Menu Planning

I was inspired by my friend Tara's blog to post a copy of my weekly menu plan. I have been planning weekly menus since Aaron and I got married. It helps me know what I am going to make every night and, more importantly, keeps me from wandering aimlessly in the grocery store, buying lots of stuff I don't need and forgetting half the stuff I do need. If you are curious about any recipes, let me know!  I love to cook. I know my mom hates thinking of things to make so, if you are like my mom, steal one of these recipes or meal ideas for your own family!

Monday (while I am in class): Chili dogs, baked french fries, jello w/manderian oranges and fresh strawberries

Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas w/green and red peppers and sliced onion (I make my own seasoning for this because the packaged kind messes with Aaron's stomach) 

Wednesday: Eggrolls (Sams), peas and carrots (super busy night for us....class, rush home, leave for church) 

Thursday: Marinated Shrimp w/ peppers, cheesy grits (using up the extra pepper from the fajitas, just saute it a bit before adding the shrimp and sauce to the skillet)

Friday: Chicken Parmesan bundles (new recipe for me!), pasta and spaghetti sauce, salad

Saturday: (Aaron's b-day! 26! Woot!) Sloppy joes, french fries, green bean casserole, Oreo ice cream cake from Dairy Queen :) (This is his requested birthday dinner EVERY year! Go figure...he is easy to please)

Sunday: Frozen Pizza 

Enjoy! Maybe I'll do this again in the future....

Shred- Day 12 The Good and the Bad

Today is Day 12 of Shredding. After 10 days of doing Level One, I was feeling pretty good--a lot stronger, confident, maybe a little cocky. It is time, I thought, to move on up to Level Two! WOOT!

Well, after two days of Level Two, I am not feeling so, um, cocky anymore. Level Two, to put it mildly, kicks my BUTT! It is a LOT harder. I have yet to make it through the whole thing doing all the exercises. Mostly, I find myself dripping sweat, gasping for breath, staring blankly at the screen as Jillian and her two minions do "plank" exercises confidently while I am falling on the floor from exhaustion. I am back to the sore and shaky state I was in after Day 1, Level One.

But, I am determined to stick with it--as much as I may HATE the word "plank" now...

Here is the good news though:

I had to know that this Shredding thing was working, that all of this pain and suffering truly wasn't for nothing. The scale was barely giving me reassurance--I have MAYBE lost a pound. But I have been "feeling" slimmer lately so I grabbed my tape measure and slung that baby around my body. And, joy and rapture, it gave me amazing news. Here are the results:

I have lost

1 inch from my natural waist

1 inch from my lower waist, ie. twin baby flab

3/4 inch from my hips/ba-donk-a-donk

YES! YES! YES! It really IS working. So, tomorrow morning, I will get up early, (yes, even on Saturday) because Jillian Michaels delivered these past 12 days. I am looking forward to seeing what the next 18 days will bring--even if the diabolical "plank" is involved.

Shred update

I am still Shredding! Today is day 10!! WOW! I took Sunday off--I told myself I needed a break (seriously, I think I was just being lazy)--but I was back at it on Monday. Tomorrow I start Level 2! EEK! I am scared. My endurance is so much greater than when I started a week and a half ago. I am still sweaty and breathing hard by the end but I definitely feel stronger.

Two day this past week I haven't wanted to get up and Shred before the boys got up. So I slept in. But I felt so guilty/compelled that I couldn't skip a day. So, I ended up doing the DVD while the boys watched. The first day, I had to bribe them 4 times (fruit snacks, cereal, books, juice) before I could finish the 20 min workout. It took me about 35 minutes to do the whole thing. Benji was hanging on my leg during the lunge--"hold me! hold me!" 

 The second time I Shredded while the boys watched they were better. In fact, the even tried to imitate some of the moves, ie. waving their arms while I  did Jumping Jacks and pretending to lift "weights" (toys) above their head. So funny! 

Not sure if I have lost any weight yet--maybe a pound. But I feel really proud of myself for making it 10 days! I have NEVER liked exercising (Read: I HATE EXERCISING!) so I am kind of amazed that I am actually sticking to this. Only 20 days to go till I reach my goal! 

My new cloth diapers!

I made some new cloth diapers. I LOVE using cloth! We have used cloth diapers since the boys were born (we use disposables sometimes too, but cloth about 90% of the time) and I love it! 

I made some diapers last summer. They were for 10-20 lbs and now the boys are growing out of them. I made 26 last summer (!!!) and it took me about 2 months to sew them (off and on). 

I ordered 13 diapers this time (bakers dozen special) from diaperkit.com. This business is owned by a work at home mom. The diaper kit arrives with all the pieces washed and cut--all I had to do was sew the diaper together. 

This time, I sewed the diapers in about 4-5 days over a period of 2 weeks or so, the majority being the past 2 days. I made some modifications from last time. My boys need more absorbency so I decided to buy some bamboo fabric (online) and use that for my soakers (absorbent part of the diaper). 

The fabric I bought is a blend of bamboo and cotton and it is SOOO soft--like a cross between the inside of a brand new sweatshirt and the softest towel you have ever used. The kit came with a cotton piece for the soaker so I used that for a pattern and sewed a two layer soaker--one layer of cotton flannel and one layer of bamboo. 

Bamboo is also 60% more absorbent than cotton (which is what I made the soakers out of last year) and has antibacterial properties. Awesome! Plus, did I mention how SOFT it it? Love it!

The only part I am not happy with is that the lady didn't send me very good colors this time. I don't know why. Last year, I got a rainbow of hues. Oh well. The diapers will still work the same. I just wish she would have sent a better variety of colors with my order. 

Here are some pics! Enjoy! And if you have any questions about cloth, please let me know! 

The size difference from last year to this year! WOW! The boys have grown!

I made 13. One was in the wash. Benji baptized it by, er, fire. 

The inside of the diaper. I only sewed the soakers on one side so that they can be free in the wash to get really clean and so that they will dry faster in the drier. 

All tucked in!

I only got three colors this time. But the diapers turned out really well! I love them! 

After I chased Micah around for 10 minutes, I FINALLY got a picture of him modeling the new diaper. They fit great and plenty of room to grow too! 

Day 4- The Shred

An update on my workout challenge: I am MUCH less sore today! YEA! Thank goodness. Right now, my muscle are feeling good and not hurting so much. I am getting stronger!

Shred = Sore

Day 3 of exercising/The Shred. One word: SORE! How can 20 minutes leave you aching for the rest of the day? The good part is, I feel really good after I finish and the exercising makes me feel strong. Just really, really sore. Waiting anxiously for results and more endurance as I keep at it!

Back to School

I am in my second week of school and second semester of my MA English program. So far, it is going well. I am taking 9 hours (3 classes) which is full time. Am I crazy? Sometimes I think so! Here is my schedule:

MW 4:05-5:20pm Christian Poetics (this is not a poetry class. More like a "What makes good literature good" class and "So what are we going to do about it as Christians?" class) Love my professor. I took her for almost every class she offered in undergrad. Go Dr. Prior! 

M 6:00-9:00pm Victorian Literature. Currently reading "Oliver Twist." Can't wait to get to "Dracula" later in the semester. Bring on the vampire lit! Wonderful, witty professor in this class too. She keeps us laughing. 

Tues 6:30-9:30pm Seminar in Jane Austen. Sigh. I love Jane Austen. Re-reading "Pride and Prejudice" for the umpteenth time. Double sigh of happiness. That book is delicious every time you read it. 

I chose to do my small (7-9 page) research paper for my Christian Poetics class first (we had to sign up for a date) so I began working on it 2 weeks before classes even started. I had to present/read it aloud in class on Monday. I was SUPER nervous. The topic was hard--Aristotle's "Poetics" was the book--and I choose a very abstract concept to write about. But the end result was very satisfying and once I was done reading, I felt really good about it. The paper provoked some good class discussion. And I am SO glad that I don't have to think about another paper for that class until the end of the semester. YEA!!!

Did I mention, I love school? Well, I really, really do. :)