Vegmom Moments

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Well ladies and gents... The time has finally come that my sweet Veg is asking for a Birthday Party.

He's been talking about this Birthday for 6 months... He is quite excited to be turning 5!!  I didn't realize it was such a big deal.  But OH YES !!!  Turning 5 is a huge deal!  And he has never asked for a party or gifts or anything for that matter, so I really can't complain that the time is finally here! 

The boy wants a party, the boy will get a party!

HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I think it will be the death of me!  I'm not social, I don't do parties, I got married in Jean Shorts for petesakes.. Celebrations to me are a personal and close family or friend deal.  The idea of big celebrations, and expectations of gifts, and goody bags, and decorations, and food, and activities, and....  OH MY Goodnes!!!

So far I have put at least 4 hours into finding a place.  I can not believe the Unhealthy food options, the rude people that get on the phone, the inability to bring your own stuff in some cases, the COST... OMG The cost!!  $200 for 10 kids for 1hour of entertainment.  Multiply that by 20 kids, and you have a serious expense!I  Seriously think I'm in the wrong business!  INSANE!  But have the party at home and you still need Decorations, activities, food, blah blah blah... By the time your done you have a destroyed house, 200 man hours and still $200 minimum cost.

So I keep searching...The two places we have narrowed it down to will require cards to be sent... I may hand make them depending on the theme, otherwise, I'm perfectly happy to pay for them.... Then do you invite the whole class to not hurt feelings, or do you use common sense, and limit the amount.  If you limit the amount, how do you choose?   They are all friends!  Not to mention friends and family outside of class.  And having two parties is just not an option if I do plan to keep my sanity of any sorts!

As for Goody Bags - Ummmm NO!  As part of a craft project or part of an event... YES... But just to hand out bags at the end of a party full of stuff that mostly ends up in the trash, is not my idea of money well spent!  Nor does it send a good message in my opinion.  It sets an expectation

Here are my top 5 reasons for NOT doing a goody bag:

• Time
• Cost
• Kids should not expect gifts when going to someone else's party
• They are the most un-remembered part of a party so why bother
• Time & Cost

And then there is the food... I want to do Vegan Cupcakes.  Veg wants a Cake...  So we compromise, I will make him a miniature cake while the other kids get cupcakes... Offering alternatives for all the Allergy Specific kids.  Veg wants a BIG CAKE!  Fine!  how about we decorate the cupcakes so they look like a cake, but then pulls a part in to cupcakes?  Hmmmm...  He will agree to this, but it must look like a cake!  OK what the heck was I thinkin'?  That isn't possible! 

Preparing activities, decorations,  and such... I refuse to spend 200 hours planning a party that will only last an hour or two.  The kids won't remember the fancy decorations or the planning, or even the food for that matter or how pretty every thing looks or if they get something fancy to take home.  They will just remember that they had a good time and what they did while at the Party.  So the fancy stuff is really for the parents... Since I don't really care what the parents will think because the party is for the kids... This eliminates my need to do anything fancy. 

And don't get me started on gifts for others to bring...nope.... If you have a special friend, then a gift is a special thing.  Expecting 20 kids to bring you 20 presents is totally not cool... Nope, I won't go there....

What I do like is the donation in lieu of gifts thing, or my favorite was "Just bring yourself instead of a gift".. It cuts out the mass amount of thank you cards from the party parents, but also lets the attending parents off the hook to not have to buy yet one more gift...

And then there are the attending parents.... Those that stand around instead of taking care of their kids, or those that drop there kids off and leave..  GRR.... When I have a party, I'm having a party for my child to enjoy with other kids.  I'm not having a party because I want to be responsible for the well being and safety of all those kids....  Is that really expected?  Geesh!!!

So there you have it.... A Party Planner?  I am NOT!   But there will be a party!! 

Whether or not anyone shows up, or we find a place to have it is another story!  But there will be a party!  Parental Supervision will be required, there will be healthy yummies and drinks for all, some fun activities, no gifts expected and no goody bags given...  After an hour or two it will be over... And maybe by next year, the party bug will have flown away.... Well, one can hope!  Right?

WATER AND SHEETS

A few more time saving tips from the Veg house of 2008...

• Fill the dogs water bowls at night, so you don't have to do it in the morning.  If their like mine, they will sleep at night, and still have fresh water in the morning.
• Change Bedding as needed for the little ones in your house, but then change yours on the opposite weeks.  This way the laundry doesn't pile up as high....  So example, if I washed Veg's bedding this week, I would wash mine next week...  Blankets make the laundry pile look much bigger then it really is.  With multiple kids or accidents, you can change them as needed for accidents, but other wise, pick a day for each family member...  Child 1 gets their bedding changed on Monday, Child 2 on Wednesday, adults on Friday... Or something like that!   Less work on you and less stress watching the piles grow having all the bedding changed at once.
• While my son is taking a shower, he no longer needs me holding him, so this is a great time to clean the bathroom.  I can watch him or be there if he needs me, but get the counter, sink, mirror and floor all tidy at the same time!

PICNIC TABLE IN THE FAMILY ROOM

Hubby brought home a folding picnic table today for our deck... So Veg and I can have our little picnics in the summer time without having to sit on the wood, or dirty a blanket. 

He opened it up in the family room to show me how it worked... And at just that moment Veg came running in saying "Oh Cool,  A picnic in the Family room, Is that where we are eating dinner?"

<SURE, WHY NOT?>

And so we did...  All three of us ate our dinner sitting at the little fold up picnic table... all we needed was some pretend sun shine and an umbrella for the center.... Oh and some ants!  But I could do with out the ants... Come to think of it, I could probably always do with out the ants.  Maybe we should have all our picnics in the Family room?

Why not?

LOOKING FOR SNOW

It is really cold out and the weather is calling for Flurries... When my dog came in her back was wet, but we new it was too cold to rain.... So I told Veg to run out and look for snowflakes....

Standing on the deck, he said he couldn't see any... So I handed him a flash light  *smile*  Now if you can only picture a 4 1/2 year old little boy standing outside in the dark with a flashlight searching for Snowflakes, it was just the sweetest thing!!!

These are the moments I hope I never forget!

FUN DATE

I left work early today as planned, and picked up Veg for a special afternoon.  We met Hubby for lunch and then Veg and I headed to the new Veggie Tales Movie...  The Pirates who don't do anything!   

I was expecting it to be very Veggietale'ish but it had some scary parts for my little guy.  In the end it was OK.  He actually sat bug-eyed staring the whole time without making a peep.... Until the scary parts, then he'd ask me questions or jump in my lap.  *smile*

But it was nice to have that time with him.  He's growing so fast, and I don't want to miss any of this time...  I realized how much I put first when we were in the theatre and my phone recieved 3 calls.  Had we not been there, I'd been on all those calls and missed that time with him.

Granted he doesn't need 24 Hr attention anymore, but a little special time with parents, should be required for every child...  I personally will be doing this more often!  Someday, he won't want to spend time with me, and that will be here before I know it... So why not do this while I can!

Not sure who will benefit more, Him or Me?

SOME TIPS FOR A FUNCTIONING WEEK

As you know my theme this year is Time Management... And some other little things, like organizing, being less forgetful, getting every thing accomplished but still being a wife and mother and human, and.....Well the list goes on! 

These aren't New Year Resolutions because those don't seem to be life altering items....  those are just those promises we make to our selves that sink or swim... My changes for 2008 are life changes, meaning they will stick... How do I know this, because they are EASY!!!

So here are a few tips that are working for me currently:

• Fill up the Gas tank on the weekend no matter if you need it or not...  This saves those "last minute, make you late"  stops during the week
• Start lunches for the next day, while making dinner the night before.  Your already in the kitchen and already have food out...
• As soon as I get home - empty the car.  - This saves the clutter from piling up....
• On Friday's after coming from school, do a load of laundry from school stuff, before even leaving the garage...so it is all washed and ready to go for Monday.  ....  No scrambling on Monday looking for things.  And since I do it as soon as I get home on Friday, I don't have to worry over the weekend or be forgetful.  Everything gets washed, dried and back in a pile before Friday ends.
• When taking left overs to work for Lunch.. Pack them up the night before, while putting your other left overs in the fridge.  Saving a step in the morning.
• Open the mail as soon as you get home so it doesn't pile up
• Electronic Banking is a wonderful thing... I now pay all my bills as soon as they arrive instead of letting them pile up...  But they don't really "pay" until the date I specify.  A thing of Beauty!  No more checks and all done in advance.  No last minute scrambling, being forgetful and not paying, or running out of time.
• Fill out and balance my checkbook after every 4 receipts.  Making this a rule, means that I pretty much have to update my checkbook after each day of shopping.  Keeping it from piling up and leaving me 3 hours of balancing later.
• Keep a Sharpie on the fridge, and every time I put something in there that didn't come with an Expiration date, I write that date on the lid.... This saves me from the guess work and wastefulness later.

And the LISTS - I'm back in to the lists big time!!  But in a different, easy to manage way!!  No more little notes all over the place that I either forget to use or they get lost....  I have a pad of paper on the kitchen counter.... Its in plain site and easy access with a pen... One page has a running list of things I need to do.  As I do them, I scratch them off.   When the page gets full and complete, it goes in the trash and the next page starts.  As I think of stuff they go on the list, saving my forgetfulness later.

Another page has my Grocery List.  As I run out of things or think of something we need, it goes on that list.... I don't stop at the store all week, and on the weekend, I have a complete list.  No duplicates, No wastefulness, and no forgetting things!  Because they only go on the list if I just ran out of them. And I won't buy anything, not on the list!  Its GREAT!  Not only saving time, but money also!

I also have a pad by my keyboard at work. Everything I need to do outside of normal email, goes on that list... The list is checked off and nothing gets stalled or forgotten.  I can't get behind if I'm constantly updating and completing tasks, right?  Well, in theory!  *smile*

So I can tell you that Veg and I woke up 50 minutes before we needed to be at school... we each took showers, and all our morning stuff done thanks to the tips above and others from an earlier post we still made it to school with 10 minutes to spare.  Probably not the goal I'm looking for, but Success none-the-less.

And sooo much less stressful...

SOY DOGS IN A BLANKET

We tried the "Pups in a Blanket" Recipe from the Vegan Lunchbox Cook Book....  Hubby and I liked them, but Veg said it was tooo Bready!

He ate the Soy Dog, but not the blanket....   Poor Pup!

There were also lemon covered apples, carrots and a yummy Vegan Lunchbox Cupcake, to complete today's lunch box.

SLOPPY VEGGIES

Some of you may know of this as Sloppy Joes... But I like to call them sloppy Veggies...  Another great find in the Tofu Recipe Book from my friend.

Veg even loved them.....And asked for Seconds.... Yippeee!!!

This was a very successful Cooking weekend!

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE

Oh, this was soooooo GOOD!!!!  My first recipe from the "101 things you can do with tofu" book that my friend baught me for Christmas.

This recipe book is not  necessarily a Vegetarian or Vegan one, but every recipe contains Tofu.  I have to skip past the eggs and cheese or substitute. 

But this Tofu dish I had to try and did use some Organic Mozz cheese.  Seriously it was soooooo good!  Hubby and I ate almost all of it last night, and the rest today for lunch.   Did I mention it was sooooo good!  *smile*  It was even worth the major burn I got in my mouth for getting a bite while it was too hot... Whoops!  But soooo worth it! 

1/2 Full or 1/2 Empty

Veg said he wanted a 1/2 full glass of Soy Milk the other day.  After pouring, I asked if it was 1/2 full or 1/2 empty. 

He said "1/2 full of course Mom"

Then, while doing his morning weather ritual He said it was 1/2 Sunny out, but the sky sure did have a lot of clouds.  *smile*

Wouldn't that be wonderful if we all thought the sun was 1/2 shining and the glass was 1/2 full?  I sure hope he keeps that outlook on things as he grows older.

ALL FIXED

I think my site is all fixed... My Mess up is resolved...Thank you Typepad....  This is the best Blogging software ever, and their support team is super helpful...

No - I don't work for them... just giving credit where credit is due!

JUST NOT RIGHT

When shopping yesterday, I was by myself and it seemed that I found my self having extra senses.  It was strange, like I could see and hear everything around me, where normally I'm just focused on my shopping.  This time I didn't have to focus as hard because I had my "LIST".    Yup!  I made a list and even remembered to use it!  *smile*

But one of the things I heard, was a Man Yelling at his children.  After he was done with his rant ...  I heard him say...

"I can't believe this, I gave you junk food and answer your every demand, and you still can't behave"

Hmmm?  Ya, Think? 

MORE SNEAKY VEGGIES

More Smoothies that were quite a hit this weekend for Hubby and Veg:

Yesterday -

• Organic Baby food jar of bananas (didn't have any real bananas)
• Organic Baby food jar of Spinach and Carrots
• Organic Frozen Blueberries and Strawberries
• Vanilla Silk Soy milk
• Vanilla Soy Ice Cream
• Dash of Echinacea and Goldenseal
• Organic Strawberry Jam

Today -

• Organic Baby food jar of bananas
• Organic Baby food jar of Spinach and Carrots
• Organic Frozen Strawberries
• Container of Blueberry Silk Yogurt
• Vanilla Silk Soy Milk
• Dash of Elderberry Syrup
• Organic Strawberry Jam

And a Pasta dish that went over well for the Vegman:

• Bowtie Noodles
• Organic Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce
• Organic baby food Jar of Butternut Squash and Corn
• Organic baby food Jar of Spinach and Carrots

For those with picky eaters, this is the way to go... I'm convinced! 

On another note - I finally had a chance to go through all my new Veg cook books, and found some pretty exciting recipes.... Stay tuned, I'll be sure to post each that we try!!

On yet another note - Why?  Did I have time to go through my new Veg Cook Books... Because my time management stuff has been a thing of beauty...  I'll have to post more tips that are working...

CHIEF PIZZA FACE

Meet Chief Pizza Face!!  He was a creation that came out of the following ingredients:

The best mini Pitas of all time, Organic Natural Pizza Sauce,  Pineapple chunks, Red Pepper Slices, and herbs!

Baked in the oven till it started to brown a bit and Voila... The ugliest mini pizza you'll ever see.  But Man were they tasty!!

PAPER OR PLASTIC? NOPE!

First let me say ---- YAY!  I can load pictures again....  Unfortunatly I've still lost many pictures and my archives lost their style sheets... *sigh*  Thats what I get for trying to be Tech Savvy!  Ugh!

Now - The reason for this post....  I was told by a fellow Mom that  Target had Reusable shopping bags and she went on to explain how they folded up and were so convenient, etc. 

Personally, I've never been a reusable shopping bag kind of person... I'm going to look goofy walking around with my own bags?  What if something leaks?  What if I forget to use them?   Why would I pay for bags that save the shopping center money?  Blah blah blah! 

And Then... I listened to that Mom along with some others..  While at Target yesterday I found the bags she was talking about, and found my self compelled to buy 2 of them.  The red one pictured below is the bigger one...  And when I checked out of the store, I used my new shopping bags.   NO PLASTIC ONES!!!  For some reason it just felt good.  (maybe because I had just been so wasteful by throwing out all the expired stuff)  But It was nice.  And all my groceries fit inside those two bags.  I couldn't believe how much they held.  When I got to the car, they were easy to carry.  And fit nicely, leaving plenty of room in the Trunk for my next stop. 

At The Health Food store where I got the rest of my groceries, I saw two pretty bags (pictured below), of which I had to buy.  They were even bigger then the Target ones and held even more.

Once home, it was very nice, to just put all the groceries away and then have 4 bags that I could fold up and put back in my car for our next shopping trip.  Instead of having an entire floor filled with plastic shopping bags that I then had to find a place for. (that is always so annoying)

So I have to admit that the Reusable Shopping Bags ARE COOL!!!  And I may even have to buy a couple more!  *smile*  My sorting nature says that I need to have one for frozen foods, one for fridge, and one for pantry items.

I mean really.... If the frozen stuff sweats it will make my non-frozen stuff soggy - We just can't have that!!!  So there, it is said...  I need at least one more pretty shopping bag.  *smile*

   

NEW YEAR - CLEAN CABINETS

It's a New Year, don't forget to check the dates on all your spices, flours, etc. 

My Rule - If it doesn't have a date, but I can't remember when I baught it or when I used it last... Then Its Expired by default...

And Obviously all the out-dated items go away... I know its wasteful but unfortunatly is a necessary Evil....  And actually when going through my cabinets today, I was surprised how much had expired...I now have some pretty clean cupboards though, which is a good thing.  And throwing that stuff away, reminds me to be more careful this new year...  Only buy what I need and when I need it.

I started by putting a piece of paper and pencil on my counter.  Every time something is empty or missing, I add it to that list, so I'm not trying remember a week later and there is no possibility of getting duplicates.  If its not on the list then I won't buy it.  I'm on my 2nd week of this new technique, so we'll see what the rest of the year holds!

SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT ALONE

You may have noticed that since I mapped my domain to vegmom.com the site has been loading funny.  Sometimes slow, sometimes not at all, and sometimes a couple refreshes are need to get the style sheets to pull in...

So this morning, I decided enough was enough and tried to tweak some files.  When that didn't work, I just turned it off completely....  Well now, all my photo links are broken through the whole Blog, and Craft Blog and even my family photo page....  GRRRRR!!!! 

Anyway... I should have just left everything alone... why do I need a silly domain anyway!  Geesh! 

So bare with me as I try to resolve this mess.... And let me know if you see any problems just getting the page to load.

A VEGMOM DAY

Today was a Rainy Stormy day and yet a busy enjoyable one... I was told once that it takes 3 weeks of doing something consistently to make it an official routine.  I think finding my work/home balance and better time management is definitely becoming routine.  Of course it doesn't leave much room for anything else, but heck, that is what the weekends are for.

Last Night I had mine and Veg's lunches ready to go for this morning, his clothes laid out etc.  Hubby has been getting up with our little guy in the morning and feeding him breakfast and doing the bathroom stuff.  And sealing up his lunch box for the day.  I, on the other hand have been getting 30 extra minutes of sleep.  Woohoo!

I mentioned that I made myself a lunch also, the reason for that is because I was invited by my sweet boy to join him for lunch today.  For some reason today was different.  We had our own table.  And clearly the kids hadn't seen a parent for a while joining them for lunch.  Veg tried to protect me from those cutting in line... I watched him splash water by accident and grab a mop to clean it.  We had a nice conversation as we munched on our meals.  And I had several little people talk to me, give hugs, etc.  It was a very nice visit.

Back to work for a couple meetings, then back to the school.  The kids were so happy and all hugged each other goodbye.  It was just a sweet day! 

Once home, I brought everything in from the car then Cut hubbies hair (the back grew out enough for a flat top)  it looks square now instead of a giant round head..  While Veg and Hubby played with legos, I made dinner.  Two different meals tonight, but I don't mind.

Veg had bow tie noodles with Tomato Basil Sauce mixed with a jar of Sweet Potatoes and a Jar of Butter Nut Squash and Corn... Sounds gross but he ate every bite, and got lots of veggies.  I'm liking this Baby food thing more every day.

I made Hubby and I a Mexican casserole.  I was going for a Mexi Lasagna recipe but was missing some ingredients.  So our dish had:

Cooked rice, refried black beans, salsa, and fresh cut veggies all layered in a pan.  Then topped with taco seasoning and sprinkled with some mexi cheese...  Baked and then coated with my tofu sour cream & salsa concoction....  Served on top of blue corn chips.  and YUMMMM!!!

Next came reading books and then getting Veg ready for bed... I'm sitting down now and its time to get to work....

The last two days I got in some exercise and Sunday I even got in some crafting.  I'm still getting rest in the mornings and nothing looks too horrible in the house.  It's not tip top shape like before I took my trip.  and I still have a suitcase to unpack but for the most part, things are good.

I've also gotten back to my lists this year.  And that has really helped me keep organized for the most part. 

So there is my update... Nothing funny or exciting, but my mind is still in tact.  So I can't complain!

FIRST BUSINESS TRIP OF THE YEAR

Well I survived another trip..  This one was just a 24hr thing... But I must report back on the hi-lights...

This hotel was nice and I had a pretty view of a pond, but the room was not as nice as I would expect from this chain.  There was also nothing within walking distance... As in NO STARBUCKS within walking distance... How in the world am I supposed to speak at a conference and NOT have a Starbucks Frappucino.  Thankfully they did serve coffee in the lobby and happened to have soy milk.  So I was able to convince the restaurant hostess to make me an ultimate coffee mocha beverage.

THE TRAVEL AND THE DEUFUS (THAT'S ME)

There was a rental car this go around and to me it looks like a hearse... When I walked to pick up the car, I said "You've got to be kidding me"  Figuring this was a sign of what was to come....  So I drive 3ish hours to our destination... Get out of the car, go to grab my bag... and I don't have my computer....  Seriously NO COMPUTER!!!  I left it at the office...My presentation was on my computer....Hmmm?  Not so good!  Thanks to a couple of co-workers, a computer station at the hotel and modern technology, everything worked out.  Note to self... Always have a back up of my presentations going forward... Duh!  Thats what thumb drives are for!

THE DOWN PILLOW SITUATION

Get in the hotel and Yes, Of course, they forgot to "de-feather" my room.  That is what it is called when they get rid of all the down pillows and blankets (of which I'm allergic to).... I always call in advance and so far I have only had one hotel comply.  So I can't go near the bed.  But it was the only place to sit.  And so I stand...  The last thing I need is swollen shut eyes at this point.  Finally they come up and "De-Feather" my room...  I watched the nice Cushy bed go from 100 pillows down to 3 and the Giant cushy comforter was replaced by two sheets and a paper thin cover...  Bummer!

THE FOOD

My Travel companion new of a great exit to stop for lunch that had the best Mexican Veggie Burrito EVER!!  I'm pretty sure, we'll be stopping at that place for all trips that head that direction from now on.

And then for Dinner we ate at the hotel.  I ordered what I thought was a Veg pizza and a salad.  Turns out the salad is ON THE PIZZA.  It was the strangest thing, but so darn good!!!  So have to give a few Veg Stars on the food this trip.  I didn't even have to dip in to my snack stash.  And the only animal stories discussed were of the Pet Variety!   Yay!!

THE PRESENTATION

UGH!!!  This was my first of this type, with a real stage and real podiums (made for giants) and a microphone attached to my shirt.... They couldn't see me behind the podium so I had to stand to the Right.  This meant that I couldn't see my notes... Another Bummer - Good thing was I remembered a lot of what I wanted to say.  Bad news was, I couldn't do everything I wanted to do with clicking thru because we weren't connected to the internet.  But the audience and the organizers didn't know that.  Only flubbed my words once, I got them to smile/laugh twice and saw people taking notes.  Hoping that was an OK sign.  At the end I wasn't totally happy with my self, but it could have been much worse.   And for this being the first time with no practice on a stage, I guess I can't totally complain.  Besides if they didn't like me then maybe I won't have to do another one.  hee hee  I did take the advice of a very wise man that said "Just be yourself"  Hmm?  For those that know "myself" Not sure that is a good thing or a bad thing!  ha ha!

THE TREASURE HUNT

Veg got to go on his treasure hunt while I was gone and screamed in the phone when he found his surprise "Star Wars LEGOS" he was sooo excited.  (Yes, legos has taken over my house)  So he then tells me not to come home early tomorrow because he wants another treasure.  Of course I come home early and he doesn't get another treasure....  So he says "Mom, next time you take a business trip, can you be gone for 6 days please.  I would like at least 5 treasures next time"  Hmm?  Glad I was missed!  ha ha

So in summary, I'm home safe.... the hearse is returned, this experience is over, and life goes on!!  Sheww!

SNEAKY SAUCE

More on the Baby Food Jars! 

I mixed a jar of Organic Sweet Potatoes with enough Roma Tomato Spaghetti Sauce to cover some bow tie noodles.

Veg ate the ENTIRE Bowl - minus a few tomato chunks -  I liked it too...quite delicious...

I may have to start making my own pureed food in my free time since this is becoming such a hit.  I think the nutritional value would go up if it wasn't jarred food.  But for now, it is certainly better then nothing!

HARD FOOD CHOICES

As you may know from reading through this blog that I sometimes have a hard time finding food choices at restaurants. 

I usually have the same few things that I like and every once in a while get something special.  But there are places that will have nothing veg accept a picked over salad and french fries.  Those are the days that I get the fries, and then find some thing more protein'ish later in the day.  Or I keep snacks in my bag for those "just in case moments"

Hubby has yet to figure all this out and refuses to settle for fries and a salad.  Today I chose a place to eat lunch that had tons of veggie choices.  But Hubby didn't like any of them.  He was turning in to a fuss bucket and then finally ordered a Chicken dish without the chicken.  My Smarty Guy asked for Broccoli in place of Chicken.  His meal looked 10 times better then mine and he ate every last bit.  Go Hubby, Go Hubby!!  ha ha

When he was all done he said "I ate all my veggies so good, can I get a dessert"  ha ha!! 

OVERALLS

We were getting ready to leave the house today and I was starting to get dressed.   But still had my Jammies on.  Veg came up behind me with something in his hands saying, "Here Mom, can't forget your Overalls"

I will let you use your imagination as to what he had in his hands....  *smile*

BACK TO BABY FOOD

I read a great suggestion on our local Mommy Board the other day about mixing baby food in smoothies...  Add veggies to their diet without the fuss!  So last night I purchased several organic all natural brands....  Yes, I could make my own like I did when he was a baby, but I really don't wanna!   Remember I'm trying to Simplify this year! 

FYI - I used to do the handmade veggie/fruit smoothies when I was making his baby food and it was GREAT...  Not sure why I didn't think to do it now that he is grown.  Glad I saw that tip online!  Thanks Moms!!!

So, I started this morning with carrots.... An easy choice because I know he likes carrots, which means I don't need to hide them in a smoothie, but I also wanted to use good foods for our first day back to smoothie land!

Here was my recipe, that caused quite a yummy stir in the Veg house!  Even Hubby liked it and drank a whole cup.

• 1 small container of Silk Blueberry Soy Yogurt
• 1 small jar of organic baby food carrots
• Some Vanilla Silk Soy Milk (enough for smoothie texture, but not too much)
• A dash of Elderberry Syrup to keep the virus bugs away
• 1/2 a banana
• Some Organic Frozen Strawberries
• Tablespoon or two of Strawberry Jam

So in the end, this super smoothie packed a full days serving of  Orange Veggies and 3 Fruits...  Pro-bioitcs in the yogurt along with other yummy nutrients.  Soy Protein and vitamins from the milk and yogurt... And a little immune boost plug for good measure.

Think I'll be making a lot more of these!!!  Veg drank two cups full...  And didn't even mind that it was pink instead of purple... *smile*

And by the way... I love my Magic Bullet, it made this all mix together in a matter of seconds.  So until I get the urge to make my own veggie puree's again (which could happen)  I guess my cart will be filled with baby food veggies!

Tomorrow's menu is Butter Nut Squash and Sweet Peas, with Blueberries... yum yum!

END OF WEEK

First New Years week comes to a close!  And another balanced day!  *smile*

Not too many tips to share except this one  "leave Hubby Notes"...  Last night I prepared Veg's lunch to bring with us this morning and left myself a note so I wouldn't forget stuff.  When I got out of bed, hubby had already let the dogs out and fed them, also packed up the lunch from my note, and had everything waiting for me by the stairs.  (he must have thought the note was for him, but I'm not complaining)

Following the tips from yesterday (although going to sleep at 2am and not 12am) we had a successful morning.

Veg and I were Awake, Dressed and out the door in 10 minutes!  WooHoo!!! 

I'll be coming home to a straightend house (picking up as I go really does help), my car is not a mess, and my work task list has been nipped away.  Hubby is picking up Veg so I can go shopping (saving me from doing this tomorrow) and if all goes well, I'll stay one day ahead of myself! 

At least I can hope!

DOING IT ALL AND BALANCED

I posted yesterday that I would find a way to time manage and balance my life a little better in 2008, getting back to some things I used to do.  You know like, putting stuff away as you take it out, or finishing a task as soon as it is assigned so it doesn't pile up.  Simple things like that...  Maybe even a pile of laundry a day... hmm?  what a concept.

So, I have to report about my 2nd day...This one didn't include any extra sleep, and my plans were forced to change in order to finish up a task... But in the end it all got done.  Including updating this blog.  Soooo here it goes:

Tip - Prepare everything in advance for Veg's School day making this morning less stressful

• Load up the car with lunch, soy milk carton, slippers, bag, jacket, mittens, hat, shoes, socks, extra clothes, blanket, pillow (you get the idea)
• Lay out clothes for the Veg-Meister - have breakfast and drink already in the car before he woke up
• Dogs fed and outside/inside
• Get myself dressed - pack wallet, computer, blah blah blah
• Take Veg to school and then drive to work

Tip - Don't stop at Starbucks in the AM, saved me 25 minutes and $3.85

• Get to work and do all paperwork soon as I arrived and get it all turned in before the busyness starts
• Work
• Take my lunch break only this time with Hubby - we met for lunch and Starbucks (OK, so i didn't really save the $3.85)

Tip - Parents of school age kids, be sure to meet for lunch... May be the only "couple" time you get and is a great break in the day to discuss what ever without having little ears around or needing to pay a babysitter.

• Back to work... work, work, and more...
• Then pack up and go get Veg (have a snack handy to avoid car whining)
• Once Home, bring everything in the house at once instead of forgetting about it till later
• Before closing the garage door, start a load of wash
• Head upstairs, change my clothes and go for a jog, while Veg has "daddy" time  (Only got 10 minutes because it was dark, but better then nothing)
• Make dinner
• While dinner is brewing, grab the lunch box and fill it up for tomorrow

Tip - Its easy to prepare lunch while preparing dinner because you already have all the food handy, and saves you the rush in the morning.

• Check Blackberry and get computer hooked up for evening work
• Dinner is done, so we eat (its now 7:30)
• Play with the Vegman for a few minutes
• Clean up kitchen from Dinner
• Clean up toys from play time
• Read Bed time book
• Brush teeth, toilet stop, lotion on hands (don't ask), change music, turn on fan, light... blah blah blah
• Alas 8:30 and Veg is sleeping....
• Sit down at the PC to update blogs, check out Mom's site, and log in to work...It is now 10pm
• I will finish this up, clean out some more email from my week off and then shower myself

Tip - Shower at night - great way to relax without any interruptions, and one less thing to do in the morning..

I will probably goto bed by midnight (or I can hope)  but this was a perfectly balanced day!

Time for Veg, Time for Hubby, Time for Work, Time for Me, House not piled with mess......

I'll Take it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOSE IS STILL ATTACHED

After finding out Veg went on the playground today I said "Wow, did you freeze your nose off?"  Not really sure what prompted me to ask that?   Seriously , what a goofy question to ask...  But my sweet boy answers in his sweet voice:

"No Mom, God nailed it on there real tight so it won't come off in the cold, don't worry"

Sheww, glad we got that all straightened out!

CHICKEN SNEEZES

Here is the story:

Every time my hubby and I go out to eat, he has a sneezing attack before leaving the restaurant.  It NEVER fails...  I always thought it was the dairy because I read in a book once that eating dairy will cause you to sneeze and gain congestion.   My friend says this happens from walking in to the Sun after leaving a restaurant, but for hubby it happens even at night.  Some say it is a temperature change... 

But I now say, its the CHICKEN!!!  That is the only thing that he consistently ate at every meal.  and it is the only thing he know longer eats.  When we went to lunch today, he ate Veg food with a creamy pasta sauce and I noticed he didn't have a sneezing fit.  Come to think of it, he hasn't had one in almost 3 weeks....  Not since he went Veg. 

So it can't be the dairy, the sun or the air because none of those things have changed.  IT HAS TO BE THE CHICKEN!

So if your keeping track, my Dear Veg Hubby has lost 9 pounds, no longer needs pop or coffee as much, is excited to start exercising,  his head is clear, sinuses all better, foot is healing, clutter is being removed from cabinets, and no more Chicken Sneeze Fits....And he has his Xbox360... 

Who new?  *smile*

AN AGENDA

I went back to work today so Hubby stayed home with Veg since he doesn't go back to school till tomorrow.

When I came home I was greeted with a HUGE Scream from Veg....."MOMMY IS HOME"....  and an agenda from Hubby.  Yes, I said agenda!

He wrote down everything they did today between the hours of 8:30 and 6:30, including what was cleaned, who was showered and what was played with....  He just didn't want to forget to tell me anything!  <How could he forget, there were only 5 things on the list>  If I kept one of those lists daily...... Nope, I won't even say it!

And then I see my coffee cup cabinet being emptied and received this question "Do you mind if I start getting rid of these, I'm sick of all this clutter?" 

Moly Cows (as Veg would say)  Did I really just hear what I thought I did.... Can you replay that?

"What, I'm sick of all this clutter"

<For Real, your really sick of clutter, meaning your going to get rid of clutter, meaning your going to stop bringing home clutter, meaning we no longer will have clutter?   Did I really just hear this?>

"Yes, I'm just sick of looking at all this stuff and if we don't use it, then why keep it?"

Moly Cows!!!  My non clutter hubby is back.... He left for a while, but he is really back!!!

Maybe my closet cleaning spree prompted this, maybe he fell and bonked his head, Maybe the gout pain is getting to his noggin... I don't know....

But I do know that three of my cabinets are now completely cleaned out and I wasn't the one to clean them!!

Woooohoooo, this 2008 stuff is pretty cool. 

CHANGES - GOING BACK TO BASICS

Why am I posting in the middle of the day?  I will tell you why...  Because I am taking a lunch break!   I have decided in order to keep my sanity and still have something to laugh about, I'm going to make some changes in 2008!   So I'm going back to basics...  I'm making some changes in my zany way of life in order to make things more manageable....  One of those things is a lunch break!!

Some days I may post a random thought here or on our Mom Board... Some days I may look away from the computer completely and read a magazine article.  Some days I may leave the building for more then just a business lunch, but more days then not, I will be taking a lunch break...  Because I can, and I should... Even if only 15 minutes!  What a better way to have some "Mommy" time then a lunch break!

I'm also going to Exercise again..  If this means changing my daily to-do hours around, Then I shall...  I'm lucky and cursed at the same time to work a job that never sleeps... So time management is going to be my #1 goal this year!  Work Hard when Working, still putting family first, and my self next...  Its all doable, I'm sure of it!  A balance is possible if time is managed wisely!

Soooo.... Lunch Breaks WILL be utilized...  Exercise WILL happen.... Sleep WILL occur... Work WILL get done... and Family WILL come first....

How WILL I do those things with only 24 hours in a day?  Hmm, that is the tricky part...but it WILL happen!  *smile*   I'll post my tricks here as I find them.  For now, I'm going to eat my lunch!

2ND DAY - SAME AS THE FIRST

If you read the previous post about New Years, then this will make sense, otherwise, just ignore!  *smile*

I actually went to sleep at 7:30 last night.... YES, ME, Asleep at 7:30!!  No, I'm not sick... I just needed to sleep and so I did!  Outside of a few midnight wake-ups totaling 30 minutes, my night consisted of SLEEP!  All the way until 7am...  If your counting this is a lot of sleep....Deep, comfy, dreamy Sleep!

So I wake up fully rested and happy to face this new year.... Begin to walk out of the house and I pour my lemon water all over my only stain free piece of furniture (should I say, used to be stain free)...  Clean up that mess, get in the car, drive out of my subdivision to realize "I don't have my wallet"  Crud!  back to the house for the wallet...  And then I'm officially on my way to work to face the new year!

In the car, I just begin laughing at myself... Good thing there is nobody watching me in my car because I tend to laugh at myself a lot....  Why, was I laughing... Because my Prediction based on yesterday is already holding true...

Rest and Dog Puke (in this case lemon water) is a perfect way to start the year that will hold much of the same!  A Balance I can handle...Not too much of either with a little fun thrown in and I'm all set!

Check back often... You never know why I'll be laughing at myself next!