Tipster Tuesday #3

It feels odd writing Tips already.  When the kids have a day off of school, it feels like everything is just off.  Don't let it throw you off too much though.  Here are this week's tips:

• When you feel overwhelmed... stop and take a deep breath.  [If you have kids, try really hard not to use that lung full of air to yell, "QUIET!!]
• If you do use that lung full of air to yell at the kids... OOPS!  It's okay, it happens... just apologize for losing your cool and move on.  Really, it's great if we can stay calm all the time, but sometimes, we don't.  It's just as important for your kids to learn you make mistakes and see a mature response.
• Finding inspiration to keep going starts in the kitchen... not just with healthy food, but when your kitchen is clean, neat and organized... everything just goes better.  Consider how many times you hang out in the kitchen either at home or somewhere else. As my mother says, "Am I right, or am I right?"  [Yes, kinda hard to argue with that sentiment]
• Keep your counters wiped down and your sink cleaned out.

Alright, peeps, wish me luck.  I joined a new group at my Mother's Club called "Sole to Soul"  and it's a mix of praise and exercise.  I think I can do the praise part... but I'm going to need PRAYER to get through the exercise.  I have to keep focused on my goals!

Motivational Monday #3-- The "I have a Dream" Edition

Welcome... I'll be honest... there will very likely be very little about Martin Luther King Day in this post.  I (perhaps shamefully) added that plug at the top as a sort of acknowledgement of MLK Day.    I don't have anything to say or anything motivating about it... but to DENY that MLK motivated a lot of people to bring about change would would be plain old silliness. 

I have a dream too, but it's not as grand and socially impacting as MLK's.  My dream is a little more focused on my own world... but it's a dream that perhaps wouldn't be possible without others who are socially and politically active.  In order to bring about my dreams, I have to have long-term and short-term goals.  Honestly, my kids are home today, so I don't know how effective my short-term goals will be today. [Tee Hee]

If you can recall back to the first Motivational Monday... I posted my weight as 210 lbs.  Imagine my shock and horror when I got on the scale my first Tipster Tuesday and saw "215.6" as my weight.  Gah... dunno how that happened overnight... but it was disheartening.  I am pleased to say, however, that by following my own advice... I've lost 4 lbs in the last 2 weeks... last night, I weighed 211.4 lbs.  Yeah, it's working... and when you see positive results in working towards a goal, it motivates you to keep doing it.

• Eat food cooked at home... even if you use canned chicken stock here and there, you're still pulling in less preservatives than if you were eating drive thru foods.
• Plan ahead so that the food cooked at home is ready for you... I had DELISH foods this week from the crock pot.  There's nothing nicer after a long day to come home to the scent of cooked food.
• Only 1 caffeinated drink per day-- my lovely cup of morning English Breakfast Tea... it gets me going (and I mean that in more than one way-- eliminating waste is very important to weight loss.  I'm not inclined to look up the statistics but Dr Oz put on his show how much extra weight you carry around just by not going daily or even multiple times a day... yes, you can be FULL of it).
• Water, water, water!  Really, once you start ditching things like soda and sugary drinks... water tastes sooo refreshing.  I attended my Tuesday Mother's Club last week for spa day... and someone had prepared Cucumber Water.  Who knew the taste of cucumbers could be soo refreshing!  You can add fresh fruits and veggies to your water (probably not at the same time) and suck some of that deliciousness out of the fruits and make plain water taste like summer.

I spent too much time this weekend zoning out in bad ways... I like my weekends to be relaxing but when you fiddle too much on the computer... you really have nothing to show for it.  [Note: pinterest doesn't count, ha ha... that's inspiration!]  I've decided to add a new goal... I'm constantly reading about 3-4 books at a time.  [Presently I am reading two "week by week" organizational books, a book on Catholicism and The Bad Beginning (the first in the Series of Unfortunate Events)]  I read multiple books, not solely because I have R-ADD (reading attention deficit disorder, and yes, I just made that up) rather because there are SOOO many books that interest me.  My new goal is to read 1 book, if not 2 a week.  It might seem like a lot, but I'm completely capable of achieving this IF I stop dinking around on the computer too much. [Note: Blogging doesn't count either... it's about being AWESOME].

Well, I don't know if you're motivated by this... but I certainly am... Did you write out your goals... Do you feel like you need to adjust your goals?  Do you have things you can already tweak to make your goals more realistic or come to fruition?  What is stopping you from doing these things? 

Soothing Sunday #2

Halfway through Soothing Sunday and I'm just getting to tending to your needs.  It seems, I got ahead of myself and just started soothing myself because I followed last week's outline.  With one brief exception... due to the missing item yesterday from Polly's, I had to stop at the grocery store for the second day in a row.  A little less than soothing, but the sandwich I ate for lunch was cheaper and healthier than what the trip through the drive through would have been.  I guess that makes it worth it, right?  It's okay to be off-track if it's worth it.

Following my own prescription...

1. I set expectations Saturday night.  Actually, I hadn't really planned to, but my hubba-hubba-Hubbie asked what the plan was for the next day.  [Does this mean he's reading my blog?]  All I wanted out of today from the outside world, was to go to Church with the family.  That's it... then relaxing the rest of the day (oddly to me, relaxing means finishing packing up the Christmas ornaments and running laundry-- makes Monday-Friday easier when you start on the right foot)
2. My lunch in the works got a little off track, but in my mind, I had planned ahead and told everyone we were having sandwiches at home after church.  [Or in my son's case, chicken noodle soup-- I think if we were to wring him out, he'd be dripping with chicken soup.]
3. After I pack up those ornaments and throw a load in the wash, I'm taking a nap.  And when I get up, I'm going to have a cup of mint tea... to rehydrate and pep myself up.
4. We're having tacos for dinner... and I'm not making it, either.  Someone else IS in charge and was quite willing to be... well, at least he didn't argue. 
5. Yes, the house is a bit wrecked... and I'm okay with that...  I'm going to remind everyone that while dinner is being cooked, it's clean up time.
6. Oh, yes, and I'm enjoying my family.  The TV is going off (one little guy lost his privileges) and I plan to read or knit later.

And for an added bonus this week, we (well the kids and I) get an extra weekend day due to the MLK holiday from school. 

I guess the message is... my planned worked.  I'm relaxing.  I don't feel guilty, because I managed to keep things in order all week.  I think it's a fair exchange and working of family this way.

Have you developed your own formula for a Soothing Sunday?  Give yourself permission to relax... it's okay. 

Here's my suggestion for the day to make it more soothing... Here in the Midwest, we've (finally) got a lot of snow.  My kids already went out for a romp (and to burn off some energy), but if yours haven't... kick them OUT (weather permitting of course).  You can enjoy a quiet moment inside and make them all some hot cocoa. 

After they all come back in, get out all your snuggly blankets, pop in a movie that appeals to everyone (or most everyone) and have a movie afternoon.  My favorite "everyone likes it movie" is "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"  (not the one with Johnny Depp, that's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).  It's got a good message about family, sacrifice, and respect.  I love to point out that my daughter is behaving like Veruca Salt (not the band, the character) when we go shopping.  Or telling my son to stop eating like Augustus Glug and chew his food.  Or telling him to stop obsessing about video games because he sounds like Mike TeeVee.  Plus, the Oompa Loompas are less creepy than the one guy CGI'd into hundreds in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.

If you really want to take it up a notch... you can give your kids Wonka Bars or individually wrapped Scrumpdidliumptious chocolates as a treat. [I know you can get these at Target, Meijer, and Walmart-- not sure all the smaller grocery stores are carrying them yet.]

Oh, and the nice thing about Willy Wonka is, you can still fall asleep during it.  In fact, I've been known to put it on, just so I can take a weekend nap, because it has a soothing effect on my family.  For some reason, the kids stop running and watch it... hope it works on your kids too.  The older kids may watch from the get go... don't be surprised if the younger ones don't "tune in" until they get to the room where everything is edible. 

Super Saturday #2

Okay... I admit it, it's Saturday and I'm not feeling awesome or super. 

It happens.

I think a nap is about the only thing that's going to restore my pep today. 

Frankly, today, I feel a bit like I'm in the middle of a game of Monkey in the Middle.  Perhaps, if I hadn't had the urge to buy K-Cups (for the Keurig coffee machine hubba-hubba-Hubbie got for Christmas) at Sam's Club on a Saturday morning after 11 am... I'd probably not feel like the life was sucked out of me.  Or maybe it was the fruitless trip to Office Max. Or the over indulgent trip to Michael's.  Or the trip to the grocery store for 3 items, when it turns out I needed a fourth. 

But what is that to you? An admission that I'm not always awesome, means... it's okay if you're not always at the top of your game.  I guess there's the lesson for the day... if you want to relax on the weekend, don't spend Saturday morning running errands unless you absolutely must.  I didn't and now I'm, well, resentful. 

Well... are you looking for some inspiration now?  Because I certainly am!

Last weekend, I cleaned out my spice cabinet and it felt great... so I had intended (and still intend) to spread the love in the kitchen a little more.  My Lazy Susan cabinet is really looking like there might be a miniture crazy hermit living in there.  It's supposed to have neatly organized mixing bowls, pyrex measuring cups, the hand blender and the frequently used cooking oils.  Uhm... there's definitely some odd ball stuff in there and it's all shoved in like there's an animal nesting in there.  There's another cabinet that's suffering from the same "Shove it in there" disease that also needs some love. 

So just in case you have some miniature pack rat living in your kitchen, your mission for today is to clean out that mixing bowl/baking supply area in your kitchen which was destroyed by all the crazy holiday baking.   And in case you're having trouble letting go of the Christmas holiday... today's a really good day to finally get that tree down and all the decorations packed away. 

Yes, I'm guilty of this too... my tree is on it's way to the storage area.

Family Friday #2

Today is a very special Family Friday.  Today, my daughter, reaches an amazing milestone.  Being considered the "age of reason" (which does not mean she's reasonable but rather she can see right from wrong)... she will celebrate her First Reconciliation this evening. 

Now if you're not Catholic, this may not be a big deal to you.  That's okay... I'm sure big deals happen in your life all the time that don't register on my radar.  But if you would like a little more understanding... Catholic Answers has a great explanation of reconciliation [here].  It's brief... and to the point... and hopefully it will help you understand why I would be excited that my daughter can "tell on herself." 

For me, reconciliation is my favorite sacrament offered by my Church.  It is not, contrary to what some may have been told, an excuse to act like an ass without consequences.  As I've come to understand the Grace it offers, it's really a way to acknowledge my own failures to myself, my family, this world... and of course, my God (our God?).  It is indeed a way to move beyond my failings and become a more whole, more Awesome person that God created. 

I don't really know how I can make it clear to you how amazing it is to watch my daughter step away from infancy (in the spiritual sense) and walk towards the "big kids table"  that joining us in being able to partake in the Eucharist will be in April. 

So what does this have to do with Family Friday?

I can't stop the world from happening to my children... but I can teach them that there is more to the world than what they can see.  I can only pray, fervently, that they will never lose this spark within them as I did.   I want to share with you this "pretty cool" web-tidbit with you.  I'm going to start this and just continue through out the year.  I encourage you to print it out and pray it as you feel called to do.

Thinner Thursday #2

Welcome to Thinner Thursday...

All week, I've been second guessing naming Thursdays "Thinner" because I don't want it to seem like I'm obsessed with weight loss.  It really feels like I need to clarify that "thinner" in my mind has been about  down-sizing my life-- commitments, spending, possessions and yes, my waistline. 

To be honest, today was a good day to be "thinner."  My thin-ness was focused on my schedule.  Someone close to me had surgery yesterday [yes, they are recovering just fine], but I knew that a few weeks ago and pretty much cleared my schedule of anything else for today.  It was nice to be able to go to the hospital early and sit with someone who needed me.  At one point, after about 3 hours, I was asked, "Don't you have some place to be?"  And I was able to say, not until 1 pm... I'm just here to be here.  And I wasn't stressed.

Yes, my house is a bit of a crazy mess and I'll have extra work to do in the morning to get ready for my guests.  Yes, I completely could have spent a few hours cleaning my house today.  Yes, it was more important for me to be sitting at the hospital with nothing better to do. No, I wasn't stressed about it.

Why?

Dinner was in the crockpot, kids were at school, hubba-hubba-Hubbie knew where my priority for the day was (and felt it was a priority as well)... That's what a smidgen of planning and acceptance will do for you.  You realize, it's okay to sacrifice your home-peace for the greater good of someone who needs you.  Today, it happened to be a hospital visit, but some days it's something as simple as realizing that you are the one who needs the day of attention.  Shouldn't you have room in your schedule for yourself or someone special when you need/want to?  What stress do you need to "thin out" of your life?

That said... I can't let you go without a recipe.  If you read Saturday's early and late editions, you know about my Caribbean Jerk Seasoning issue.  Imagine my surprise when I picked up a cookbook at the Dollar store called "1001 Crockpot Recipes" and was paging through it and found a crockpot recipe that included Caribbean Jerk Seasoning.  So I had to share my version of it:

3 lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs

3 Tbsp Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

1 onion, chopped

1/3 c ketchup

1/4 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup (4 oz) chicken broth

Spray crockpot with cooking spray, place chicken thighs in the bottom of the crockpot.  Sprinkle chopped onion over it.  Sprinkle Caribbean Jerk Seasoning over all.  In a small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, and chicken broth... pour over chicken in crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken in crockpot... place in whole wheat hamburger buns. 

For more flavor, put a couple of shots of Frank's Red Hot sauce on your meat... if you like it spicier, spice it up as much as you like.  The flavor was pretty mild... but it did use the jerk seasoning.  Tee-hee.  Should feed 8 people (ours fed 3 adults and 2 kids several sandwiches each). 

Web Wednesday #2

Let's be honest, it's Wednesday... we all have a lot to do... our Awesomeness is probably suffering from a little dimness and all we want is to zone out for a bit.  Well, have at it... May you zone & and find some inspiration at the same time.

Need a new way to organize yourself?  Check out this one from The Artsy Fartsy Mama Blog:

Print these out and you're well on your way to a nice, customizable one-stop shop for your planner.

Need a little motivation to jump into Thinner Thursday and keep the groove movin'? Personally, I can't manage to get a flat belly to save my life... but I'm thinking I better in order to save my life. 

Lastly... a little home organization inspiration from Better Homes & Gardens Simple Storage for Less (there are 15 neat ideas here).  I've got a nasty, nasty storage closet that needs some TLC... here's hoping this will inspire me: