I rode my exercise bike a total of 12 miles yesterday.. whoo hoo.. then
took a bath. I tried to get quiet time away from Anna and Agngel
said he would watch her.. well.. about 30 min later she found me and
kept complaining.. but mommy I am so dirty.. lol.. so I gave in.
Angel finally came looking for her.. Said she snick away.. of course he
was playing Playstation so it wasn’t that hard for her to do so.. lol
So we get out of the tub and discover that Angel decided to take the
ugly green dishwasher out from under the counter.. ugh.. which I have
been using as a storage for all my plastic bowls, cups, etc.. So now I
have a box and 3 bags to go through.. told ya I was a clutterbug.
I found this little disk that goes to a pigeon nipple (made for babies
with cleft palates) and starting reminising over it.. lol.. I am so
pathetic. We found a dishwasher someone was getting rid of (there
was a sign that says it works) so we picked it up.. Now we just have to
figure out how to hook it up. I know nothing about dishwashers..
have never owned or used one.. ever..
We need to look for mattresses for Anna’s bunk beds.. so I decided to
search Bob’s Discount Furniture.. notice the discount.. Well.. the
cheapest for a twin mattress (no box spring) is 800!!! I don’t
think so. The bed alone is 200. why do I want to spend more
on mattresses than the actual bed?? So we decided to check Sears..
David decided to mention to me that his mattress has springs poking
out.. so I guess that means we are buying 3 mattresses.. (wishing money
fell from heaven right now)
Well, I have a huge headache forming and tons of plastic stuff to go through.. so I guess I will get back to work..
This was not a good weekend.. Saturday, I was an emotional mess.. I am
seriously. My poor hubby. He was visiting some church
friends and totally forgot all about me waiting for him at home and
very lonely.. Sometimes being a sahm can get very depressing.
When he came home 6 hours of my emotions were unleashed on him.
He tried to make it up to me and we went out to eat after running some
errands.. but oh my.. I ended up doing some damage to my diet.. We went
to Chili’s and while I stared at the menu trying to decide on a meal..
I kept coming back to the Salmon on the guiltless section.. well.. I
decided I deserved to eat what I wanted.. so I chose something else and
we had a party platter or something for appetizer.. let’s just say..
the entire meal was about 50pts!!! So that left me with more
upsetting emotions! Oh my.. Then yesterday didn’t help because we
decided to try this chinese buffet place in Norwich after church..
Please someone explain to me why I am my worse enemy??
I have also decided to do some serious changes to my home situation
here.. I unsubbed to alot of groups and will probably be thinning out
my sirs here also. I need to devote more time to decluttering my
home. We had to get a new microwave.. (Angel’s 18 year old
microwave died this past week.. He went through proper mourning and
then we went and purchased a new one yesterday.. Let’s just say.. I
have never had digital before.. way too cool.. lol We also
found bunk beds (wood) at Bj’s and decided to purchase them soon.. it
would help tremendously when the nieces come visit in 3 weeks and when
mom is here.. However.. alot of decluttering has to be done to
fit them in her room.. I have a long journey ahead of me..
Now I just need to remind myself today is a new day/week.. for my food control..
I have been MIA for a while.. and while I
apologize for that.. it was really a good thing.. I have been making
alot of changes and some are very time consuming.. Let’s see..
- started calorie counting on January 1st
- also started avoiding white flour, white sugar, cheese and red meat
- bought a stability ball and just started bouncing on it
- then 2 days later I started doing like 30 min of exercises
- then I had angel bring in my exercise bike from the garage and did 2 miles
- then 4
- then 5
- now 6
- I bought the Biggest Loser dvd and did that workout
- then added red meat once a week
- first week I lost 10.5 lbs
- second week I gained .5
- last week I lost another 5.5
- total of 15.5 lbs lost
- oh.. I am doing weight watchers instead of calories now
- and limiting the stuff i eliminated at first..
- and I do 6 miles on the bike as soon as I wake up
- along with 30 – 60 min of exercise each day
- this is why I have absolutely no time to blog
- my day is full of planning meals that I can eat
- figuring calories, fat and fiber
- so I can figure out points for everything..
- yesterday I tweaked a blueberry muffin recipe so it would be 2 pts each
- then I made hummus from scratch
- 1pt per 1/4 cup
- Last night I made cabbage rolls with brown rice and ground turkey
- 10 pts for 7 rolls! wow.
- and it was delish.. I ate 4 of them.. about 6pts
- and it left enough room for triscuits w/ hummus
- today I am going to attempt to make indian flatbread ..just not sure which one.
- So that is what has been going on with me..
- plus cleaning, avon, homeschooling anna, etc.. it never ends..
- Bye for now.. I need to get back to work before everyone wakes up..
Oh I must add.. The pastales.. The green bananas are nothing like our
sweet bananas.. they are actually starchy (like a potato). It
takes a long time for them to get ripe and sweet. the leftover
bananas are starting to now and this was made a few days before
Christmas. As far as what they taste like.. umm.. I will have to
ask angel what he things.. I am so not good with comparisons. the
first thought that came to my head was a tamale.. but not quite.
We went to Walmart tonight.. Anna needed a tooth brush and toothpaste..
My little princess has been dressed up every day and singing opera
(Phanthom of the Opera) .. but does she pick girly toothbrush and
toothpaste.. heck no.. she picks Spiderman Toothbrush and Power Ranger
Toothpaste.. this was after we explained to her that the Batman
toothpaste tastes like Bubble gum (which she doesn’t like).. Silly girl!
What are Pastales?
Alot of my friends have been asking me about them.. so here is a step by step guide to how hubby makes pasteles..
A bunch of green bananas (can’t remember how many we had)
Cut the ends off
make long lines with a knife from one end to the other.. in about 4 /5
places.. I usually take the knife and stretch the edge of the cut so
the peel will come off easier.. this part can be a pain..
scrap off any skin remaining and put bananas in salt water to soak(it keeps it from turning colors)
Watch out.. cause this can happen to your hands.. ewww..
First Angel grated them through the food processor.. then used an
imititaion Magic Bullet to puree them to a pulp.. he ended up using the
processor to do it also..
Thick goop
Takes alot of work to get it looking like this
We start off by putting some Achiotte Oil on parchment paper, then a spoonful of the pureed bananas..
Achiotte Oil is Achiotte seeds and olive oil slowly cooking to make a red oil (be careful- it stains)
here you see a pan of meat. Angel likes to use a pork shoulder.. he cooks the shoulder and adds achiote oil to the mix.
The meat is in the middle of the bananas..
Gather each end..
Tie closed with strings.. and voila!
Boil, for at least and hour.. make sure they are closed enough so no water gets in it.
Angel loves his with ketchup.
We also fried up some banana chips.. not bad at all..
received this in my email today and I figured since I have been way too
busy to post.. I would do this .. if you put on your site, comment so I
can read. Thanks!
This is what you’re supposed
to do…and try not to be LAME and spoil
the fun! Just give in. Copy (not
forward) this entire e-mail and paste
it into a new e-mail. Change all of
the answers so that they apply to
you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of
people you know *INCLUDING*
the person who sent it to you. The theory is
that you will learn a lot of
little known facts about your friends. It is
fun and easy.
Here are my answers:
1. First
name? ~Linda
anyone? ~Yes, Mom
3. Do you wish on
stars? ~when I was a kid
4. When did you last
cry? ~last night
6. What is your favorite lunch
meat? ~smoked turkey breast (with swiss cheese, mayo, and on a crossiant – ok.. I am getting hungry..lol)
date? ~July 15, 1968
favorite album ~lately Shania Twain.. but only becasue our wedding song is on it.. (from this moment). I also love Bryan Adams -Summer of 69
and Why? ~Locket that Angel gave me our first year of dating
journal? ~online and have lots of written journals from teen years.
nicknames? ~Little Linda
off? ~Nope
cream flavor? ~chocolate chip cookie dough, or pure chocolate
Size? ~9
your least favorite thing about yourself? ~My appearance
shoes are you wearing? ~Black sweats
right now? ~George Shrinks
crayon, what color would you be? ~mauvelous
sex? ~Their eyes or smile
30. Favorite Drink? alcoholic?(alcoholic) – ~None – I love ordering Shirley Temples when we are at a wedding but I think it embarrasses hubby..LOL (non) – ~Cream Soda/Root Beer
Color? ~Dark Brown
contacts? ~not now
35. Favorite Food? ~bbq ribs, Calzones, French Onion Soup, Onion Blossom, Chicken Finger Salads, Fish and Chips (can you tell I am on a diet?)
Endings? ~hmm.. neither.. I love mysterious suspense that leaves ya hanging..
40. Hugs Or Kisses? ~I’ll take both!
Respond? ~hmm.. not sure
43. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? ~ Lisa
Reading? ~Chronicles of Narnia – going slowly
On Your Mouse Pad? ~ no mouse pad..
David when he coo’ed as a baby.. literally.. I would kiss both cheeks
on his face over and over and this coo would come out of his mouth.. I
couldn’t get enough of it. Also, Anna’s laughter when she is
tickled.. it is different than her normal laughter.
Beatles? ~Beatles (and I really loved the Monkees! I got a scrapbook somewhere)
you’ve been from home? ~Puerto Rico (on Honeymoon)
you? ~Katy
I am really impressed with this below..
From http://www.celebrity-babies.com/
Reese Witherspoon in ‘W’ magazine
Reese Witherspoon is the cover star of W magazine’s February issue. Some highlights relating to her kids – Ava, 6, and Deacon, 2.
-Reese prefers mommy friends to work friends – “I have a couple
[Hollywood] people I feel I have a connection with, and I’ll talk to
them occasionally for support…But most of my friends are moms, and
these are the people I relate to.”
-As everyone knows, she and Ryan don’t use nannies – “There
are times when a babysitter has to live in our house, like when we’re
shooting at night…But otherwise we just have babysitters, and that’s
it.”
-Besides Lost and Grey’s Anatomy, Reese likes to watch SuperNanny and Nanny 911, because “I
think it’s really good for people to talk about parenting…Kids
nowadays are getting less and less respectful. Parents are too afraid
of the screaming and the public temper tantrums to say no.”
-Reese thinks that she and Ryan’s conservative parenting style is a good fit for them. “Yeah,
I’m pretty conservative, or old-fashioned, I should say. It’s how I
grew up. I think you have to let your children be individuals but you
have to set boundaries…I don’t want my daughter shopping for clothes.
That would just send her into a tailspin of wanting.
And in my house you’re not allowed to wear two-piece swimsuits.
Other little girls come over in them, and that’s fine, but I tell Ava,
those are our family’s rules. It helps that Ryan and I have similar
ideas about all of it. You have to really support your partner in the
things that are important to them and hold the line together.”
Source: W via Just Jared.
I need to share a something that
happened before Christmas.. like a few days before.. I would like it in
the journal because I save these entries and plan to print them and put
into a book. Warning though.. this is sad..
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Started off great.. we got quite a bit done to prepare for Christmas eve.. we made cookies..
Sugar Cookies
Peanut butter cookies (Anna’s fave right now)
Made a Gingerbread House
Made Ornaments – the first one in the front has feathers in it.. the rest are paint
On this particular evening, Angel wanted to turn this…
green bananas..
Into this,
Pastales!
It was a very long lenghty process.. that required Anna to stay out of
the way..
I allowed her to play with her hamster for a bit.. something she does
often enough and is very good at handling him.. her biggest problem
however is she tends to let the hamster run off so we constantly have
to remind her to watch Blackie.. She let Blackie run around in her ball
for a bit and then I informed her that Blackie needed to go back to his
cage for some water, food and rest.. She came back and told me that she
put Blackie in his cage..
Quick flashback.. last week was the first time she lied to me.. she
told me she put him back but did not.. he escaped her little ‘play area
for him and was gone for the entire day.. She was discipline for lying,
etc..
I did not however, think she was going to lie that day.. it did not
cross my mind..
Well.. we took a needed break (after a few hours of peeling and mashing
bananas) and Angel discovered that
Anna did not put the hamster in the cage.. this was a good 20- 30 min
after she told us she did.. instead she had put the hamster in her
little dinosaur bucket and closed the lid.. to keep him close to her..
the hamster is dead.. Daddy was very angry
and told her exactly what
she did to the hamster.. she cried alot.. but not loud.. then got sent
to her room.. after a while david asked if he could talk to her.. he
won’t even kill a spider and was very upset also.. but he went in and
talked to her about how that hamster is real with feelings etc.. he
said he had never seen her cry like that before.. then Daddy went in
there with the hamster in a box with a napkin covering him.. and showed
it to anna.. He had Anna say goodbye to Blackie and she couldn’t do
it.. she cried and cried.. tears spilled everywhere.. she carried to
box to the trash and he had her place him in the bag.. then she had him
clean out the hamser cage by her self.. (we could not bury the hamster because the ground is hard a rock right now)
I stood there and cried and cried.. I just wanted to grab her and hug
her.. her little heart must have hurt so much.. Angel was in shock that she
would do such a thing.. I told him.. she didn’t understand.. she doesn’t
understand about air and breathing and stuff.. all she knows is she
wanted him to be near her.. she wanted to play with him..
I took the whole thing really badly.. the sole responsibility
is on me for what happened to that hamster.. I know she is young and
should have never been unsupervised with him.. and yet .. I let her.. I
feel so guilty for it.. she is only 4.. way to young to be that
responsible..
Two days later:
Anna said.. Maybe we can get a new hamster.. one
that will stay alive this time..
This got me thinking she really didn’t understand why the hamster
died.. I was thinking her mindset was this.. the hamster died just like
the mouse did.. but I got in trouble for not putting him back in the
cage.. with no understanding that she killed the hamster..
Me: Anna, do you know why Blackie died?
Anna: shakes head.. ‘no’
Me: Do something for me.. breathe in your nose like this, and out your
mouth like this
Anna: Breathes..
Me: You are breathing in air.. that keeps you alive.. every day you
breath air.. all day long. Look in the hamsters cage.. does it have
holes in it?
Anna:Â yes, but not the bottom..
Me” but look on the side.. it is wire and there are lots of holes..
that is so the hamster can get fresh air.. Look at the ball.. does it
have holes in it?
Anna: yes
Me: how about his tunnels .. do they have holes in it
Anna: yes
Me: Anna, did your bucket have holes in it?
Anna: no.  he was trying to get out
Me: (holding back tears from this visual)Â Honey, he was trying to get
out because he couldn’t breath.. without air you will die. Here..
watch.. mommy holds her breath and holds her nose.. and then she can’t
breathe..
She tries it for a minute.. or two.. holding her nose and her mouth..
Anna: Oh.. (and off she went to play)
about an hour later Anna comes back with watery eyes
Anna:Â Mommy, I really miss Blackie.. (long pause) I killed him
She climbs up on my lap at this point and I cuddle her..
Angel wanted to get her another hamster for Christmas.. we talked it
over and I recieved some suggestions from friends about whether or not
we should.. and we decided it would be ok.. but we had to get one that
looked nothing like Blackie..
So, meet Jade..
But we will never forget Blackie.. Anna really
loved him..
Pic taken by Anna
Wanna see what we got from a lady on FreeCycle ..
The Furry one is Static and the one in the back is Lightning
Aren’t they cute!
and yes.. we are nuts.. that makes 1 dog, 1 cat, 9 chickens, 1 hamster, and now 2 bunnies!
The family we got them from also has a Chinchilla.. (hubby was very
interested.. but wow.. 150.00) and they are getting an African Squirrel
for 1,400.00!!! The only reason they couldn’t keep these two
cuties.. and because the husband is allergic..
Ok.. I have decided.. a small blog is better than nothing at all..
Things are busy here.. I have been dieting and exercising.. so my mind
is so intently set on food plans and such.. We are all doing well.. I
am trying to get the house back to pre-christmas state with less
clutter.. (is that possible??)
I have so many pictures and things to share.. I hope I get around to
them soon.. I love posting here because I have them for future
reference.. I am faithful at backing up my journals.. I just need to
sit one day and print them all out.
We have a surprise coming today.. (most people will think we are nuts!) Hopefully pictures (just a few) will be posted tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Wow!.. Has it been that long??
There has been alot going on.. I am going to try to make it a point to post daily..
Those who are still here.. thanks for sticking around!
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