.. and the Gold Medal goes to...

So I guess May was the popular month for me. I started this blog almost a year ago and most of my posts were done in May. Hmm.. I wonder what happened to the rest of the year?!? Happy New Year!

My Recipe Box!!

Check out my new recipe box.... I am soo excited about it! I've been s l o w l y working on my cookbook collection... it's just hard to find really good ones, at least for me. So while on the hunt, I started looking online for recipes.. but I always feel so overwhelmed. There are just soooo many to choose from! A few months ago, I signed up for a newsletter called "Tell Me What To Cook", and they were suppose to send you weekly emails with meal plans and nutritious recipes. I never received one. So, I went back on the hunt. As I found recipes that I liked, I printed them or saved them to my profile on the website. It just bugged me that I had all these papers lying around and recipes saved to all these different sites that I couldn't remember my passwords for. So I decided to get a recipe box.... I looked around and could not find one... so I decided to make one. This is my creation!
I'm so proud of it! Now I just need to fill it up with yummy recipes! So, if anyone has a good one, please send it my way and I will pop it in!

I did receive the Biggest Loser Cookbook and I have only tried two of the recipes so far, but they were both delicious! I told Damon that while thumbing through the book, I didn't come across one recipe that I didn't want to try! I give it two thumbs up!

Mini

Most of you who know me, know that I am absolutely obsessed with Mini Coopers! I love them. I want one. I dream of them. My fetish has been ongoing for years now and in my mind I can't seem to shake that it's just not a logical car for me. What can I say? So the other day, my sister-in-law and I were walking through a store and I saw a kids tee shirt that at first sight I flipped over. I loved it, and wanted it... but it was too big for Jude (3T), had they had his size I might have bought it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could make it better anyway. So that is how this onesie idea came to be.

The front is going to look like this...

MY MOMMY
REALLY WANTS
A MINI COOPER,
BUT INSTEAD
SHE GOT A...

On the back...


The S on the car stands for Sport, my S stands for Stud! hehe! I thought about adding that somewhere, but I'm not sure where yet. The shirt at the store just said Mini Pooper and it was very plain. I like mine so much more! The only thing that bugs me is the S is supposed to be red with a silver outlining. I found the font that matches the best, but it won't let me "fill it" red. I just can't figure it out. Nevertheless, I'm so excited to get this printed on fabric transfer paper and on his onesie so he can wear it. Maybe I'll just use a red fabric marker to fill it in. Am I a dork or what?

.. ahhh but to dream!

Biggest Loser

I just finished reading The Biggest Loser: The weight-loss program to transform your body, health and life. It was very motivating... something I really needed. (At least in the weight-loss area) I am doing well... lost 30 pounds since Jude was born, yeah me! However, I put on weight before we got pregnant and so there is no time like the present to get it off. And, since it's pre-baby weight, I don't think it will just melt off like the baby weight did. Nope, with these pounds of yuck I'll need to get down and dirty. Fun, fun, fun!

I really like this book because it lays everything out on the table for you, but it's not a strict diet... it's a lifestyle. The thing is, I'm a healthy eater. I have no problem eating whole foods, munching on veggies and fruits for snacks instead of junk, drinking plenty of water.. you get the picture. My problem has been taking in too many calories per day and not burning anything off. Surprise, Surprise! I just started counting calories. Yes, it can be a pain, but I really like seeing what I consume every day. It's crazy how fast you can eat your daily calorie intake if you're not paying attention. No wonder eating out with Damon all the time packed on the pounds!

Baby - here is a good tip in the book about road reps. It's from a contestant on the show, she says.. " I'm in my car all day, so I bring a bag of lettuce mixed with grilled chicken and a serving of salad dressing. When it's time for lunch, I just shake everything up and eat it out of the bag. This is a very convenient way to pack a nutritious lunch."

I ordered the cookbook, and can't wait for it to arrive. A friend of mine told me the recipes are really good... light but filling. (ThanksJasmine!) And I found it for $5 on half.com, gotta love that!

Presents!!! ... con't

I didn't peek. I could have... but didn't. However I did open it on Saturday and we video taped it so Alycia could see. Sneaky, sneaky! ; ) It was a teapot! Not a tea kettle... a pot! A blue ceramic one. So cute! And tea. Yummy Teavana tea. I had never heard of it before, but Damon said it found him and he thought I would love it. He wanted to get me a cup to go with it, but he wanted me to really like it and be able to curl up with it when I'm reading... so we're gonna go to King of Prussia where there is another store (he bought this in Buffalo, NY) so I can pick one out. He's so thoughtful.

If you love tea and haven't heard of Teavana, check out their website. As stated on Wikipedia, "Teavana is often referred to as the "Starbucks of Tea". www.teavana.com

P.S. it's really yummy!!

I also received from Damon, what he calls "written word". So sweet it made me cry. This is what he wrote....

An openness of my heart...
Sure you are a wife, a mother,
no doubt a woman extraordinaire,
but these cannot even begin to define you
my only, my only, my Angela.
Quietly you love, humbly you give
your time, your energy,
You're everything to me and the kids
The words I use to describe you:
amazing, intelligent, and beautiful,
oh even more, gracious, loving, uncompromising,
and of course, my Baby Cakes Supreme.
So it is not only today I celebrate you,
but in every prayer I whisper to God,
every time I remember life before you,
and ever more when I dream for the future.
So on those days when the sink refuses to empty
and the clothes will not return to their proper drawer
Please remember this always, even though we are imperfect
It was, is, and always will be, You alone, who we adore.

Isn't he the sweetest????

Presents!!!

Damon brought my mother's day gifts home.. and he said I need my children's permission to open them early. Jude gives permission, because I speak for him and of course he's gonna say yes, duh! AJ said yes, but little miss Alycia, who I had to call because she's at her dad's said, "umm... I think I'm going to have to say no because I want to be there." Does she know the torture she making me endure? Granted, it's not life threatening but arggghhhhh... it's a present that is just sitting there.... STARING at me. I wonder how she would feel if we left her Christmas presents out in the open even just one day before she was allowed to open them. She would go crazy! Maybe we'll try it this year. ; )

However, I was allowed to open one and it's awesome! A food scale!! I've wanted one for such a long time... and this one is wonderful!! Not only does it weigh food, it also tells you the nutritional information of over 900 different foods. I'm so excited to use it!!! I'll keep you posted on the other. I might sneak out in the middle of the night to peak... sshhhh!!

a little on the monster-ish side

... tomorrow is Friday... and Damon is coming home!!! He's been gone all week and I've missed him soooo much! It's been a rough week for me. I'm tired. I'm sick of breastfeeding (and let me tell you something... whoever said there is no use crying over spilled milk obviously never had to pump breast milk. After pumping for 30 minutes only to have the bottle tip over and the milk spill everywhere... well, it's definitely worthy of a good temper tantrum.) My foot is still swelling up and I don't know why. I'm tired of being the referee, the homework cop, the maid, the dry cleaner, the taxi driver, the psychologist, the chef, the notary, the fashion police, the wake up service, the spa... ??? ... lady... or whatever they're called. Shall I go on? Maybe it's lack of sleep.. but I'm just done with this week. Don't get me wrong.. I love being a mom and having all the responsibilities that come with it ... but this week has just been too much for me... and it wasn't even anything that the kids did. They've been great! Okay, let's not kid ourselves.. they've been good. I just want my husband. I need him. I need him to look at me and tell me everything is okay.. and for him to wrap his arms around me in a hug and tell me he loves me..
because in that moment.. life is bliss.

One more day.
One more.
One.

extraordinary

where to begin....

I'm so afraid for this child of mine to grow up. I'm afraid for every new day. If I could, I would make her instantly 26 so we could skip all the scary (for me) years... with me not looking any older of course! Alycia and I have already been through things and have had talks beyond her years. And I'm going to make this known... I didn't go willingly... she has forced me along for the ride, as I'm sure every child since the beginning of time has done to one or both of their parents. She knows too much. Far much more than she should at the age of 9. Nine!!!! AJ gave me a gray patch, but this one... she's gonna make every single brown hair on my head turn the whitest of whites by the time she's done with puberty! I love her dearly!!

A few months ago I found out while helping out at her school, that she got "married" to a boy in her class. News to me! That's the first time I realized, regardless of the fact that she blurts out my business to anyone and everyone... she knows how to keep a secret from mom.

A few weeks ago she said to me, "Mom.. I think we need to talk about shaving." I said, "who you? what do you need to shave?" The girl wanted to start shaving her legs!! Again, nine! I told her to come back to me in four years and we could discuss it. She decided after learning that once you start shaving, you can't stop... she said she'll wait til she's in her twenties!

A few days ago.. she was getting dressed for school and came down stairs with a dress on. I asked her, like I always do, if she had shorts on under it? She said she had a skirt on and another top under the dress. It took me second, but then I looked at her as only a mother can, with the look that says... "caught ya!" and asked if she planned on taking the dress off at school and wearing the outfit under it? She slowly nodded her head and said... "yeeeeesssssss". arrrrrrrggghhh, that girl!!!!!! 3rd grade people! I thought I had until at least middle school for that one!

Again.. I love her dearly! She's so sweet and so friendly. She's also gonna have to start buying my hair dye!

Charles Martin

I am soooo excited for this book to be released! It'll be out the day before my birthday... and personally, I think it would make a fabulous birthday gift! (hint,hint) Charles Martin is one of my favorite authors. His stories, even though they are fiction... are very raw and real life. Every single one of them makes me cry.. his writing is amazing and I feel like I live in the story. I can't wait for this!!! Too bad he switched publishers or I'd probably have it already, poop!

If you want to check out his website, it's.... www.charlesmartinbooks.com Happy Reading!

Time

I planned on writing something every day... just to sit and compose my thoughts... hahahahahahahahahahaha! If you could see my days.. you'd be laughing too!

Taking care of a baby when you have two older kids is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I always joked around with people and laughed when they said, "it's like starting all over again", but I never stopped to really, REALLY think about it. AJ and Alycia are in such a different place and their needs are obviously so unlike Jude's... it's hard. There just isn't enough time.

The one thing I didn't really count on was how much AJ would love and want to take care of Jude. I expected it with Alycia because she's mothering. She has fed him and holds him and loves on him and plays with him and watches his video with him. AJ has started picking him up out of his crib, giving him his pacifier or he will try and rock him so he calms down. He has always been good with little kids, but at 12, I didn't think he'd want to be bothered with "baby stuff". I have to say, I'm proud of him. Now when it comes to school work and keeping his room clean, it's a completely different story!

I'm so glad the kids are in their last month of school. The year has flown by so quickly.. and I have to say.. I can't wait for it to be over. As quickly as it went, it has felt like such a long journey, and perhaps that is because I was pregnant and caring for a newborn for all of it, but whew!!!! AJ had a rough year due to lack of focus and organization, and I'm sure he can't wait for summer and a chance for me to be off his butt about it. Hopefully next year will be better, but I'm not even gonna think about that right now. I can't tell you how frustrated I've been through it all. I have had many conversations with his guidance counselor and teachers and I'm just shocked at how much they throw on the parent. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for parent involvement and checking to make sure homework is done... but I don't feel a parent should be fully responsible for assignments when their child is in 6th grade. I've tried everything with him... every organizational tool I could think of... it just doesn't work because he doesn't care to make it work. I can't force that. I can't make him care. Hopefully something will click between now and the start of 7th grade, because another year like this one... the thought of it just makes me cringe!

Birth Announcement

So during my pregnancy I worked on Jude's birth announcements. I wanted to make them myself instead of buying them because crafting is something I love to do. Anyway, today I was trying to figure out which picture to use for them... and finally ended up deciding on the 'get out of jail free card' photo. So cute! But while I was trying to pin down a pic, I thought about how big the Birth Announcement industry is.. I mean, what parent doesn't want to show off their little bundle to the world? But there are so many styles to choose from.. you can get them printed on plain photo paper, with or without a pic, with vellum, with ribbon, on chocolate, on cigars.. you can even get a sibling announcement! So I started wondering when this whole 'announcement' thing started.. and I have to tell ya.. when I figured it out.. I kind of giggled to myself. God. Like everything else... it all started with God. And to be perfectly honest with you.. He is awesome and we will never have a better birth announcement then the one he chose. A star.

Well... hellooooo there.

Combat [n. kom-bat] A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life.

That's me. A woman in combat... no, not armed forces combat.. but life in general combat. I mean, aren't we all? Add motherhood to the mix and I feel like I'm fighting the most important battle of my life! Everyday there is something new. Something different. So this is where I plan to, I don't want to say blow off steam... but blow off steam. ; ) Or maybe a better way to say it is... to regain my sanity! I can't promise to dazzle you with witty charm or that everything you read will make sense... but hopefully it'll be a tickle and a deep thought now and then. So.. read on blog lovers, read on.

Just to give you a little intro... I'm a stay at home mom of a family of five. If you continue to read these posts.. you will eventually get to know all about my family and our quirky ways. I have my oh so fetching husband, Damon.. whom I love, love, love soooo entirely much. Then we have the dashing AJ (12), the fabulous Alycia (9) and the most adorable leap year baby this side of... well, anywhere... Jude. (who will be six weeks old tomorrow) Oh, and Angela is me name love.

more to come soon...