Snow....

It snowed this morning.....great. Welcome, winter. (Luckily, it did NOT stick!)

Ah, Clever Disney...

Yesterday we went shopping for CARS figurines to use on Reagan's birthday party cake. (My girl is obsessed with dinosaurs, cars, firetrucks, trains, airplanes and fishing!) I was hoping to find Lighting McQueen and Mater in the $2.50 bin, but alas they only had ONE Lighting and a huge number of the Firetruck guy (which I just now realized didn't even come in the set I ended up buying *sigh*)

So, off I schlepped to the figurine section..they were on sale 2/$20 so why shouldn't I get those? She would get a bigger selection of the Car's figurines and maybe I could even indulge her in getting a Little Einstein set....and that's when I saw it.

Sure, there were the Car's figurines, exactly like I needed, with ONE HUGE exception. Disney had packaged Lighting McQueen separately from Sally, Mater and Doc Hudson--the other MAIN characters in the movie. (see here) So if you want to get the main characters for your kids (and who is going to want Lighting without Mater????), you have to buy TWO sets---and God help you if you even mentioned getting the Little Ensteins set before noticing the two separate Cars sets....because then you just might end up taking home THREE sets.

Great marketing Disney, but you know, that's not the best way to earn friends in the mommy kingdom.

Ramblings!

I desperately need a schedule. Reagan and I are always on the go and we seem to get nothing done. No real play time, no real home time...how can we spend days and still not accomplish anything? And you would think since she's attending preschool now that I would have more time to get things done...NO. How does six hours a week just vanish like that???

Not only that, but our entire way of life has completely changed...now we have preschool added to the mix and Reagan has OFFICIALLY given up nap times, which means bedtime is super early, which means Josh only has about 30 minutes a day to spend with her. And somehow this still leaves me having more free time than ever and I STILL can't manage to get it all done.

I need a schedule. A definite, set in stone, this is what we do when, SCHEDULE. Suggestions from the mom crowd?

Baking Day and Menu Plan

I spent most of today cooking and baking. I ended up with a nice little stash for the freezer:

5 chicken tetrazini dinners
2 bags of "to die for" blueberry muffins
1 loaf of apple-cheddar bread
1 pumpkin pie
9 chicken burritos
1 italian herb focaccia loaf
shredded chicken (which actually still needs to be shredded) and enough fat and bones to make homemade chicken stock (much better than store bought and doesn't contain any of the additives and chemicals...and you can stil make it fat free!)

Plus, tonight's dinner!

Here's the menu plan for the rest of the week (bolded recipes are below):
(for more great menu planning ideas, check out orgjunkie.com)

Monday: Meatloaf (mini-cups??) (make an extra for the freezer), broccoli and mashed sweet potatoes
Tuesday: Mock Swiss Steak, vegetable (??) and biscuits
Wednesday: Chicken pot pie and green beans
Thursday: chicken salad sandwiches (on homemade bread), apple slices
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: Various leftovers and MAYBE a dish to take to a family gathering (we haven't decided if we're going yet)
Sunday: Roast, potatoes, vegetables and pudding fruit salad

Breakfasts: fruit, yogurt, eggs, cereal
Lunches: leftovers or sandwiches
Snacks: Fruit, goldfish, muffins, yogurt

Mock Swiss Steak:
3 lbs of ground beef
1 c. cracker crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. water
1 can cream of mushroom soup (low sodium)

Mix all together except soup. Pat on cookie sheet with rim, 3/4 inch thick and place in refrigerator overnight. Cut into serving squares; roll in flour and brown in skillet. Place in covered dish and cover with mushroom soup. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Pudding Fruit Salad
1 4 oz container of vanilla pudding (premade)
1/2 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 11 oz can mandarin orange segments, drained
1 8oz can pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

In medium bowl, mix pudding and whipped topping. Gently stir in grapes, marshmallows, oranges and pineapple. Add strawberries and toss gently to coat. Serve immeidately or store in refrigerator up to 8 hours.

Chilly Diapers!

Now, why didn't I think of this???? This is one mom-tip I'm saving up for the next child!!!

http://www.parenthacks.com/2006/09/chilly_diapers_.html

Winter is on it's way

Fall has barely even begun and already winter is nosing it's way in. Our nights are so cold already and some days the clouds are heavy gray with a threat of snow in them. The cats have thick winter coats and spend most days curled into a ball on top of a warm blanket.

Last night we finally caved in and turned on space heaters--and this morning, Reagan and I ate breakfast cuddled under a blanket on the couch, watching cartoons and listening to the hum of the heater.

I can look outside and see trees still in their full array of green splendor, others nearly bare and still others changing from their spring clothing to their fall finery. Every year I look forward to this brief time period between summer and winter and every year it gets shorter and shorter and winter seems to get longer and longer...as though it's trying to take over every season in some methodical, menacing plan.

It's not that I don't enjoy winter (although I could do without the ice storms and the extreme sub-zero temps), it's more that I love fall and all the wonder it brings and every year a little bit more of it gets taken away--it's like watching your sand castle eroding under the incoming tide, knowing you can't stop it and you can't save your castle.

I wish fall could last forever. More time to jump in the leaves, crunch them under your shoes, smell the scent of earth, apples and pumpkins in the air. More time to drink apple cider, run outside in your sweaters until your cheeks are stinging with the wind.

And with that image in my head, I'm off to get ready to spend a day outside with Reagan.

Quick and Easy Recipe!

Tuna Melt Quesadillas

Flour tortillas
cooking spray
mayo-light
tuna
Italian seasoning or dill, parlsey, oregano
cheese-lowfat

Spray your tortillas with cooking spray and set in broiler to crisp (watch them carefully as they will burn easily). Meanwhile, mix tuna, mayo and seasoning together. Remove tortillas from oven, and place tuna mixture on one side of each tortilla, then sprinkle cheese over the entire toritlla. Broil til cheese is melted, remove from oven, fold in half and eat. Delicious and healthy!

Tackle It Tuesday

I haven't participated in Tackle It Tuesday, hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom, in a VERY long time. However, I need some motivation to get a few things done, so here goes:

1. Refill Reagan's medication
2. Return the enrollment application and fee to her new preschool.
3. Clean out the fridge.
4. Order the bouncy castle for Reagan's birthday party.
5. Order haybales for her birthday party.
6. Pay online bills.
7. Contact my doctor about the flu vax and what complications may occur from mixing it with the chicken pox vax.
8. Contact the library, the newspaper, the Mom's group, and Church about the annual toy drive.
9. Put garage sale ad in the newspaper and host the garage sale (and remind anyone that has items in our garage and that wants them to come and get them...friends and family!) so we can fit our cars back in before it snows!

I slept ten hours last night!!

TEN HOURS, people!! TEN HOURS!!!! Granted, Reagan did wake up in the middle of the night wanting to move to our bed and I woke up once out of a deep sleep to find Josh staring at me (I'm pretty sure he was convinced I wasn't breathing...I was completely out of it!), but I actually got ten hours of sleep.

I can't remember the last time I've had anywhere close to ten hours of rest...I can't remember the last time I've only been woken up twice during the night.

Heaven...absolutely positively pure bliss! It's like that one morning every 8 months or so that I wake up before Reagan and get to enjoy my email and coffee before she wakes up. I actually begin to feel HUMAN again.

Ten hours...I'm still in shock. I think I'm going to start forcing myself to have an 8 o'clock bedtime at least once per week.

And Jana..if you're reading this, I swear I had the strangest dream about you last night! Sending lots of happy pregnancy thoughts your way!

Gearing up for the busiest time of year

I was making a project list of everything that needed to get done in the next two months or so and realized, I am WAY overbooked. Between all the fun fall things there are to do with Reagan, our second yearly trip to Alabama, the NICU Christmas donations, Reagan's birthday, etc, etc, etc.....I don't think I'm ever going to get finished.

And then I end up wondering why on earth it seems like everyone tries to pack everything into the last few months of the year. Wouldn't it make more sense to spread it out a little?

I guess that won't work for this year, but next year something has got to give. I think I'm going to start out by having a "half-birthday" party for Reagan in the summer and a family only event in the winter since her birthday is the week before Christmas.

Anyone have any tips for getting through this time of year?