Sprite's Keeper

Getting some take out from the Sushi Bar

3 posts in a row? Did I get my blogging mojo back? Do you even read this site anymore?

Moving on.

Jan posted a recipe yesterday for savory almond flour muffins on her site, and being the ardent follower I am, I HAD to make them that very evening and review them.

You see, in our new lifestyle, there's not a lot of bread going on. (I'm sure I'll go more into this on a later post.) Anytime I see something that looks even like a distant cousin of a baked good and promises to be "safe", I want it.

For instance, our local health food store makes organic carrot cake, which John had gotten me for my birthday. (The kid was insistent on me having cake for my birthday.) The first ingredient in it was garbanzo bean flour. Can I just say it was absolutely delicious?

It was absolutely delicious.

Moving on.

Jan posts tons of recipes on her site, most of them these days related to healthier eating, and by that I mean coconut oil, tallow, all kinds of meats, etc. That's right, folks. Her cooking brings us back to basics. (Butter, y'all. Maybe Ms. Paula Deen isn't really trying to kill us?) (Although Jan doesn't use butter herself since she banned cow's dairy from her diet.) (Sorry, Jan, but I'm a bitch without the cream in my coffee, I did wean myself off the sweeteners so there's that.)

Wow, I'm really working myself into multiple tangents here. (So THIS is why I can't post more than twice a week anymore..)

On with the review!

 

Excuse the photos. John wasn't home and I couldn't find the memory card for his "nice" camera, so I used my trusty point-n-shoot. If you want nice pictures that actually make you want to eat the screen, go visit Jan.

Now, I didn't take any pictures of the mixing process, which was so easy, I had to constantly double check myself to make sure nothing had been skipped.

20 minutes later, we had muffins.

They complimented our meal of brown rice pasta (gluten free) and grass fed ground beef with organic marinara sauce. Oh, and spinach. ("Something green on your plate!") (Oh, God. My transformation of becoming my mother is almost complete.)

(I'm writing this post three hours after eating and I'm still full.)

 

Like my teeth marks? No braces. Look how even those dental grooves are.

Oh, yeah. It should be noted that Jan's recipe calls for unblanched almond flour and I only had the blanched kind, which probably affected the color. I had considered taking out the Ninja and trying to make myself some unblanched almond flour, but time was of the essence and I wasn't in the mood to waste perfectly good almonds should I do it wrong. (And Sprite hates the sound of the Ninja doing its thing. You know, for a "ninja", stealth is one of its weaknesses.)

They were better than cornbread. Seriously! Okay, don't just take my word for it. What did you think, John?

 

(I had to put the rest into the freezer before he could grab another. So, Jan, look for another word from me about how these thaw or reheat.) Yes, he loved them.

Hm, he's an easy sell. We need to go after someone harder, a tougher nut to crack, someone who must not be told that what she's about to consume actually has no processed flour in it.

 

"What do you think, Sprite?"

 

"Mmmph."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, kid."

Bottom line, the almond flour muffin was all she would eat for dinner. I even layered some cheddar on top of her pasta, she wouldn't touch it, but did ask for another muffin.

So there you go, three thumbs up, and something to look forward to for the weekend. (This recipe gave me eight good sized muffins although Jan's recipe calls for nine.)

Most of you who are still reading this site, all three of you, probably already frequent Jan's Sushi Bar, and if you don't, what are you waiting for? Get over there now before she releases her cookbook and becomes too busy and famous to post anything anymore!

(And maybe this review will net me an autograph for my copy..)

(Yes, that was blatant begging.)

Oh, by the way, Jan had no idea I'm doing this. She probably saw the title of this post and thought, "Oh, shit, what did that girl DO?"

I did muffins. That's what I did.

RTT: Because my dad says I'm not writing enough..

 

I find it funny that my dad has commented on my blog maybe a handful of times in the over three years I've been writing it, yet asked me why I haven't written a Random Tuesday Thoughts in so long. Of course, my answer of "busy/child/work/sleep/zombie watching" is a standard reply, but for him, and you, I will eek one out today.

It may be half-assed, unlike all of my other brilliant work that appears in the archives. (Just trust me on that, don't actually go back and read, we'll never hear from you again..)

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It bears repeating: Unless you are currently filming a reality show (If you do not know whether or not you are in contract with a reality show, please look in your immediate vicinity for cameras and boom mikes. No camera equals no reality show.), any time you use the speaker option on your cell phone, it only amplifies to others how obnoxious you are.

This can also apply to vehicles that back into parking spaces or take up two spaces at once, but only to those whose rims are more than 20", cuz now you're just asking for attention.

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 Any time your child speaks up with "I have an idea!" complete with pointer finger raised, it will end in "I'm sleeping in your bed tonight."

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I dislike discussing politics/current affairs/religion/anything with people who don't know what they're arguing for because then it feels like I'm trying to sell what I believe in and they just look ignorant.

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We traveled on Sunday to see our families for the day, resulting in a long ride uphill through the snow both ways. A very late lunch followed by a two hour nap in the car on the ride home, resulted in a very awake Sprite at 9PM. I had given her a cheese stick since dinner would sit too heavily in her stomach and some water, then made myself a pseudo grilled cheese sandwich (I stole some of Sprite's bread and some of John's 75% fat free cheddar, Cabot brand, really good!) since my own stomach didn't care about heartburn at 2 in the morning.

Upon finishing the preparation, I was greeted by my daughter who had proclaimed for all not even ten minutes earlier that she wasn't hungry and a cheese stick was the perfect ending to her day. "What's on your plate, Mommy?"

I sighed, knowing what was coming, listening to John snicker behind me. "A cheese sandwich."

"Can I see?" She smiled.

I lowered the plate for her inspection.

"Oh, my! That looks VERY yummy! I bet it tastes good." She rolled her hand over her midection. "That would make my tummy very happy."

I split the damn sandwich with her.

This is why I wait until she goes to bed before I break out the Smart Ones desserts.

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 Sprite is loving jokes these days. A few are just plain groan worthy, but most have stumped me, and her, since she doesn't remember the answer:

"When is a banana not a banana?"

Honestly, I've asked her teachers, other parents of kids she hangs with, I want to know this answer. Google hasn't brought anything up other than the history behind nature's phallic symbol and it's no help. Finally, I've resorted to making my own answer:

"When it's lost its a-peel."

Now, it's over HER head, but at least I'm satisfied.

Another joke she loves to repeat:

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Peach."
"Peach who?"
"Peach Sprite!"

Um, yeah.

I have been teaching her the chicken jokes though and we like to build onto them:

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"To get to the other side."

"Why did the kid cross the playground?"
"To get to the other slide."

"Why did the turtle cross the ocean?"
"To get to the other tide."

"Why did Sprite run across Disney World?"
"To get to the next ride."

Do you have any you could think of to add to this -ide anthology? I would love to hear it and Sprite would love to add it to her growing list of laughs.

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Okay, so maybe this RTT is 3/4 assed, therefore more than I promised you, less than I should have delivered.

So I will deliver you over to Stacy who is currently carrying the wine glass torch for RTT in honor of Keely who is currently holding a mojito. Check out all the other randomizers and randomize something yourself. It's kind of like bedazzling, only not so...80's.

Have a great Tuesday, you all!

RTT: It's been a while for me..

I think Stacy is still leading the revolt against ending Random Tuesday Thoughts. Or Keely has picked up the gauntlet again?

Let me cover my tracks and tell you to click on both sites and say hi. This way, you DO make it to the right place (eventually) and I can fact check one less thing today.

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I think Harry has a tick in his fur. Rather, in his skin, since we shaved him near bald this last weekend to stop him from becoming a plant seeing as every weed out there likes to attach their crap seeds to his long hair, so there's really no fur left. In fact, when all the hair came off, we realized how gray he was getting, punctuating the fact (repeatedly) with "Dude, you're getting old!"

Today he turns nine, which works out to, um, add seven... carry the one... really lucky in dog years considering the amount of times he's peed under our dining room table just to be a schmuck.

So, I keep reminding myself every couple of minutes to tell John about the tick since I refuse to do anything about it myself. It's more of a squeamish thing, I think, or it's a, um, nope, definitely a squeamish thing. John is working late tonight (Monday) and I'm trying to stay coherent since the drowsiness is really starting to kick in.

Harry must be noticing my phobia for, even though he's known for being a loner, a rebel, he's extra cuddly tonight, wanting to hop into my lap for some love just to be pushed off amid screams of "Unclean!" (Subtle, no?)

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Lately, I am addicted to House Hunters on HGTV. Not the International one, those shows seem to center on people looking for a vacation home in Belize somewhere in the million plus range. "Only five bathrooms? How will my husband and I survive??"

Of course, on most of the episodes I see, I can't help but notice that there's one home out of the three possible that is within budget, nails everything on the wants list, is within walking distance of someone's work, and is move in ready. The prospective buyer gushes about the place only to turn around and pick the one that's over the high end of their budget, had nothing they wanted, and has a crack in the foundation and water in the basement. And then, after they pick it, they praise it up and down about how it's exactly what they were looking for and the water in the basement is a good thing for they now have an indoor pool.

I have actually pressed the rewind button on my Tivo just to make sure they're lying.

They are.

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Taken from a Facebook status:

John: You can't make me laugh.
Me: Yes I can.
John: Just try it.
Me: ....... Sasquatch.
I win.

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Another Facebook status: (Have I mentioned how tired I am tonight?)

"Can I be the kid?"
"Mommy, you can't be the kid."
"Why not?"
"You're a dolt."

She only has a few more years to get away with this, so I'm letting her have it.

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Okay, one more Facebook status: (Seriously, these little joke apertif's make up most of my Facebook content. I am not known for my insightful commentary..)

Sprite: Where are we going today?
Me: We may go to IKEA.
Sprite: What's IKEA?
Me: A store.
Sprite: It's not a store. It's a playground.
Me: For Mommy it is.

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OOH! I just saw this one! Personally, I think it didn't get enough notice for the hidden meaning within the joke, I guess a lot of people were just too in shock over the news to notice it:

ABC canceled All My Children and One Life To Live. There's going to be a lot of pensive staring out of windows tonight..

Please tell me you found that funny. I laughed myself silly over it for ten minutes after I posted it.

Alright, this should be enough for my first foray back into the land of RTT. And I think I have jetlag for some reason even though I went nowhere near a plane this weekend.

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Oh, and John? If you haven't heard yet, Harry may have a tick in his skin. Can you check? Preferably when I'm nowhere near? Thanks.

*shudder*

RTT: Not the pictures you were looking for, but I don't think you'll complain..

Photos of John's office coming soon, I promise. I just need to finish organizing compiling find the time stop Facebooking get off my mental duff and do it already.

I have also finished the headboard to the point that I can live with it, there's a couple of spots which look uneven, but the pocket hole jig and my willingness to deal with the noise a stripped screw makes when not even with the hole and the resulting "that what he/she said" thoughts running through my mind along with various expletives had turned this project into more of a "if I paint it and anchor it to the wall, I'll be less inclined to try to fix it later" scenario. Now to just sand it, fill it, sand it again, and paint it. (Burgundy red, by the way.) Please ignore the beginning of this paragraph where I claimed to have finished the headboard..

John, Sprite, and I joined the Katz family for a weekend of fun, Disney, and making sure the adult to child ratio was skewed in our favor when we blew into town to help celebrate Abigail's fourth birthday. While we had a great time, there was one negative to the whole trip.

Am I allowed to say it was Sprite without losing my parental rights?

The kid was an absolute lunatic at some points! Not listening, trying to control Abigail and Madeline, who, even at 20 months, knows she doesn't have to take orders from a bigger tyrant, running away from John and me to try to join ranks with Becca and Josh, which, while I don't particularly mind this and am actually glad to see her trust them so completely, flabbergasted John and me to the extent that I had a stare down with her outside the Land where we had just finished dinner and she had run off YET AGAIN, not stopping at my exclaimed orders to stop. (Another child, one who either must be named Sprite or its real alternative, actually DID stop for me, but that's another concern for another time..) She settled herself into one of the empty seats in Becca's tandem stroller, refusing to budge when I told her to get into her own. After threatening to end her fun completely, she begrudgingly switched into her stroller and we had a nice little one-sided talk about who's the boss and who's the child.

Of course, thirty minutes later when we had unleashed Abigail in a store to pick out something for her birthday present, Sprite wandered away from our sights (one backdraw in the Disney stores, it is very easy to get turned around and lose a child near the various displays which only allow so much room for the stroller and abundant hide a seek locations, even if the parent doesn't know they're playing. A recommendation for the powers that be at Disney? Install overhead dome mirrors. Not only does it help with security, but it helps parents get a quick bird's eye view of the immediate area for little Susie who decided to become one with the stuffed Mickeys.) and, scaring herself, quickly found a nice looking cast member to help her find her parents. (And possibly score some of the stickers those employees constantly carry on them..) (Another recommendation? These stickers they pass out are the same stickers I used to pass out as a cast member. Over fifteen years ago. It's time to move on to another design, no?)

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"I have a joke for you."

"Okay."

"What do babies have in their collections?"

"Wait, what?"

"What do babies have in their collections?"

"What do babies have in their collections?"

"No, I ask, Mommy. You try to guess."

"I give up. What do babies have in their collections?"

"Diapers!"

".....Diapers?"

She's laughing. I'm confused. She told the joke to John when he came home. He was confused too.

Do YOU get it?

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Okay, I'm going to finish up with some pictures John took and edited at Disney while we were celebrating Abby's birthday.

 

While I like the photo, I'm not a fan of the hair in the face thing. John seems to think it captures her naturally, which means, yes, she normally looks like she just exited a wind tunnel. The time I've spent in the mornings on her tresses only to pick her up from school sans hair baubles, but now with 10% more mulch!, oh, the time I've spent, you'd probably be getting more posts from me..

 

I don't think John did anything more than crop and edit a bit. Abigail's skin is truly that smooth. Sigh, kids don't know how good they have it..

 

I absolutely LOVE this picture. Madeline is a personality to be reckoned with. Not only does she have a vocabulary that a two or three year old would envy, she's quick on the draw with expressions. John fell hard for her on this trip.

 

See? Told you he was a Maddie fan. He caught her checking out the wilderness outside the Jungle Cruise queue and snapped this photo.

 

Again with the hair in the face! This picture happened on the dock where they load the steamboats. We were waiting for the Katz's to go through the Haunted Mansion and John took Sprite a couple of hundred feet down the street so I could sit down and enjoy my drink. They came back ten minutes later with about fifty shots of Sprite posing amongst a beautiful backdrop.

Okay, enough cute for today.  

Work has been insanely busy lately, but I promise to get the office pictures to you before the end of the week.

 And I think Stacy is still handling the reigns of RTT while Keely is on vacay. A long vacay. I think she went to Canada..

 

 

RTT: Stenciling in a Tuesday Post

Who knew a simple conversation would turn a predicted relaxing weekend into 48 hours of repeated requests, manual labor, and a spitting camel?

Oh, wait. In my house, it's always possible.

John's side work has been very busy, the calls of "working late tonight" have increased, more on the brink of death PC's arriving and departing with a clean bill of health, and the office we recently overhauled, yes, the pictures are supposed to be coming of the befores and afters, but this little monkey wrench is going to delay that even further, is now too small for the added workspace he needs to play with his tools. (Women, continue reading. Men, take a minute to regain your composure.)

What to do?

John hinted that he could use some space in the garage, which would involve our Internet provider coming out to flip our entire house, re-wire it, and give it a good spanking. This also meant I would lose the space for my van. Uh uh. Not having it. (Let's not forget the bins he placed right into my parking space anyway, which means I have been parking outside for the last few months based on a promise of "I'll do it tonight, honey".)

Mm-hm. Guess what you're NOT doing tonight, honey?

I kid. Of course I'll let him play his WoW.

So, with my prime parking spot threatened, I immediately thought of alternatives to this issue. He needs more space. The biggest room besides our bedroom (Hell no. Don't even go there. I growl when the KID gets too comfortable in our bed.) is Sprite's room.

Should we uproot Sprite from the only room she's ever known? The room we painted TinkerBell green before even knowing we'd be focusing on dresses and bows? The very room that is now a hodgepodge of leftover baby decor and the increasing presence of Princess Power?

Funny enough, Sprite's room is actually the den. No closet. Originally intended for a home office, irony took four years to make us learn on this one, but it was also the room closest to ours so getting up in the middle of the night to tend to her calls only involved a straight path instead of obstacles like a couch, ottoman, and sleeping beagle. (Quite the speed bump if you think about it. And who's thinking at two in the morning?) We solved the lack of close-able storage with an oversized armoire inherited from my parents.

Now, the armoire is too small for her things, her toy chest and shelving are exploding with doll dresses, the abhorred doll shoes, and My Little Pony's which seem to reproduce like rabbits. (I always thought plastic was sterile..)

My idea of switching out rooms for Sprite was thought over and then vetoed when we both considered that the office is a little hidden from the main living area. With a small hallway blocking our view, it would be difficult to really keep tabs on her.

Then we looked at the guest room. (Which I keep calling Mom and Dad's room since they are the visitors with the most miles on their card.) This room, directly opposite John's current office and separated by a bathroom, opens on an angle which gives the living room, and beyond that, our bedroom, a direct view into the space.

Perfect for foiling plans making sure she's okay.

Of course, this would mean, the guest room would now be relegated to John's current office, and John would then move his crap to Sprite's room.

Three rooms to move.

I'm tired already.

We broached the subject with Sprite on Saturday morning, thinking she wouldn't want to give up the space she's always claimed, so we threw an incentive in with our suggestion. She could decorate the way she wanted. (We're talking paint here. I'm not splurging on a two hundred dollar bedset just to waylay the tears that are going to happen anyway when she routinely walks into her old room and sees computer monitors staring back at her.)

She immediately wanted to go to the Humptey Dumptey (Home Depot can sound like that when you stop paying attention after the first syllable) and pick out her colors.

I thought she'd want pink.

I thought wrong.

Stencils were involved. Pixie Dust was painted.

Pictures coming..

And now you're going. To Keely's!

Pretend it's December 26th. (just humor me)

Oh my God!!! Guess what arrived on our doorstep just in time for Christmas?

 

Please ignore the mess in the office. And the lighting. And Sprite's art table which has been moved into John's space for reasons that used to make sense to me..

There it is! Michele's masterpiece.

Need a better angle?

 

There you go.

(Yes, that is a computer screen on Sprite's table. John is in the process of building her a system so she can play preschool learning games. Or World of Warcraft. Honestly, once he starts talking Geek, I tune out. A lot gets by me that way.)

Every time I enter his office, the painting completely captures my attention since it's the first thing you see from the door. Even Sprite will point to it.

"That's me at my castle!"

(Sprite's legal team has submitted a request to move the painting to her bedroom. John's camp could not be reached for a comment other than "Pfft!")

This is truly John's favorite present ever, and while I wish I could claim I thought of it, I wasn't alone. The artist herself had this photo in her sights when I first asked her if she would take on a project.

What we both love most about it is that you can tell it's Sprite. Her back is to you, it could be any other brunette child standing there, but the essence of the painting, the charm of it is that you just know it's her. (That, and she never misses a moment to tell you.)

Thanks again, Michele. I'm paying you back. In person!

(Fall can't come quickly enough..)

*** Update! (Okay, now you can play along in the current year's calendar.)

Michele is going pro! She's putting a button up on her sidebar for people to commision paintings. I am so proud of her and her talents, and happy to say that I own two originals. If you have a picture or an idea of what you would love to see in your home, please go over and submit your idea. What you get will be so much better than you imagined.

Update the second (or junior): I do not see the button for her paintings as of this posting. But it's coming!!!  It's up! Click here! Be amazed! Reach for your mouse and do it!

 

RTT: One of the T's stands for teenagers..

On with the randoms! (Which aren't really random at all, but more cohesive and like minded. In fact, let's just forget about RTT for a couple of minutes.)

Yes, we went back to Disney World this weekend. Yes, it was a lot of fun. Yes, we crammed way too much activity into way too little time, and I am now paying for it with a severely reduced capacity to concentrate and a child who thinks Mickey Mouse is our favorite relative since she seems him at least once a month and he gives her presents, never mind if Mom or Dad is the one paying for it.

Now, this trip had been on the radar since late last Spring when we were budgeting for Christmas and discussed what we would do for our nephews Cristian and Cameron. They're all around great kids with quick smiles and a propensity for getting on your good side no matter how annoying they may seem at times, and all teenagers can be annoying, and one of them, not saying who, made a comment on Facebook about how he wanted to go to a theme park. John and I decided we would be the coolest aunt and uncle in the whole world and started saving separately for a weekend of fun for them which included a day in Disney World. After clearing it with their parents, come Christmas morning, we made the announcement and got some excited smiles.

And that's how this weekend happened. Of course, cramming it all into one weekend was a bit of a feat, and we may have been kicked a couple of times by that same feat (word play, go with it) starting with the drive over:

Will someone please tell me why the one major artery for Western Florida has to close in two separate places for two separate reasons on the same day at the same time which forces people to detour into parts unknown hoping to find their way to a street that will migrate them a little further so they can get back onto the highway if and ONLY IF the highway is open at that point? And will someone please explain why they can't bring out a blinking sign that tells everyone how to go about the detour and what streets to look for if they're not familiar with the area instead of expecting us to all imitate lemmings and just follow each other through whatever outskirts town because "he's moving forward, that means he knows where he's going, follow him!"?

(And will someone please tell me why other driving age adults in the car will probably think there wouldn't be a detour or two in the first place if THEY were driving?) (Just a question. And a silent one at that, hence the parentheses.)

Despite the rough start, we made it to the land of Money Mickey by 10:30 AM for a quick check in at the hotel, a moment to dump the luggage, claim beds, (when there's seven people involved, it can get risky and negotiations tend to break down when blood sugar is low) and grab only what we needed for a day in the Kingdom.

And then the real fun began:

 

 

 

 

 

 

With exception of the second photo on Thunder Mountain (which was taken with my point and shoot and given a little radiating touch in Photoshop), all of the pictures were taken by me and were just okay. Until John got to them in editing. And now I love them.

We had a wonderful time, met up with my parents, sister, and other nephew who were also playing in the park (we're not the only Floridians with Season Passes, you know), and spent the time just playing and forgetting that Monday was looming just around the corner.

I love my nephews. All of them, including the one who will be coming next month. But boys, especially teenagers, MUST have attention. At one point in the evening, there were 11 of us in the hotel suite, and while there were 3 separate areas complete with balconies, it got crowded. QUICKLY.

And on Sunday, while we were touring Downtown Disney, both Cristian and Cameron thought I must have had it too easy during the weekend and took turns playing with my patience to the point that I may have yelled out, "I don't want any more children if only for the 50% chance that it may be a boy!" and drawn attention to myself. 

No, really. They're great kids and love Sprite to the point that she protested terribly when they left to go home. Stupid Monday and it's stupid rules.

Now, go shower some attention on Keely.

RTT: Let me entertain you...

Making you smile is optional.

No, my child is not stomping her foot in anger. She just loves her light up shoes. In fact, the bonus cool factor is the only reason she'll wear sneakers. I take my wins where I can get them.

(I used to be one of those parents that proclaimed I would never let my daughter wear light up sneakers, thinking they were obnoxious. I can admit this. I was a schmuck then. Now, I'm just a pushover.)

John and I had a date night on Saturday, leaving Sprite with my parents for the evening as we took in dinner at a nice restaurant (Reservation, yo!) and a highly acclaimed movie. As payment for babysitting, I made a complete dinner (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fresh green beans), dessert (homemade flat apple pie courtesy of The Pioneer Woman's cookbook along with storebought vanilla ice cream) (just being honest) and set up a screening of Despicable Me, a feature my parents hadn't seen yet and Sprite hadn't memorized yet, so it was still kind of new to her. (Okay, she does know how to imitate "It's so FLUFFY!", but I could easily blame that on playground gossip.)

While we enjoyed our time out, and only called home once to make sure everyone was still on speaking terms, I did mention to John during our dinner that I would have preferred what I had made for my parents in lieu of the salty mess I abandoned after a few bites.

We did love the movie though! The King's Speech was wonderful, made brilliant by the actors and the story. John noted the next morning when we were discussing movies that he wasn't interested in seeing The Black Swan. I asked why, considering the action that was drawing most men to the movie. It seems John was one of the few remaining males on this planet that was not aware of Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman's "friendship". Now that he is aware, he is currently making plans for another date night very soon, this time to join ranks.

 Imprompu Facebook Status Filler:

As written on January 12th: Jennifer‎'s daughter is looking forward to being a "princess in distress" at this weekend's superhero birthday party, but the way she's been behaving lately, I may just have her re-cast as an evil villian.

I even broached the subject with the party's hostess, my friend Tracy. I don't think she quite believes me when I tell her my daughter has a vicious snark level, but then again, she has twin five year old boys. I think she may be somewhat numb by now.

 Unfortunately, due to Sprite's sick day and a half last week, I am doing double time (and double portions of tea for the caffeine kick) to catch up, so it's a short one this week. Longer than last week though. And hopefully shorter than next week. What can I say? It's perfect for snacking.

Now go see Keely and complete your Tuesday obligations..

RTT: And other sayings...

Judge not by one's virtue, but by one's Lean Cuisine:

When bringing chicken with roasted red pepper sausage (oh, yes, it's good) to work, you should probably cut the links up at home instead of prompting a game of "Guess what Jen's eating for lunch and should we call John to make sure he's okay."

Results may vary:

Just because it looks easy enough to maintain a "simple" hairstyle when watching the stylist in the mirror, it doesn't mean you've suddenly absorbed the same capabilities that have been eluding you for 34 years to actually keep the style looking beautiful semi-decent less than atrocious like you haven't been electrocuted lately.

Patience is as patience does:

A four year old may tell you she's being patient when asking to get dressed in costume for a birthday party that's still hours away, but her understanding of "patient" is further diluted every five minutes when she asks yet again if it's time.

This may take some adjusting:

Thanks for yesterday's chiro comments. I think Carol nailed it when she said to expect soreness after the treatment. As of 8 PM, yes, I am still sore, but I do feel encouraged to try the treadmill again since the "pain" is less.

"Try the treadmill" should be read: if the kid goes to bed and stays in bed.

Kids say the darndest things:

"Mommy!"

"Go to bed!"

"I already went to bed! Now I want to get OUT of bed!"

Thank goodness those monitors are one way only or she would have busted me for laughing at her.

Quality over quantity:

That means this week's RTT is a short one. My shortest yet.

And here's my shortest segue ever:

Keely. Go. Now.

My resolution for this year: Less Laundry, More Yawn-dry

 

I am so resolved to relax more this year, I spent only seconds on the title. You can tell, right?

Alaina over at View From Down Here is hosting a weekly forum called Motivation Monday, and while my own Spin Cycle is still on indefinite hiatus and I've kind of sworn off other forums and meme's, with the exception of RTT, because, come on, the little snippets that make a great snack but not a great meal? they need SOMEWHERE to go, I did promise I would participate in this one since it's the beginning of the year and the theme is resolutions.

I have cut back on the entire resolution ambition. Sure, I could resolve to diet more, this holiday added a few more pounds to the already forgiven 10 I've gained over the last year, I could resolve to kick it up a notch in the quest to have another baby, I could even resolve to finish some DIY projects that are still in the pre-planning stages, i.e., need to tell John about the idea.

Here's the fun part though, none of these resolutions have made any impact in the last year, so I'm saying "Screw it."

Wow, shouldn't have said that out loud. Sprite and John are already asleep..

So, for this year, I resolve to:

1. Not diet. Maintain a healthy meal plan, yes. Spend a little less time baking which has contributed to most of my weight gain, yes. But the absolute rejection of carbs seems to have been a big downfall for me last year, resulting in headaches when I didn't eat enough good carbs and mood swings when Mother Nature came and took the decision away from me anyway. I WILL resolve to add a moderate dose of brown rice, whole wheat pasta back into the plan on a regular basis so weekends don't become so much of a catch all for the goodies I missed during the week. And yes, exercise should also become better fixtures in my weekly routine.

2. Focus less on Baby #2. I've already been checked out. Allegedly, everything is fine. Allegedly, John is fine. (The doctor actually told me that since we have a child already, she knows the "swimmers are swimming", so she didn't feel the need to bring him in for a look-see.) The medical field has recommended a round of Clomid to stir up the action since March will set the two year mark. I've put the brakes on that since a. the chance of twins goes up exponentially and while we're financially sound for one baby, I don't think we're mentally sound for two and b. Clomid has the reputation of making one a raging bitch right before ovulation and your husband is SUPPOSED to want to spend more time with you during that period, right? So, we will keep trying, but the charting, ovulation kits, and mantras? Are out. (At least for now..)

3. Watch less DIY network. Here's a funny: John got me the DIY network for the holidays since I happen to love the shows and the projects the people take on. Not even a day after he had it turned on, he complained that I watch it too much and push him to work more on the house. Dude, really? The good part is that he is actually stopping as he walks by to see a project (a quick trip to the bathroom turns into ten minutes of him watching right along with me) and has asked me to DVR some of the tool episodes that have caught his eye. But he's right. I should be focusing less on what I want to see our house become and more on what we've already done.

Everyone is resolving to do more, give more, play more, work more. I resolve to stress less and DO less while just enjoying more.

What are you resolving to do less of this year?