4. Nachos (Can't go wrong here. Either chips and salsa, or chips and ground beef and salsa, or chips and beans and ground beef and salsa...all yummy!)
5. Spaghettios (Nuff said)
6. Leftover chili (one of my favorites - the beans and meat are a mass of protein, and the leftovers from one dinner usually last me almost a week worth of lunches!)
7. Leftover taco salad (another dinner I intentionally make knowing I'll get a lunch or two out of the deal.)
8. Shrimp cocktail and crescent rolls (haven't had this one in quite a while - it was an old favorite in the apartment years ago...)
9. Sloppy joe meat with potato chips (yet another fabulous intentional dinner leftover, but then I use the chips instead. The chips MUST have ridges, preferably Ruffles.)
10. Hummus and bread (yummy and full of protein again...)
11. Fast food (since I already ratted myself out weeks ago, no point in pretending I don't like it now!)
12. Random dinner leftovers (there's usually at least one serving leftover, if I can bring myself to eat the same thing again...I'm not usually a big leftover fan, except my favorite exceptions listed above.)
13. Peanut butter jelly time! (classic!)


Now, why are my ongoing lunch plans such a concern? I'm losing too much weight. Since having Maggie, I lost all my 'baby weight' within a few weeks. And then I kept losing. I know nursing Maggie keeps the weight coming off, but I love being able to feed my baby. I'm now about ten pounds less than I was when I got married, and I wasn't big to begin with.

Please - don't say, "You're so lucky." I've seen pictures of myself, and I feel like I'm starting to look too skinny. People come up to me and say, "You're so skinny!" When would it EVER be acceptable for me to say to someone, "You're so fat!" in exactly the same disdainful tone? NEVER, that's when. So why is it okay for people to bring such negative attention to my weight on a consistent basis?

So my goal is to keep eating (even when I don't have much of an appetite) and keep drinking lots of water. If all the extra snacking catches up with me when I stop nursing, I promise not to tell skinny people how 'lucky' they are....

Summer Clothes, Anyone?

So I feel so all alone. I get tons of links for cute summer clothes all the time. But all I wear are nursing tops. With the exception of like three things (that fit over nursing tank tops), all of my shirts have access slits somewhere in the front. Which sounds fun and kinky, but actually isn't. At least I can still get cute shorts, right? If I were a nursing cop, I'd have to wear 511 Tactical Shorts with my nursing tops - I'd have no choices of anything left, eh? So maybe I should just be happy with the choices I do have...

Exactly!

I was reading on Yahoo! this morning (since I'm up early and the work site isn't working..grrr...), and some football guy is marrying some cheerleader (sorry, I'm not much of a sports fan).

What I liked about the article he wrote? His reaction to the guys that offer him 'sympathy' on getting married:

...I'm excited for the big day, so please don't feel sorry for me because marriage sucks for you...

I've gotten annoyed when hubby jokingly says he's 'sorry' when someone announces their engagement. It's not the 14-year-old sense of humor that gets me, it's exactly what Chris Cooley is talking about - we have a GOOD (sometimes even GREAT) marriage - why would you want to give people any other impression?

Thank you, football guy, for expressing what I couldn't get across.

Whoosh!

So I seemed to have disappered there, eh? I'm still around.

Yesterday Maggie and I started our swim class. It went well. She didn't love it, but she didn't cry or scream either. She was really just taking it all in. A couple weeks ago we went in a pool and she wouldn't even let me hold her facing away from me. In swim class, she did nearly everything we tried. She wasn't getting the 'kicking' motion or blowing bubbles, but she let me swish her around in the water, lift her up then bring her back into the water, and help her 'jump' from sitting on the edge of the pool into the two-foot-deep water. We had fun, and we get to go back tomorrow.

My other lesson learned yesterday? The built-in diaper swimsuit - I don't recommend. Tomorrow we'll be going back in a swim diaper and our new one-piece swimsuits. That's all I'll say about that. Luckily there was no embarrassing incident in the pool, but she peed on the locker room floor. Twice.

And since I know you'll ask - no pictures so far. Daddy may try to go with us one day next week, but otherwise it won't happen. There are no pockets in my swimsuit, and we don't have a waterproof camera. ;)

Menu Time!

I'm getting ready for grocery shopping tomorrow (after our swim class, of course) and needed somewhere to compile the recipes I'm finding to try for the next week. Duh! My blog - I'm here alll the time anyway! ;)

Beef and Bean Chimichangas
Garlic Chicken
Easy Taco Casserole
Quick Beef and Rice
BBQ Slow Cooker Chicken
Easiest Slow Cooker Beef Roast
Chili
Hubby's Pork Schnitzel
Hubby's Sesame Chicken (I'll have to see if these recipes are anywhere besides in his head!)
Pasties and Gravy (I buy the pasties from a local bakery for $5 each and they are HUGE!)
Chicken Ravioli with Ancho Cream Sauce (this is out of my Sandra Lee 20 minute cookbook - I'll have to type it in here some time!)

Wow - I used a lot of exclamation points toward the end there! Hahaha...but there is it - our menus for the next couple weeks!

Happy Times!

Well, last weekend was the last weekend this summer that Maggie would get to spend with her Mimi and Papa! Since they're leaving this week for their giant road-to-Alaska adventure, we spent every moment we could with them! Mimi got Maggie a new hat while we were out running around on Saturday, and she looks so adorable in it -

And here she is in her new hat, with her current favorite adorable expression - I call it her smooshy face!

We'll miss you, Mimi and Papa! But we can't wait to read all about your trip :)

MotherStyle

I found this today through Jenn. Check it out!

Your type is: INTP —The “Love of Learning” Mother

“I keep the encyclopedia in the kitchen so we can look up things together while we eat.”


*Intellectually curious and patient, the INTP mother relishes those times with a child when they are learning something interesting together. Whether they’re at the zoo or computer terminal, she sparks to answering his or her “whys” with in-depth responses or new knowledge.

*The INTP mother is also objective and introspective. She listens to and discusses children’s ideas and questions as she would those of a peer, fostering self-esteem and confidence. Open and non-directive, she allows children the freedom to do for
themselves and quietly encourages them to believe they can do it.

*Independence, autonomy, intellectual development, and self-reliance are probably the INTP’s highest priorities for her children. An avid reader, she naturally imparts an appreciation and love of reading as well.

*Drawn to all types of learning, the INTP may also value her mothering experience for all the new insights about life it provides her.

Find out your 'MotherStyle' here.

Busy, Busy Day...

So hubby decided to pass on all the yucky car work on his agenda in favor of hanging out with his girls. Duh. ;)

After picking up Maggie's nine-month pictures, we went to my free consultation with the laser place (more or less legit, but I don't know how I'll get the other THOUSAND that my coupon doesn't cover...), then to get a birthday present for a friend's daughter and the mall for a couple favors for people I'm seeing tomorrow, then my very favorite.

We went to the public pool for the next community over, and they had openings for the infant swim starting next week! Yay! All we had to do was pay them money (of course) and show ID (mine, not Maggie's passport). Now we have something to do for a half hour, twice a week, for the next few weeks. I hope she likes it as much as I expect. She enjoys bath time, so I'm hopeful. Last weekend when we tried going in the pool at the resort, she was pretty...neutral. She didn't hate it, but she certainly didn't love it either. We'll see what happens, I suppose!

Haiku Friday

So I'm a little late. I wrote a bunch of Mothers' Day haikus a few weeks ago for a contest, and intended to post the ones I didn't enter to the contest up here last weekend - in time for Mothers' Day. But then we left town (again!), and I forgot to schedule it to post. But who doesn't want to celebrate mom all the time?!?

No place is safer
than mother's hug - heals all wounds
I love you always.


Always positive,
smileing, wise and now happy
to be a grandma.


Like a good hair day,
Mom always makes me smile -
not an easy task.


Now that I'm a mom,
I can start to understand
the value of naps.


Loving my daughter
helps me to appreciate
my wonderful mom.


Giving, supporting,
teaching love, and right from wrong -
There's no one like mom.

Hope everyone had a great Mothers' Day, and it continues every day :)

Huh. I Sorta Won...

Someone was kind (?) enough to call me at 8:30 this morning to let me know that I won a $300 coupon at a laser hair removal place that they said I entered for online. Okay, whatever. I enter a lot of stuff online. I couldn't get her to tell me what I had to spend to use my 'coupon.' I finally got her to send me an email with more information.

The email? If I schedule my free consultation to talk about hair removal, or skin lightening or whatever today or tomorrow (even though the place's site says they're open Monday through Friday), I get an extra $100 'coupon.' Huh. So I emailed back and said I can come at 2pm today, as long as I can bring my ten-month old daughter to the consultation. I'm sure they won't be thrilled with that, but all I can do is what I can do, right?

My plan? I would LOVE to have my bikini line permanently cleared of hair. No more shaving, or trying (without much success) to find someone I like to wax it, or using the creams that half-work. But I don't want to spend $300 to use my $400 in coupons...not that I could even if I wanted to, but you know what I mean. Anyone else had anything like this done? What is a ballpark figure?

Thursday Thirteen - Eleventh Edition

So we're back to making up our own themes, as near as I can tell. This week, I'm reading a lot about hurt feelings, broken friendships and relationships, and just general not-nice-ness. Forget assuming that we're all 'friends' on the internet. People can definitely portray whatever they want online. If/when you meet someone in person, it will be the first time you meet them, even if you feel like you already know them. Forget the 'kind blog' movement. What I've seen of that has been a crock of you-know-what.

Today, I'd like to look at Thirteen Kind Things You Can Do For a Stranger. Cuz essentially? Most of us are pretty darn close to strangers. Just sayin.

1. Pay the toll of the car behind you. This is one of my classic favorites. We don't have toll roads in Michigan (do we?), but when we travel, I love to do this. It's usually only fifty cents or so, and wouldn't it make your day to have the toll booth attendent just wave you through sometimes?
2. Hold the door open. When you pass through a door, hold it open for the next person. I wish this could go without saying, but I've had the door drop closed in my face. Not only when I'm spry and able-bodied, but even when I was pregnant, or now pushing the stroller. C'mon - are people really in THAT much of a hurry?
3. Comment on a blog. I know I always have plenty of reasons for not commenting - someone already said what I would say is my most common. But even if it's just, "I hear yah, sistah!" everyone likes to see comments on their blog, right? (and no, this doesn't mean you have to comment on this blog entry, right now. Hahahaha)
4. Smile. How easy is that? I noticed when we were in Germany that very few people smiled at me, or even smiled back when I smiled. I don't know why. There's already more people smiling on the streets in the U.S. - let's keep up the trend! ;)
5. Give to charity. Yeah, how expected was that? I don't mean mail off a check this time (although that's nice too). Give your spare change to the Salvation Army bell ringer at the holidays, or buy a box of Girl Scout cookies at the door to your local grocery store. It'll make them and you feel good.
6. Help a neighbor. Everyone has a neighbor that they know is gone a lot, or elderly, or even just likeable. Next time you go to shovel snow (if that sort of thing occurs near you), or mow your grass, or just bring the trash cans up from the road - do it for your neighbor too. Even if they never know who it was, it sure does make the world a happier place. A couple weeks ago, our trash can full of trash fell over and started spilling its yuckiness out. I was just getting up with the baby and couldn't do a thing about it right away. While the kids were waiting for the bus (and I was changing the baby's diaper), our trash miraculously crawled back into the uprighted trash can. Thank goodness for great neighbors!
7. Wave. Another super simple one for the easily amused (yes, that's me). When you're driving and see someone you know, even just a casual acquaintance, wave. Most of our neighbors wave if Maggie and I are out in the yard. I love it!
8. Say 'Please,' 'Thank you,' and 'Excuse me.' We go to big events like car and boat shows. We also eat out on a regular basis. Please, Thank you, and Excuse me are invaluable little gems to toss out when you walk into someone, bash the back of their ankles with your stroller, or just want another glass of water. Too many other human beings and service people are overlooked as 'not part of my life,' and treated rudely. There's no reason for it!
9. Don't gossip. Especially about people you really don't know! I have to admit, I definitely share what I hear about mutual friends with my husband. But that's usually it! If I'm talking about someone else, what am I really adding of value to a conversation with a third party. My poor husband has to hear everything, but otherwise I try to let information - especially negative information - stop with me.
10. Be nice to customer service people. This is just basic politeness, like #8. I don't care how angry you are with the phone company, or your mortgage company, or Home Depot. Yelling at the customer service person (who is only making $10/hour to listen to your crap) is not going to help. There's a pretty good chance it may even hurt your case. I used to be a phone operator. Mean people have a tendency to have their calls mis-directed. Just sayin.
11. Don't litter. Okay, this one may be a little unique to my situation. I live on a fairly major road. Now that it's getting warmer out, our ditch (and yard, and the area by our mailbox...) is started to grow its own fast food cups and wrappers, beer bottles, stray paper, and other stuff randomly thrown out of people's cars. (Remember, our trash can got cleaned up before it spread its mess!) Take it home and throw the garbage where it belongs, please.
12. Tip. Notice I didn't even say tip well. Tip in accordance with the service you receive, or the mess you leave. See that second part? If you've got a kid (especially) that leaves half of their meal on the ground under the high chair, someone is going to have to clean that up. Tip accordingly to the additional work you're creating. I read something interesting from some mom's who have worked in fast food. They said if their kid leaves an exceptional mess at McDonald's or Burger King, they'll leave a tip there. No one is getting paid to clean up that sort of mess, especially if you have to leave in a hurry cuz Junior has a meltdown.
13. If you don't have anything nice to say... Hopefully this doesn't conflict with #3. If you don't have anything nice to say to someone, why would you want to read about their life anyway? Back on track, if you don't have anything nice to say to or about someone, just stop. Don't say anything to them, don't tell stories about them, don't get sucked into whatever it is you don't like about them. Walk away and go live your life, positively, somewhere else.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Wrong.


















Right.



















Any questions?

Dichotomy

I've been feeling so torn lately, and the word that came to mind was dichotomy. I finally went and looked up an actual definition: division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.

It fits to a tee. It's like having a baby not only created a whole 'nother being, but even split who I've always been into two. The catch? The 'two' are one that I love, and one that is necessary. This makes it very hard to manage, as I certainly can't turn my back on either part, but they're hard to embrace at the same time.

I'm an employee (for 30 hours per week), and a stay-at-home-mom. Unfortunately, my work-from-home job doesn't pay as well as it would need to for me to be actually financially comfortable. At the same time, it keeps me from going out and doing stuff with my baby.

I'd love to go to playgroups, and Gymboree, and music classes, and swim classes, and..and..and. But I take comfort in the fact that I do this so I can be the one with my daughter a majority of the time (okay, nearly all the time), while still bringing in just enough money to feel like I'm pulling my own weight.

Hopefully down the road our financial picture will brighten a bit and I can do my most important jobs - mom to Maggie and wife to hubby - ALL the time, and then maybe be able to feel more successful with both of those jobs.

What's your best time-balancing tip? Especially if you've tried to work and be mom at exactly the same time.

Settling in Again

Well, it looks like we'll actually be home for a spell. 'Course, I think that spell is only a month or so for hubby, til he packs up his Briggs and Riley luggage for a business trip out west, but I think it's til July for Maggie and I! Only day trips around here now.

We've always traveled a lot (well, at least since I've been with him starting in 2004). I was much more of a homebody before that, so a couple months at home doesn't really bother me. And with the baby, things are admittedly easier at home than on the road. We comment every time we go away how well she travels, though. We've gotten very, very lucky in that department. :)

The next big trip on our agendas? At least peek of the calendar, it's our friends Jeff and Bonnie's commitment ceremony in California. I think hubby's trying to do some juggling now so we'll hopefully still get to go. The broken car from last weekend isn't going to be free to fix. We've also got to check and see which of the weekend's events will be baby-friendly. I may be sitting out some of the festivities to explore wherever we're staying with her instead. We'll see!

Too Funny!

So last weekend, the trip to the Tail of the Dragon was about driving for hubby (of course). At the Tail, there's Killboy a photographer who takes everyone's pictures passing through, and posts them on his site for sale. He also has a blog - and he made mention (or rather, photo) of hubby for driving the treacherous road with the carseat in the car...Check it out.