Another Adventure at Disney

We got up early on Wednesday and headed out for a day at Disney to celebrate Joe's birthday (does the celebrating ever end?).  We made a quick stop at Publix for some sliced cheese and a special treat--Uncrustables!  And, they were on sale--woohoo!  I NEVER buy those things, I just can't when making a sandwich is so easy and cheap.  BUT--they are great for taking to Disney and significantly cheaper than even a small box of popcorn.  I spent $16 and got 4 boxes of Uncrustables, some Havarti cheese to go with the Triscuits I had already packed, and 3 packs of new Cherry M & M's.  Still cheaper than a meal at Disney.  I also packed the backpack with lots of other snacks.  We made it to the park formerly known as MGM (it's now called Hollywood Studios) and went to go pick out toys at the Star Wars store.  Joe got some money for his birthday specifically to be spent there.  We met up with Lisa and Dorothy and watched Pastor Doug's show.  It was great as always.  He sings right before the Beauty and the Beast show.  It is a must see if you are ever at Hollywood Studios.  The Beauty and the Beast show isn't too bad either but I have had enough of listening to her whine about living in her provencial town.  We skipped out after the pre-show.  We went on to see the High School Musical show and ride Star Tours twice.  Then it was off to the Magic Kingdom where we stayed until the fireworks.  The highlight was getting to ride Splash Mountain four times!  The line is usually really long but not yesterday.  The cold weather had scared everyone away and with good reason.  We managed to stay reasonably dry until the fourth time--we got soaked!  Needless to say we were freezing after that.  Some hot chocolate helped but not much.  When we first got on Splash Mountain, Joe said, "I am sooo excited about this, I just hope I don't die."  He didn't and begged to go three more times!  We watched Ms. Amanda fly as Tinkerbell and then hurried out of the park ahead of the crowd watching fireworks.  It was a really great day.  I really enjoyed my kids and their different personalities.  Joe got a blaster at the Star Wars store and spent the rest of the day trying to shoot imaginary bad guys.  He would jump up on any rock, lurk behind things, and shoot that blaster all over the place.  Hannah sparred with him a little with the new lightsaber.  They were cute.  I forgot--we also got to ride in the front of the monorail where the driver sits.  Also--Joe was getting really tired of me taking pictures so he gave me some funny looks.

More Happy Birthday Joe

Tuesday night we celebrated Joe's birthday.  He had requested hotdogs, hamburgers, and mac'n cheese.  I was hoping he would forget the hamburger part.  I do not make a good hamburger and I am trying not to eat them right now SO--I had the brilliant idea to just go to McD's and get three $1 double cheeseburgers.  The kids loved it and I didn't have to do any extra cooking.  To go with my quest to eat healthier I bought turkey franks and skipped the burgers and mac'n cheese.  Instead I sauteed some vegetables--asparagus, purple onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms for Ollie and I and cooked a couple of sweet potatoes.  We had the cupcakes for dessert again--I never got around to making a different dessert and Joe ate a cupcake in the afternoon and enjoyed it so I figured we could just have those.  After dinner he opened his gifts.  We got him a light for his new Game Boy Advance (a hand me down from my nephew) and the Lego Star Wars game for it.  I also wrapped up three new t-shirts.  He was less than thrilled with those but they were on sale and I bought them that day so why not wrap them up???  I forgot to mention that he got the "Do you know what I like about you?" plate at dinner.  That means we all go around and tell him what we like about him.  We use this plate whenever we have birthdays, often when we have guests, and sometimes just because.  I even give it to myself sometimes when I need to hear some encouraging words.  

A Whole Extra Day

It occurred to me that I should do something significant on Friday--I mean, we get a whole extra day this year!  I don't know what to do but I'll think of something to celebrate.  What are you going to do????

Diet Update

Well, I made it two weeks with my diet and was totally prepared to continue but I've seen a doctor (sort of) and decided that it really isn't worth the effort.  The chances of improving just based on that are slim.  Caryn's husband is a Physician's Assistant and he gave me some of his time last night.  He looked at my fat finger and we talked about all the other things that are going on that make me think my body is inflamed.  My finger is almost definitely psoriatic arthritis.  He had a book on Dermatology that said that when you have psoriasis you have about an 80% chance of developing psoriatic arthritis which mostly affects your fingers and toes.  So, my plan of action now is to deal with the inflammation with ibuprofen for a few days.  He said that inflammation like my swollen finger is like a smoldering fire.  It takes a long time to burn itself out and it's not good for your body to simmer like that.  I am also going to continue eating healthily and eating less in an effort to lose some weight.  I will be eating lots of fruits and vegetables as well as taking fish oil as a supplement.  I am going to make a serious effort to lose weight so I will still be mostly following my anti-inflammatory diet because it is a healthy way to eat but I will not be so strict about it.  I am hoping to add exercise to my life, something more than just the walk to pick up Joe and to theatre.  We'll see.  So, I sampled the cupcakes today--just a bite and they were pretty good.  I actually haven't missed the sugar as much as I thought I would.    I think I can do this and will hopefully feel better as a result.

Happy Birthday Party for Joe

Joe's birthday is tomorrow and we are beginning our celebrations today.  We had a party at the park with friends today.  Joe was so happy and not at all embarassed or uncomfortable.  Tonight we are having birthday dinner--Mac n' cheese and hotdogs.  I think I will add some sort of vegetable and a salad.  I may have to come up with a different dessert though.  I made cupcakes for his party and he told me that he has a problem with cupcakes--they make him sick.  I have extra cupcakes that I planned to have tonight but I would like him to have something he wants to eat.  Maybe pudding...

Tomorrow we are going to Disney for the day.  We are starting at MGM (which is now Hollywood Studios), they have a big Star Wars store so we are going there first.  He has gotten some money for his birthday and he gets to go buy something in the Star Wars store--this is a huge deal for him! It should be fun, I'm excited!

Green Hour Challenge Assignment #1

Although my assignment is incomplete so far I'm posting it anyway.  Maybe I can get some help here.  Walking Joe home from school this week we came across a whole bunch of these black and red insects on a palm tree.  I do not have a good field guide at home and have been trying to use the internet but cannot seem to find out what this insect is.  Any ideas???  We watched them for a while and collected what we think was a larva.  A little red wormy thing.  I have a more comprehensive field guide on request at the library so maybe that will help.  I think tomorrow we will sketch it in our notebooks even if we don't know what it is yet.  

Weekend Stuff

Well, we've managed to have a quiet weekend around here.  I slept in until 9 am on Saturday and didn't manage to get out of bed until 11.  I was really into a book and just had to finish.  It is called "Keeping Faith" by Jodi Picoult.  Great book.  I must add that it was pouring the whole two hours.  My favorite thing to do when it is raining is to lay around and read so I'd say that was a great start to my weekend.  

I got some grocery shopping done.  I've lost my enthusiasm for this anti-inflammatory diet so it was hard to come up with a menu this week.  So far I have felt no different and see no improvement.  It has only been two weeks though but it is a pretty extreme change from my usual diet.  Actually, I have noticed that I have much more energy overall and don't have that late afternoon crash.  So, that's good.  I'm reading a new book--one of the Zone books for inflammation.  It seems to make a lot of sense and not too hard to follow.  I need to finish the book before I make any decisions.  They do guarantee that you will feel better in 30 days or less.  So, it may be worth giving it a shot.  It's all about balancing your carbs and protein.  I really do not enjoy putting this much thought into what I eat but if it makes me feel better I'll go for it.

I played "Life" with all three kids.  That was fun, a little crazy but fun nonetheless.  I made Hannah play by the real rules.  It seems she's come up with her own "house rules."  One of which is that she is always the doctor--the highest paying career you can get.  I nipped that little rule in the bud.  She started in a fairly low paying job but managed to have a good attitude.  She made the good choice to go back to college and ended up getting a much better job.  I got to be the doctor--:0).  It was totally fair though.  In the end she managed to win.  She has learned about investing from her Uncle Billy and she bought up all the numbers at $10,000 each and then everytime we spun she got $5,000.  

Today has been a day of errands and rest.  The kids watched old home videos from when Grace was a toddler.  Man those were the days.  Life seemed much simpler.  Now we have homeschooling, preschool, activities, and a busier life in general.  I would love to go back and just relive a day every once in a while.  I guess I kind of did that today watching the videos.  As much as I miss having little ones I also love the ages my kids are at.  As a kid and teen I loved babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.  I loved babysitting them but didn't really care much for the older kids.  I worried that I wouldn't enjoy my own kids as they left the little stage.  Of course, that hasn't been true.  It is such a joy to see them grow up and change and become their own little people with their own ideas, interests, likes, and dislikes.  I love spending my days with them (most of the time) and just living life with them.  

How was your weekend?

More Art

Here are the pictures the girls brought home from art this week.   They have an amazing teacher and I am so thankful for her!  Hannah's picture is hopefully going to be used for the programs and poster for the upcoming show of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  They will put the show title over the art.  

Handicrafts in our homeschool

These past two weeks the girls have really gotten into doing more sewing and stuff.  We finally finished the first project in that kit I bought.  It was really fun.  I'm looking forward to the next one.  This one is a notebook cover, you can't tell but it has a little notebook in it.  The next project is a little bag.  Sewing on felt is really easy for them and makes a nice project.  I also taught Hannah to crochet and she is loving making a really long chain.  Grace hasn't quite gotten the hang of it but she will.  In addition to these--a friend gave us a huge kit of perler beads.  You put them on a template thing and then iron it to make a little thingy.  Not sure what to call them.  Anyway, they've had fun with them.  

American Idol--the ladies

I wasn't as into American Idol last night.  None of these ladies are all that fun to watch in my opinion.  I do have favorites though--Brooke, Syesha, and Asia'h.  My kids are enjoying watching this as well and they watched it here last night while I was at Lydi and Micah's watching it.  I instructed them before I left to leave the room for commercials.  Not sure if they did but I hope so.  I really wish the commercials were more family friendly.  Anyway, we were discussing it this morning and Joe said, "I did not like the rockin' nurse."  Cracked me up.  He likes Brooke.  Hannah likes Kristy Lee, Alaina, and Katy.  I'm not sure who Grace likes yet.  Looking forward to tonight's results show.  

A Joe Funny

When Joe was getting ready to Joe to Chicago I asked him to give hugs to everybody.  I named each person and he listened carefully then told me that was a lot of people but he would try.  As soon as he got to Chicago he went to Grandpa and told him, "I'm supposed to give hugs to everybody for Mom and I think I'm going to need your help."  So sweet.

Happy Birthday Nathan Eli

Shelly and Jon (some of you know them, some may not) had their third baby last night!  I had Lydi and Micah from about 3 on.  They came here for some playtime and dinner and then home to bed.  Joe had fun teaching Micah to be a Jedi and the girls dressed Lydi up.  

Creativity in the Kitchen or Fun With Flaxseed

On my new anti-inflammatory diet I am supposed to have a lot of Omega-3.  That can be found in fish, walnuts, and flaxseed (in other things as well but those are the biggies).  I bought some flaxseed at the store and have been grinding it in my coffee grinder and adding it to all sorts of things.  It doesn't have a strong taste so you can sneak it into lots of things.  I've added it to smoothies, pancakes, sprinkled it in a casserole, you get the picture.  Last night I made a really good pizza for Ollie and I, the kids just had regular cheese pizza with bad white crust.  For Ollie and I--I made a flaxseed crust.  The recipe I use for pizza crust calls for 3 cups of flour.  For ours I used 1 cup of white flour, 1 cup of wheat flour, and 1 cup of flaxseed.  It was actually pretty good.  It had a nutty taste that wasn't bad.  I made a roasted red pepper sauce.  I kind of made it up (Michelle--you didn't call me back!).  I put a jar of roasted red peppers in the blender and added some flaxseed (of course) and some ricotta cheese and blended it up.  That was the bottom sauce and then I put a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and then spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese, purple onions, and red bell pepper.  It was a really good pizza.  I'd like to say that I made this up but I actually copied it from a Kashi frozen pizza I had earlier this week.  So, I've now found a way to have pizza on my new diet.  

I also made some pumpkin muffins last night.  I thought I would have 2 extra kids for breakfast--and wanted to plan ahead.  They turned into very healthy muffins.  I was out of white flour so I used whole wheat flour, cut the sugar in half and you guessed it--added some flaxseed!  I even had one for breakfast.  I know I am not supposed to have sugar but it was really minimal.  Besides I think all that flaxseed will cancel out a tablespoon of sugar.  

For anyone who is interested, here's the pizza crust recipe.  I do the dough in a bread machine--

1 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup ground flaxseed
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. bread machine yeast (1 1/2 tsp. of regular yeast)

Pictures from Chicago

Here are some pictures from the weekend in Chicago.  They had a great time!

American Idol

I can't believe that it was a two hour show tonight and two hours tomorrow night!  I don't know if I am going to be able to go the distance with this one.  Are they always two hours??  I cannot sit and just watch tv for two hours two nights a week.  TV is such a time waster!  I could be reading or blogging or doing something worth something.  But, alas, I am really into this show--what to do, what to do...
Tonight was fun getting to hear all the guys.  I liked most of them.  My faves were Danny (voting for him), David, the last two, and Chekesie (don't think I spelled that right).  It's really hard to decide who to vote for.  Danny was the one all three of us (the girls and I) liked so he gets my vote tonight.  

Nature Study

You may notice I have something new on my sidebar.  It is from another homeschooler's blog.  She has a wonderful blog that is all about nature study, art, composers, etc.  All those "extras" that I so desire to include in our homeschool but seldom make time for.  Her daughter also has a blog where she talks about learning hand crafts and she sells kits.  I've mentioned her before, I got a great sewing kit from her.  Anyway, Harmony Art Mom, has issued a GreenHour challenge.  Each week she will give an assignment for nature study.  It includes reading from The Handbook of Nature Study by Anne Botsford Comstock.  I've had this for years and have hardly opened it.  It's supposedly an excellent book for nature study.  I think you can read some of it online if you don't have it.  So--I'm taking the challenge and I am excited about it.  Do any of you fellow homeschoolers want to join with me--we can motivate each other and maybe plan activities together.  She has purposely made it so that it could only take less than an hour a week.  You can click on the link I included above to see her blog and read about this for yourself.  Who's up for it?

Pictures to go with the last three posts

Wow! What a weekend--part 3

Sunday was easily just as busy as Saturday but a little more "fun."  Grace and I went to church and then ran some errands and then off to a skating party.  Grace loves to skate.  She is getting better and better.  It would help if I took her more often...
Anyway, the party was fun and Grace loved the skating.  After that we came home where I quickly made myself a sandwich (since there is NO fast food I can eat right now) and we headed out to Disney.  The girls' theatre director just recently got the job of Tinkerbell--the one that flies from the castle during the fireworks.  She was flying at 10 pm last night and Grace and I were going to watch.  It was fun arriving at Disney at 7.  We are not usually there at night because we usually arrive early.  I couldn't believe the crowds--there were a ton of people there.  I talked to someone who said that in Connecticut and probably some other northern states they have the whole week off of school.  In spite of the crowds we went on Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain (and got soaked), and It's a Small World.  We also got to see Mickey's Philharmagic--awesome show if you are ever at Disney, it is a must see!  Then we watched Ms. Amanda fly and headed straight for home.  It was really a great night and soooo easy with only one child.  I have enjoyed my time with Grace.  I wish I had a weekend alone with each child once or twice a year.  It has really been great.  She's not competing for attention and I can focus on just her.  With that said--we will both be thrilled to welcome the rest of our family home this afternoon.  We have missed them.  

Wow! What a weekend--part 2

So, as soon as O, H, and J left for the airport I took Grace to theatre and then left for the rehearsal of a wedding I was in Saturday.  I was a bridesmaid in my friend Lynne's wedding on Saturday.  We had rehearsal and dinner on Friday.  I enjoyed the dinner and time to get to know her husband to be a little bit more.  He is really a nice guy.  My aunt and uncle picked Grace up from theatre and took her home to spend the night and next day with them.  So--that means I slept totally alone in my house.  I haven't done that in more than 8 years.  Unbelievably, I was totally at ease.  I guess I have finally grown up and can sleep in my own house alone without being terrified.  Of course, it was more than that--I spent some time praying for peace and not to be in fear.  I don't know why it is but when Ollie is here I am perfectly comfortable taking the trash out, going out to the car, whatever no matter how late it is.  But, when he is gone I would never go outside in the dark.  My imagination has "bad guys" all over the place just waiting to get me.  It's really silly.  So, my night went smoothly and I was in bed by 10.  I got up early and went to Steph's--she did my hair and makeup for the wedding.  The rest of the day was spent at the wedding.  It was a very pretty wedding.  Lynne's dress was beautiful as were her daughters.  Her mom made all three!  I was impressed.  I didn't get a picture of Lynne.   I took almost no pictures--I know, I can't believe it either.  I knew I would regret it but I didn't want to carry around my camera and I didn't have my purse with me much.  So, that was Saturday.  I got to my aunt's house at about 6:30 and then had dinner with them.  I had been so stressed that when I finally relaxed I really relaxed and got a little goofy.  We had a lot of laughter at the dinner table.  It was fun.  

Wow! What a Weekend--part 1

This past weekend was amazingly crazy.  Ollie, Hannah, and Joe left Friday afternoon for a flight to Chicago.  Grace and I went for Thanksgiving and this weekend it was their turn.  They left Friday afternoon and although running late made their flight.  It made me a nervous wreck but Ollie was cool as a cucumber.  I talked to them later in the evening when they got there and the kids were both excited.   They got to watch a movie on the airplane.  Daddy had tomato juice, Joe had Sprite, and Hannah had Sprite.  There was snow on the ground.  Grandma had made heart shaped pasta.  It was fun to hear them both so excited.  But--hard to know they were all the way across the country.  I haven't had much time to dwell on that though.  I think I have been home a total of maybe 3 hours all weekend not counting sleeping time.  I will do a separate post for each event.  It's easier that way since I have yet to have success with posting pictures and typing between them.  

Art in two forms

Here is Grace's second picture from art class.  I think it is wonderful.  It is VERY similar to a pear that Hannah did last year.  I am hoping that she won't always try to do something Hannah has done but I guess it is normal to want to emulate your older sister.  Especially an older sister that has gotten a lot of attention for her art abilities.  The other picture is a sculpture that Hannah made out of these great building toy that Joe got for Christmas.

Valentine's Day

We had a fun evening last night.  I did end up making a dessert.  Michelled recommended egg custard lightly sweetened.  I made that with half the sugar called for and with raw sugar.  We had it with berries and honey and it was wonderful.  Yes, I ate some.  I put no honey in mine, just berries (which are anti-inflammatory).  It was very good.  I will have to try that again sometime.  We then made cards.  It was fun to create something special for each other.  Joe didn't participate but that's okay.  I was impressed with how much time Grace put into hers.  I actually had to rush her on her last one because it was getting late.  This was a fun thing that just might become a tradition.  If I can remember it by next year.  Somebody remind me if I forget!

One more tag that I forgot to do

1. Pick the nearest book (at least 123 pages long).
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the next 3 sentences.
5. Tage five people.


Patients taking the antioxidants or vitamin E had higher levels of glutathione peroxidase, a powerful antioxidant made by the body, and lower levels of free radicals.  If you are like many people, you have been frustrated when trying to discuss diet or supplements with your physician.  All too often, doctors quickly and arrogantly dismess their patients' questions on these subjects.

from "The Inflammation Syndrome"

I've been tagged--

Here are the instructions: Copy these questions onto your blog and answer them. Tag all of your friends by posting a comment on thier blog. Add links to their blogs on yours. Have fun, and learn more about your pals!


1.WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?   My mom and I share the middle name Richelle.  This is also Hannah's middle name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?  two days ago--major hormone breakdown

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?  yes

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?  I do not really like lunch meat but if I have to choose I would say ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?  Yes--three.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  Yes, I think so.  I am pretty easy to get along with.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? too much
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?  Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?  No way!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Quaker Oat Squares and Life
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?  I don't get to wear shoes that tie anymore.  They don't make Birkenstocks with ties that I know of.  If they did I probably couldn't afford them.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?  Physically--not at all.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Publix brand "Oh Fudge, Oh Nuts."
14 WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  their butt
15. RED OR PINK? red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?   I am just sort of mediocre.  Not spectacular at anything.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? ???
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO PLAY ALONG WITH THIS GAME? I don't think I have anyone left to tag.  I am probably driving my fellow bloggers crazy with tag.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans (as always) and tan shoes.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? carrot soup.  I actually bought my children Chick-fil-a and I came home and ate carrot soup.  This was not easy!

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? nothing,  it's extremely quiet at my house.  My children must be up to something.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? yellow

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?  coffee and bleach but not together

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Lynne

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Absolutely!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?  I don't really like to watch sports.  The only thing I watch is the summer olympics--love that!

27. HAIR COLOR? brown
28. EYE COLOR?blue. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes

30 FAVORITE FOOD?  anything asian
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? definitely happy endings.  

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Underdog

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy blue
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter
35. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? anything with chocolate--probably ice cream

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Just finished "Riding Lessons" 

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? no mouse pad

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? nothing

42. FAVORITE SOUND? rain, especially storms

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?  Italy
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?  no

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? in Georgia

A Great Experience!

We just got back from the nursing home and we had a really great time.  Noone got yelled at, noone was traumatized.  Even Joe got into it and passed out lots of Valentines.  He was a little choosy though.  The people seemed to enjoy us being there and the lady who works there actually cried when she was introducing us.  She was that thankful that we had come.  She said they never have groups like ours come in.  We are going to try to get back again soon.  Maybe for St. Patrick's Day or Easter.  

Valentine's Day is Overrated

I am so not into Valentine's day this year.  Thankfully, Ollie isn't either.  We aren't big gift givers so we have never exchanged gifts for Valentine's.  We usually make dinner and have a nice dessert.  This year for dessert I think I will make carrots.  That would fit into my new diet plan.  We could have some ranch dressing to go with them.  Yum!  This year with neither of us really into this we aren't even doing a special dinner.  We have been getting the kids small Valentine's gifts since Hannah was a toddler but we are trying to phase that out this year.  Our plan instead is to have a card making session.   We will get out the construction paper, crayons, scissors, and glue and make cards for each other.  I love this idea (not mine--Ollie's).  We will be spending time together and making something meaningful.  It should be fun to see what we all come up with.  And, maybe I will find it somewhere in my itty bitty heart to make them a dessert that does not involve a vegetable.  

Our other big plans for Valentine's day is to go to a local nursing home with our homeschool group and pass out Valentines there.  We did this last year and it was really a blessing to us and them.  Unfortunately Grace had a bad experience.  She went to give this one lady a Valentine and the woman yelled, "I don't want no Valentine!" and threw the Valentine back at Grace.  I was right there and quickly came to Grace's rescue so she wasn't too traumatized.  The picture I've posted in this blog is the woman right before blasting Grace.  It was actually really funny.  So, Grace may be a little hesitant tomorrow.  

American Idol and a headache

I have a headache!  I think it is the sugar withdrawal.  Day 2 was definitely easier.  Already I am thinking about my cravings much less.  Let's hope it continues to get easier.  I haven't hit any serious temptation yet though.  No one has offered me a brownie or anything like that and I haven't been in the presence of a brownie or cookie.  

I watched American Idol tonight.  I watched part of it last week.  Believe it or not I have never watched a whole season of American Idol.  In fact, the last time I watched even one show was back when Diana Degarmo and Fantasia were in the running to win it all.  I think I'm going to try to watch it all this time.  I really enjoyed the auditions.  I've already picked some favorites.  I can't wait to see tomorrow night who they choose to be on the show.  I'm hoping for Josiah--my favorite so far and not just because he has my all time favorite name.  I also really liked the blond girl who has never seen an R-rated movie.  I can't remember her name.  I forgot--I also really like the nerdy guy Kyle.  If you are watching, who are your favorites?  

Day One and My Menu

Well, I survived Day one of my anti-inflammatory diet.  It wasn't so bad.  I did totally crave sugar but I didn't give in.  I think it will get easier and I am so eager to see if this works that it's really motivating me to stick with it.  I bought some stuff called Xylitol that is a natural sweetener and plan to only use it in coffee and hot tea.  I don't think it counts as artificial sweetener but I still don't plan on abusing it.  I had already decided that but then read the label and it said that if you eat too much it could cause diarrhea.  No thank you.  That reminds me of a commercial that was on a few years ago.  It was for some sort of prescription drug and one of the side effects listed was "sudden onset of explosive diarrhea."  

That could be a problem.  
What if you are in line somewhere? 
in the car? 
at the dinner table?  

Enough about that--I've had a few people ask me what my menu is so here it is--

Salmon, spinach squares, and mashed potatoes
Chicken nachos
Baked Lentils and cheese
Veggie night--carrot soup, sauteed squash and zucchini, sweet potatoes, and cornbread
Red Lentil Soup

I also bought nuts, seeds, flax seed, acorn squash, butternut squash, canteloupe, and strawberries to supplement or snack on.  

Hope everyone had a good day--mine was great but I'm exhausted (sugar withdrawal?) so I'm going to bed early.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig...

Home again, home again like a fat pig.  That's how I feel tonight.  After Chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, Wendy's for lunch, and lots of dark chocolate covered almonds I should feel like a fat pig. I left Georgia at 6 am and arrived home at about 1:30.  It was an uneventful trip thankfully.  I am always a little nervous traveling alone with three kids.  I hate the thought of getting a flat tire or having car trouble and being stuck on the highway with three children to be responsible for.  I pray a lot!

We had a great visit in Georgia, we always do but I have to say there is no place like home.  I love my house, my cute little town, my bed, and the list goes on.  If only my family would move here it would be perfect.  

So, tomorrow I start the first week of my four week experiment.  I have a host of minor health issues--psoriasis, sebhorric dermatitis on my scalp, an arthritic finger, achy hips, and plantar fascitis in both feet.  My chiropractor has told me that I have a  very inflamed body.  So, after some research by Kiwi--I've decided to try an anti-inflammatory diet.  The hardest part will be no sugar and no artificial sweeteners.  The hardest thing to give up will be Caramel Macchiatos--my favorite!  The other things aren't so bad--the main ones are no beef, no pork, no white pasta, or white bread, nothing fried, and no peanuts.  I made a menu today that included whole grains, vegetables, and chicken.  I won't have to starve but will have to plan.  I figure in four weeks I should have some idea of whether or not it is helping.  If it is then I will need to continue keeping these things out of my diet but can have a cheat every once in a while.  I am hoping that in addition to having these issues cleared up I might also lose some weight.  We'll see... If you are a praying person pray for me to be nice during the sugar withdrawal.   

Recognize this sassy chick?

This is my senior picture--I especially love the blue eye shadow.

Valentine Party at Petco

We took Okley (my parent's dog) to Petco today for a Valentine party. It was pretty funny. Grace was dressed in her new Valentine skirt. Okley had a ribbon on his collar adn we joined lots of dog lovers for the Valentine party. We started with getting a polaroid picture taken and were given a very nice cardboard frame to display it in. Then Okley put his paw print on a Valentine for us. Next, Grace and Joe decorated a cookie for Okley and then we waited in line for the pet kissing contest. Okley fell in love with a little cocker spaniel and we had to hold him back from loving her too much. :0) Then it was our turn. Despite lots of practice Okley wouldn't cooperate and give Grace a kiss. He was a little too distracted. He did finally give Grammy a kiss but we didn't win the kissing contest. We had a great time, met some very unique people who love their dogs, and made a memory!