Loose Ends.

Guess what tonight is? Girl's night out! Woot!
Actually I am just meeting up with a friend from high school and we are having dinner. We just reunited a couple of weeks ago and before that, it had been at least 7 years. When we saw each other it was just like it was in high school. I love friends like that! She lives a few hours away but spends the weekdays here finishing up her last Midwifery clinical. We always have tons to talk about! She even answers my totally lame questions, like *how many people really do poop while pushing? Always exciting talk!

I've been neglecting my blog, yes? I can't help it. I am obsessed here and it is so easy to just throw out a little though throughout the day. If you haven't joined yet, you really should. You won't be disappointed.

You guys have really thrown me with your choices for my glasses. The first day I was certain I'd be ordering the tortoise ones and now the last 6 votes have been for the white cat-eye ones. Between email votes and text messages on my phone. The contest stands at 10 : 8. THe tortoise taking a very small lead. So now I am really thrown for a loop! I still need to hear from a few important souls...*cough* Jill, Stacey, Krissy, Pedro, *cough*
Get on it kids!

Besides that? We are just chillin' here, waiting for summer. What have you been up to?




*A LOT to Most! Thank you Jesus.

What a Spectacle. **EDITED**

I need some help.

Since I've had babies, I've become this indecisive ya-ya. It drives people around me crazy. The time has come for me to get some new glasses. if it seems like I just got new glasses, I did just a year ago. They are scratched severely. I tried to have them fixed, but the place I got them from thought it'd be fun to charge me $150 for new lenses. Thanks but no thanks.

So. I've found two pairs of glasses. The two are very different but both very fun. Practical? Not so much but I've never really been one for practical glasses. The first ones are a heavy tortoise pattern. I love tortoise. The second ones are white marbled 50's inspired. I love that they are cat eye-ish. So can you help a sister out? Which ones do you like, for me?

**Here's the scoop, I will (cross my heart) absolutely get the ones that receive the most votes. EVERY VOTE COUNTS- Choose my glasses!

Teeny Bits.

I'm busy.  I'm bored.  I'm a twitter girl.  I signed up nearly a year ago, but this time I'm going to keep up.  If you want to know every time I shave my pits... find me here.  

Let me know if you're a twit too m'kay?

Sharing the love.

I love going out for Mexican food and having that perfectly shredded chicken in my burritos. I had never tried to make it because it seemed so intimidating and time consuming. Guess what? It is a breeze to make and you probably have all the ingredients right now!

Last night we had tostadas and soft tacos with it. We've had it just by itself with mexican rice. And I am dying to use it for chicken nachos! The best part? It makes about three meals worth. You've got to try it.

Ingredients:

1 3lb. bag boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 bottle Italian dressing (I use light)

3 cloves garlic

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 Tbs. Chili powder

salt and pepper (I hate telling people how much to use because I like salt a LOT)

Thaw out the bag of breasts and trim off anything that might gross you out and rinse. Slice onion and green pepper. I don't even bother slicing the garlic, I just smoosh with the side of my knife. Toss all the ingredients in a Crock Pot for 4-5 hours on high.

After I noticed my Crock Pot had turned off I spooned out all the breasts (there will be a lot of liquid now) and put them in a separate bowl. With a fork in each hand, start raking the meat. It practically shreds itself taking no more than 2 minutes to do it all.

Toss all of it back into the Crock Pot and give it one good stir. Turn Crock Pot to low until you are ready to eat it, but for at least 1/2 an hour.

It is totally fool-proof. I used a jalapeno yesterday instead of the green pepper . I wanted to throw in a tomato too but I only had one so I reserved it for a taco topping. Add what you like, leave out what you don't!

I put leftovers in sandwich bags in the freezer. Mmmm...Chicken Nachos!

On Love and Sickness

Hope you are having a fantastic V-Day. Me? I am having an all out love fest with my Puffs Plus.
Thanks for your well wishes. I hope to be better soon too!

Kisses! (germ free of course)

What kind of Doctors do I see?

Hiya.  Wecome to the house of sick!  Sit down and take a load off; It's gonna be here a while.

I never get colds.  So maybe never is a strong word, but my last cold was in June.  Before that?  It had been a good year, cold free.  Don't get me wrong,  my kids get them often, and Pedro too. I get every little stomach bug that walks on by but colds?  Cold are for sissies.  See?  Now you know why I am miserably sick.  I got way cocky.  

Pedro started to feel nasty last Monday.  By Thursday I was feeling good that the rest of us were not going to get it.  "It"  consisted of a wicked fever that lasted 4 days, a super tight chest, and body aches like nobody's business.    By Saturday night, Mason was moaning every hour.  By Sunday night my chest felt like some sumo wrestler was sitting on it.  And last night poor little Harper started shivering uncontrollably.  So sad.  I think this may even be Influenza.  But of course we didn't get the shot.  My crunchiness kind of thinks it's a hoax and even more, I had a Dr.( who was also the rudest doctor ever) explain to me that it is all a prediction.  No thanks.  No predictions are going into my body or my kids.  Maybe I'll feel different in a few years, but for now, that's my story.  And we are all wicked sick.

[Now watch.  The sickness will hold on for weeks because I am about to get cocky again.]

When I start to feel like I am getting sick, there are a few things I do that I swear work.  

*I make chicken soup from scratch.  Every single time anyone in my house gets sick, I make either Chicken Noodle or Chicken Dumpling soup.  I make my own stock from a whole chicken and my mom taught me how to make really good dumplings.   It's a little time consuming, but the kind of time that you don't have to be paying any attention to.  

*I drink hot herbal tea by the gallon with honey and lemon.  I once had a Doctor suggest honey for a tight chest.  He suggested two tablespoons of honey diluted with two tablespoons of hot water.  Chug a lug!  And if you don't puke from the syrupy sweetness it works!  I just prefer to drink mine a little less aggressively, in tea.

*I eat super duper healthy.  I make sure I am getting beyond enough water.  I eat a couple oranges a day.  Blood oranges are in season right now and once you eat one of those, you'll never want regular oranges.  They are so tender.  None of that stringy stuff and they just taste awesome.  I am probably on crack or Theraflu but I think they have a hit of berry-ish flavor.  Go get yourself some.

*I really don't like to take pills but when I am rocking a 103 fever I turn to my little friend, Advil.  As much as I'd love to have a natural alternative, it is the only thing that makes my crunchy ass feel any better when I am burning up.    

Peace, Love and Purell.

  

Woot!

Girls night out tonight,  Holla!

In Case you Were Wondering...

* I took the vacuum back.  I just couldn't justify keeping it when my old one was working just fine!

*I shaved my pits today!

*On Superbowl Sunday I became an Auntie again.  My older brother and his girlfriend just had their first baby.  Kyler David.  He really is beautiful.

*I am thinking about joining 30 tiny moments.

*Someone should sign me up for "Mother of the year" stat!  Today after lunch I started giving the nap countdown when Mason decided to throw a huge hissy.  

"NO!  I don't want to take a nap!"

Without even skipping a beat or raising my voice I just replied, "tough titty."

Cue the screeching record

What was I thinking?  Clearly, I wasn't.  I don't talk like that (around my kids) ever.

Classy! Like having a 4 year-old birthday party at a nudie bar.  

Totally embarrassing. 

No one I'd rather be with.

I always feel weird talking about this because it is so complex, but I feel this special bond with Mason.  Is it because he's my first? Is it because he's a boy?  Or, is it because we went through so much when he was a tiny premature baby?  Maybe it's all of those things combined, I am not really sure.  Sometimes  I let myself feel guilty about it which I shouldn't.  It is not at all that I love him more, it is just different, a lot like a father and his daughter I'd assume.  

I've been feeling like I wanted to spend some special time with Mason.  He's been really difficult lately and I start to feel like all I do is nag about what he's doing wrong, so I wanted to spend a few hour just with him. 

 

We decided on Saturday morning that we were going to go to a movie.  Mason was so excited! 

We got to the cinema and it was sold out!  You should have seen all the tears.  Mason didn't get why we couldn't just take a different seat.  Poor kid.  his first time to a movie and he got the shaft.  

Instead, he wanted to go into the arcade (a personal hell for me).  He first road this motorcycle that I helped him with.  We did awful.  He wanted to drive the race car next and I kept my hands to myself. 

 He did way better without me.  

Sheesh. I am so not ready to be saying that out loud.

We had a nice morning together.  We need to do it more often, my special little guy.