The time will pass anyway

Song of the Day: Neon Trees - Sins of My Youth

Apparently it's been a while since I last wrote!  School has pretty much taken over my life, as it should, so I haven't had much to write about.

On weight loss: Thankfully I haven't gained any weight in the last month, but I also haven't really lost any either.  I haven't been eating the greatest, and the only work out I get is Ballet twice a week for 75 minutes.  I can tell my core and body in general have gotten stronger, but not really lost weight.  I am fitting back into a pair of jeans that were tight before I got pregnant, so that's exciting!  I still have 12 lbs of pregnancy weight left though, so that doesn't really make sense, but I'll take it!

This week I've really been trying to get back into eating healthy, and it's only day 2, but I'm doing well so far.  What kills me is when I get home and I have guacamole and chips for dinner.  Not the worst thing I could eat, but not the best either.  The thing is, I even have all of these pre-packaged, single serving, good for you foods, but I keep forgetting about them.  I started leaving them out on the counter (the non-frozen ones) so I actually remember to eat!

I also tend to eat worse when Kyle is home.  We tend to order out a lot more, and we both acknowledge that this is a problem.  So, that's the first step right??

On school:  School's going really well!  I'm really liking all of my classes, and my field training sight is awesome!  There's been some tough stuff to deal with emotionally, but I feel like I've handled it really well, and I couldn't be more sure that this is what I want to do.

It's hard to believe that I only have a month left of classes!  I have so many research papers left to write!  I'm pretty much in a research hole until mid-December.  I'm registering for my classes at 6:00 today and I'm pretty freaked out.  Two of my classes are closed, but one professor said that he opens up more spots as registration continues, so just check back.  Another professor said she'd add me if it came down to the semester starting and there still wasn't a spot open, but to keep checking for someone to drop it before then.  Whew. 

I had a meeting about grad school last Friday and found out that it's three years instead of the two that I was anticipating.  Also, I graduate in Dec '13, but the program only has summer or fall starts.  And there's two classes I need to take in undergrad that I wasn't aware of.  Bummer.  I was super upset about it for a while.  Realizing that Elliot will be going into 2nd grade and Caroline will be starting Kindergarten when I'm finally done with school really puts everything into a time perspective.  I've been starting to feel better about the time, then this morning I read a friend's facebook status that said,

            "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. 
                                                          The time will pass anyway."

Beautiful, and so so true.

quack quack

Video of the Day:  Bears - Beets - Battlestar Galactica

I don't really have much to write.  The kids finally seem to be healthy, and I'm hoping and praying it stays that way!  We've been on a continuous cycle of sickness for the last three weeks, resulting in 4 days of missed classes and me being extremely stressed out!  But everything has been back to normal this week, and I'm hoping it stays that way for the rest of the school year!

Fun news: Caroline finally has two teeth on the bottom!  Elliot got his first teeth at 4 months old and had a full mouth by 10 months.  Caroline got her first two at 7 months :)  I was worried that she would end up getting all of them at once, but thankfully it looks like we're going to avoid that!

With the kids being sick, and me missing school, I feel like I'm constantly behind, or trying to catch up.  I sometimes feel like a duck, cool and calm on the surface, but underneath my legs are kicking a mile a minute and I'm just trying not to drown.  I could really use some more library time.  Thankfully I'm back into the rhythm of having field training Friday mornings and I can go to the library Friday afternoons.  And that being said, I have homework to do :)

OH - This weekend Kyle, the kids, and I are participating in the American Heart Association - Heart Walk 2012 in Madison!  We're still working on raising donations, so please head to our website to donate! 

The Good and the Bad of it.

Song of the Day: Fuel - Bad Day

Bad things that happened today: 

1.  Elliot woke up at 4:30. At 5:15 he threw a tantrum because I wouldn't let him play with my phone in the bathroom. At 5:30 he threw another tantrum because I wouldn't let him take his toothbrush downstairs, because we brush our teeth in the bathroom (sometimes logic doesn't work on 2 year olds).
2.  Elliot's second tantrum woke Caroline up a little bit, Elliot heard her, then went and climbed into her crib, completely waking her up.
3.  I forgot Elliot's water cup for the car ride.  Not horrible since I had my water bottle with a straw in my back pack.
4.  Get to the library, realize I forgot my speakers for my presentation today.
5.  Go to Walmart, but cheap speakers, try them out in my car, and realize they're crappy, that's why they're so cheap.
6.  Back at the library ready to print out my handouts for my presentation, and my jump drive is completely failing to connect to the computer. FREAK OUT STARTS HERE. Thankfully I had emailed a copy to my professor, so I still had one.
7.  Get a call from daycare, Caroline has gunk coming from the corner of her eye (again), and she needs to get picked up.
8.  Go to my professor to see if I can reschedule tomorrow's exam for Monday and start crying because I'm so extremely stressed out (also because I missed last week and am still trying to play catch up), and she's so extremely nice, and also a mom so she completely understands.
9.  I thought I was buying a purple gatorade, but when it came out it was blue.

Good things that happened today:

1.  Despite all the stressful complications, my presentation actually went pretty well!

2.  After talking to the daycare director, we both agreed that if her eyes aren't pink, she doesn't have pink eye, and she's fine to go to daycare even with drainage.  THANK GOD!!

3.  Kyle was on his way home from Milwaukee so he stopped in Whitewater and took the kids home so I can go back to the library and study.
4.  The blue gatorade is actually more of an indigo color, and actually 'fierce grape.'  And it's pretty tasty.

Sometimes there's more bad/stressful events than good ones, but at the end of the day you just have to take a deep breath, and keep moving forward.

And I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband :)  ....and now time to study!
       

a break from your regularly scheduled programming

Song of the Day:  PSY - Gangnam Style    .... I love this song.

I'm not blogging as much as I would like, but all with good reason.  I'm really enjoying my semester and my field training placement!  I have really been enjoying all of my classes and professors.  The only reason I have time to blog today is because I'm home with a sick kid.  

Elliot and Caroline have both been fighting colds for the last three weeks.  Thankfully Caroline is down to a slightly runny nose, but Elliot isn't fairing so well.  BE PREPARED FOR GRAPHIC DETAILS! Yesterday he started having a yellow drainage from his left eye.  It looked like snot coming from his eye.  I was worried because I think I heard that pink eye is going around the older kids at his daycare.  I called Dean on Call Nurse Hotline and she asked if his eye was pink.  I said I don't think it's pink, but I think that I'm trying to see pink in his eye because I want him to be able to be treated for something.  She said if it's not pink, then it's not pink eye, just a product of his cold virus and it may spread to the other eye as well.  She went on to say to wipe it with a cold wet cotton ball and wash his hands a lot.  ... So do what I was already doing.  Really, hearing "you're child has a virus there's nothing we can do" really gets old.  Before bed Elliot had a slight fever and was definitely not feeling well.  Elliot came in about 1:00am coughing and wanting to cuddle.  After cuddling for a while we put him back in his bed because he just flails all over ours and then nobody gets any sleep.  When he woke up this morning he looked like crap :(  His eyes were swollen, but thankfully not too gunky.  

I realized that we hadn't given him his (over the counter) allergy medicine all weekend because the pollen counts were all down so we didn't think he needed it.  I gave it to him this morning and most of the swelling went down.  He doesn't have a fever anymore either, so I think with continued allergy meds he should be good to go tomorrow. 

I hate missing school.  Getting notes only helps so much.  I wish there was a camera running for each class so I could just watch it later.  I also worry that people think that I'm using my children as an excuse to just not go to class, because a lot of parents do that.  I'm not saying all parents do it, or even most, but it does happen .  When your kid has a fever or is too sick for daycare, yes you have to stay home, and yes, you are a parent first, but when you're kid has a little cold and you want to stay home with them to cuddle all week, that's no reason to miss class - or if it is, don't complain that you have no idea what's going on because you didn't bother getting notes or asking anyone.  Okay, done with that mini rant!

I'm hoping to get some school work done today, but that's probably not going to happen unless Elliot and Caroline nap at the same time.  Every time I bring anything out, Elliot goes into "Helping Mode."  It's really cute, and would be nice if I needed help identifying each letter in my book :) 

back to school, back to school...

Song of the Day:  Billy Madison - Back to School Song

After today I've had the 'first day' of all of my classes!  I'm really excited for this semester because I'm really interested in all of my classes.  I got my first choice in Field Training and I'm going to be shadowing a school counselor at a local elementary school!  I already met with her and I think it's going to be a really good fit for the semester!  

The kids did really well on their first (and second) day of day care!  Elliot could care less that I was leaving!  Which is SUCH an improvement on last year's first day drop off (more like first two weeks of drop off).  Caroline is a little too young for the separation anxiety yet, and I'm hoping that she's fully adjusted by the time she is in that phase.  Elliot has loved being able to play outside and with all of the new toys and friends inside.  Today they learned about the color red and he's been telling me all about 'red' even though I'm not 100% sure about what he's telling me about red, lol.  Caroline had a rough first day, but after they figured out to put her in the bouncy that is identical to the one we have at home, she's been great.  She loves bouncing and gets so excited!  She's eating well and has started on cereal, fruits, and veggies, but her naps aren't there yet.  It's hard because she falls asleep on the way to daycare so her naps are off.  She's also pretty much refusing to fall asleep.  There's still a lot of new stuff to get used to, so I'm not worried about it yet.  Well, I'm trying not to be worried about it yet.  It took Elliot about two weeks until he started napping really well at day care, so I need to give Caroline that time as well before I start freaking out :)  

The only downside about school is my 5:15 wake up call.  Tuesday, Kyle had a super early flight, so I woke up at 3:00 when his alarm went off and couldn't get back to bed, so I was ready really early.  Today I woke up at 5:15 when my alarm went off, and we were late getting out of the house.  So it looks like 5:00 is going to be the magic number.  Oof-da.  I've been so exhausted and am beyond ready for bed by the time Elliot goes to bed.  I just don't have enough hours in the day to catch up from Tuesday morning.  I can't wait for this weekend!  Hello nap time :)

As far as eating goes, we haven't ordered out yet!  But trust me, I wanted to!  I didn't get to prepare for the week like I wanted to, but we have still had good meals.  It's going to take a few weeks to really get into the swing of things, but I'm pretty optimistic!

A Week In Review

Song of the Day:  Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together  ...Thanks Ms. Swift for writing yet ANOTHER song that I will 'never ever ever' get out of my head :)

 My weigh-in this week shows just how ridiculous weight can actually be.  I've apparently lost 4 lbs this week.  Don't get me wrong, I am glad to see the loss, but I haven't really done anything this week to contribute to it.  I mean, I have been eating MUCH better and mainly in smaller portions than I normally would, but I haven't worked out since Friday.  But it is towards the end of TOM and that's really where the weight loss comes from; no more bloating.  It really is ridiculous what women have to go through!  

Last night for dinner I made a chicken fettuccine alfredo bake with leeks.  It was so good - and easy because it wasn't from scratch ;)  I lightly salted and put garlic powder (tons) on the chicken (1 lb) and baked them first (350, 30 minutes).  Then I shredded it and put it in a 9x13 pan.  Then I cooked penne rigate noodles for 2 minutes less than the box recommended.  I added a jar of alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup of milk and 3/4 of a bag of shredded mozzarella (I think a 16 oz bag).  Then I added 1 leek, halved then sliced.  I mixed it all up in the pan so I didn't have to deal with an extra bowl.  Then I topped with the rest of the cheese and covered with aluminum foil.  I had time earlier in the day so that's when I did my prep, and just put the pan in the refrigerator.  When it was close to time for dinner I cooked the food at 350 for 20 minutes - with the aluminum foil still on.  Then I took the foil off and continued cooking for 20 minutes (or until cheese is bubbly).  It was so good!  Leeks have a taste between onion and garlic, so they were a perfect addition.  Here's a pic of the finished product... with a few servings missing :)

Unfortunately, Kyle can't eat it, but I'll make it again when he's gone :)

This week we also had salmon and make at home pizza.  The salmon was pretty straight forward, just lightly salt and pepper and some lemon peel.  The pizza was store bought crust, store bought sauce, mozzarella cheese (also store bought, lol), and sliced pepperoni from the deli (AMAZING).  It's not from scratch, but it's still better for you than Pizza Hut!  I don't always have time to make my own sauces, and the kind people at Classico (brand) understand that.  When I buy jarred products I tend to look for the least amount of salt and sugar, but I also go by taste (I hate Ragu). 

This week's Pinterest project:

+ Carpet Powder from Pinterest: The recipe doesn't actually say how much baking soda to use, so I just used about 1/3 of the box (what I had left, but set aside 1 tsp to make chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon :) ).  I didn't have orange oil, but I did have melaleuca oil which is a natural cleaner, and smells really good!  I put a ton of drops in the baking soda until it seemed right, probably 15-20 ish.  I didn't have a parmesan cheese container, so I tried pocking holes in a mason jar with a nail.  The holes ended up too small and not enough powder came out.  I gave up on that idea and just spooned out the powder.  Our rug wasn't smelly with anything in particular, but it just needed a lift.  The powder definitely worked, and now our house smells really good!  I also like that it's ingredients that are safe and I don't have to worry about putting Caroline on the rug.  I'll definitely use this again!

Today is my last day as a stay-at-home mom.  School starts Tuesday!  I'm really bittersweet about the whole thing.  I'm sad that the kids are going to daycare, especially Caroline.  There's so much that I may miss now.  What if she takes her first step there?  I'm also concerned that Elliot and Caroline won't get to see each other and that their relationship may suffer, but I'm going to talk to daycare and see if they can possibly see each other a few times a day.  I'm not at all concerned about Elliot!  He had a play date with my cousins kids yesterday and he had so much fun!  He was so excited that after they left he almost fell asleep while eating lunch.  And it was macaroni, which is his FAVORITE.  He's really going to enjoy playing with the other kids, and I even saw some kids from his old class still there, not that he'll remember them, but still fun :)

Well, time to get ready for the 3 day weekend!  Happy Labor Day everyone!

A Week In Review

Song of the day:  Santigold - The Keepers

I've been trying to make an effort to:

      

     1. Make home cooked meals for dinner, and 

     2.  Actually make/do some of the stuff that I repin on Pinterest.

So far, so good.  Some things this week were more fun than others, but I tried something new, and that's the whole point, right?

FYI: Many of the links will send you to the 'pin' on my pinterest page, not the original page they are from.  Follow the digital trail to get the recipes, and repin!

Food:

     + Ranch dressing from Pinterest: The flavor is amazing!  And the decrease in calories is even better!  The problem is it's really thin and runny.  If you like a thicker ranch (like I do) I would recommend slowly adding the milk until it's the consistency you want.  I even put it in a mason jar that I had so it even looks like the pinterest picture!  Win!

     

     + Chicken nuggets and chips with honey mustard from Cooking Light:  I found this recipe in the September 2012 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  It's easy enough, but very involved*.  The marinade of dill pickle juice and buttermilk made the chicken taste SO GOOD!  Apparently this is what Chick-fil-A does with their chicken.  Because of Kyle's lactose allergy, I used low fat plain kefir instead of buttermilk.  From what I can tell it turned out fine, and I'll be making this substitute for other recipes as well!  I think a combination of my microwave power, how thick/thin the potatoes were cut, and how much oil was on them all contributed to the sogginess of the chips.  I would recommend thinner than 1/8" and barely any oil.  I ended up abandoning the microwave and broiling them after the nuggets were cooked.  I then put the nuggets under the broiler to make sure they were hot and crispy right before serving.  The honey mustard sauce was really good, but I did add an extra tbsp of honey.  I know they're trying to be healthy so they use the minimal amount of sugar, but I thought it was a little heavy on the mustard.  Because the meal isn't something that is easily whipped together, I've dubbed this a "weekend meal," and trust me, we will definitely be making it again!  NOTE:  The honey mustard sauce does not keep well in the fridge overnight.  Make what you'll need for the meal, then make more the next day for any leftovers.

     * This is the meal where I set the plastic bag (that held the chicken/panko bread mixture) on a still warm burner.  Don't worry, the plastic came off as it cooled.

     

     + Catfish from Pinterest: About a week ago Kyle came home from the grocery store with catfish.  We put it in the freezer, and I wasn't really sure what to do with it.  Like many people, outside of batter fried fish, I'm not really sure what to do with it... and I don't even batter fry fish at home, I get that at Syl's (AMAZING).  So, like any good 21st century 20 something, I went on Pinterest and found a recipe.  SO SO GOOD!  We will definitely be eating this again!  Mine didn't turn out like the picture, but whatever, it still tasted amazing.  I also added 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper to the fish.  When I think catfish, I think a little kick, and it was definitely a good add.  SIDE:  I served it with quinoa and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

     + BBQ Pulled Pork from MyRecipes.com:  What's not to love about a good pulled pork sandwich??  I used extra lean pork tenderloin because I really don't like trimming meat.  I used Sweet Baby Rays for the sauce base, and instead of 2 tbsp of mustard I used 1 tbsp yellow mustard and 1 tbsp dijon mustard.  I also added 1.5 (ish) tbsp worcestershire sauce.  Thankfully I read the comments before making the pork and I definitely agree that you should dump all of the broth after the pork cooks instead of just skimming the fat (keep the onions).  I was afraid that I needed some of the broth that I had already dumped, so I did add about 1/4-1/2 cup of water after adding the sauce to the pork.  AMAZING.  This is one of our favorite meals.  There's enough meat for leftovers and to freeze another meal!  SIDE: We served the pork on wheat hamburger buns from the bakery, and topped it with coleslaw from the deli.  For sides we had potato salad from the deli and steamed bell peppers and garlic*.

     *1 green pepper chopped, 1/2 red pepper chopped, 6 cloves of garlic halved.  Stir in 1 tsp of lemon juice, Salt to taste.  Steam in pan (add a little water so the veggies don't stick) over medium high heat.

     + Pistachio-Chai Muffins from Cooking Light: I've made these muffins before, but this time I used kefir instead of buttermilk (last time I just used milk) and I 86'd the pistachios.  So really they're just chai muffins.  I wanted to be able to give Elliot one without worrying that he'd chock on a pistachio.  I did forget to spray the liners before putting the batter in, so they stick to the sides a little, but not the end of the world (we all know the top is the best part anyway).  Elliot and I both had one this morning and they're so good!  Elliot thinks they're cupcakes, lol.  I did add the frosting (so yeah, kinda cupcakes) before the 5 min cooling period ended, so it ended up running all over the place, but having only a thin coating of sugar on the muffin is probably a good thing :)  I'm planning on making another batch and freezing them for quick breakfasts for the semester. 

Random Pinterest Ideas:

     + Morning Yoga:  I'm really trying to make an effort to at least do something every day.  I've been having really bad lower back pain, and figured one of the many "do this every day" yoga/exercise pins that I've re-pinned might actually work if I actually tried it!  I am definitely liking this routine!  I just do a plain downward dog in step 3, between steps 5 and 6 I added warrior II, and I also added a few child's pose here and there.  I did the routine three times alternating with some core/leg/arm workout/activities that I've taken from a few workout dvd's that I've done along the way.  Overall, my back isn't hurting as bad and I'm not as stiff in the morning, or throughout the day.  This is definitely something I'll keep doing.

     + Detox Bath:  I've been feeling really crappy this week because of a head cold that will not go away, so I really wanted this to work.  I did have a few ingredient hiccups, and I'm hoping that's why it didn't.  I didn't have plain epsom salt, I had Dr. Teal's Relaxing Epsom Salt (which is amazing, but not for a detox), but I figured since oils were also an option that maybe my salts would be a two for one kind of deal.  I also used the ground ginger option.  According to the website you should fill the tub with comfortably hot water.  I filled our tub, but as it was filling, the water got cooler, so I had comfortably warm water.  It also says that you should start sweating within the first few minutes.  I didn't sweat at all, which leads me to believe that it's the hot water that causes you to sweat, not the ingredients... or maybe the ingredients are activated by hot water, I don't know.  Either way, it didn't work.  I stayed in there for the full 40 minutes (while reading Twilight..... I know, I know... but I didn't care if the book got wet, or if I couldn't get to a good stopping point).  It didn't detox me, but I did smell good.

All in all, not a bad week of trying new things!  In regular news, on Tuesday I picked up my school books!  I also became "that person" who takes the free text books sitting outside the bookstore that the school is no longer using.  But the topics could be helpful, and they seem really interesting - one is meant for teaching students, "Teaching children to read and write" that will be a beneficial read!  My classes this semester are Introduction to Scientist-Practitioner (psychology), Research Methods (psychology), Principals of Behavior Modification, Field Training (psychology - I find out where I'm going on the first day back to school!!), and Ballet I.  I'm ready for school to start, but I'm nervous about how it's going to affect the kids.  One thing that I'm bummed about is they won't be able to spend the whole day together like they do now.  I don't know how that's going to affect their relationship, and it really has me considering in-home care (nanny).  But I wouldn't even know where to begin in finding a nanny, and worry about reliability.  

One thing that I'm trying to do to make this semester more productive cooking wise (last year we ate A LOT of Pizza Hut and other take out) is make meals that can be frozen.  I just ordered the cookbook "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer" after seeing it recommended on Pinterest.  I'm really excited to get it!  One thing that I do hate though, is that a lot of quick and budget friendly recipes have cheese in them.  And not like, "top with cheese if desired" but "and throw 3 cups of 3 different kinds of cheeses into the bowl."  Kyle is allergic to lactose (no, not intolerant, anaphylactic shock allergic) so I can't make anything with cheese, because there's not really a GOOD substitute.  I know there's substitutes, but please, I'm from Wisconsin.  

This week it looks like I gained almost 2 lbs.  I'm not really sure how that's even possible, so I'm chalking it up to water retention and overall feeling yucky.  I took my measurements, and even though I'm "down" only 3 ish lbs, I've lost a little over 5" total (2 coming from my waist!), so I don't care what the scale says, I'm definitely changing for the better!