Baaaad Mama

First off...I'm sorry that I missed Try it Tuesday this week. I've been really busy/stressed with a YW event plus all the kids things that come at the end of the school year. Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Ugh.

Have you ever felt like a complete and utter failure as a parent? Ever done and said the wrong things to your kids? Of course not you say! It's just meeeeeee.

Here's how it went down:

This morning I woke up after the kids. That was mistake #1. But heck, I was tired and don't I deserve a little sleeping in-age once in awhile? Anyway, I got up and went into the kitchen to get a drink. I saw a huge mess & it hit me the wrong way today. The last straw was seeing a package of hot dogs opened and it seemed like the person that opened them felt like they just didn't have the energy or care to put them away. So Mama was on the war path. I asked each kid (minus Ava of course) if they had left them out. "No". "No." "No" and "No". Enter Monster Mom. I lost it (not completely, but enough to have them all looking at me like I was a Mom from H-E double hockey sticks). This seemed like a re-run of a problem that has happened before. Not with hot dogs, but with something else just as annoying. No one would own up to the fact they they were too "busy" to put the item away. So I put each of them in ground-age mode until the guilty party came forward. It worked. Molly came forward after a bit and confessed. She apologized to everyone and cleaned up her mess. I thought she learned her lesson on that one, but here we were in the same boat again.

Molly insisted that SHE wasn't the culprit of leaving out the spoiling hot dog package. "It's not me this time! Honest!", she exclaimed. After some fit throwing (by all of us), I made them all sit at the dining room table until someone decided to own up to their "forgetfulness". They sat and sat with some more fit throwing and stomping of feet. I just couldn't believe we were back to this again!

Enter Dad. He was still sleeping until he heard all the commotion. He gets the low-down on the problem and sheepishly walks into the kitchen asking if the hot dog package was the one right by the toaster. Mom silently starts to feel the fire moving to the top of her head ready to explode. DAD left the hot dog package out the previous night just before he went to bed. He explained that he was too tired and forgot to put them away. GRRRR.

I really earned the Bad Mom award today. It's just like my kids to eat hot dogs in the morning. It's just like my kids to leave out the package until I remind them to put them away. But Mom is the one who really did the wrong thing by throwing my little fit. Dad left the stinky little things out and did apologize to all of us, but I needed to apologize to the kids now. I had a "quiet" talk with Dad about setting a good example all the while knowing that I was the one who needed to set a better example!

I also learned a lesson about not following through with teaching the kids to clean up after themselves in the first place. I lack in that area. Mostly, I do have them take responsibility, but I still find myself cleaning up after them sometimes instead of making them clean it up themselves. It just seems easier to do it myself at times. Wrong-o. I just made it harder on myself in the long run right?

You would think I would have learned from all those Love & Logic classes that I took this year.

I'm off to repent now.

Have a good weekend!

I love spring!

I love this flowering crab apple tree in our front yard, so Jillian took a picture of it. I want to remember how it looks each spring. It's not like I would frame it or anything, but I thought I'd post a picture. That's what the blog is for right? To write about anything that is important to us. I know it's just a tree, but it's a beautiful sight that gets me excited for springtime. I also love that I can see a reflection of pink on my office wall from this tree. Hard to explain exactly how it looks, but it's neat to see.

Little Miss Ava is having her 1st birthday this Friday. Here is a sneak peek photo of her in her princess crown. I used some of this photo to make digi scrap invitations for my family to come enjoy the big event. Her t-shirt says, "Princess in Training".

Try it Tuesday.....York Mints

I kept eyeing these mints in a cute little tin every time I went through the grocery store check-out. I never bought any because I thought the price was a little steep. Finally, today I sucked it up and bought a tin for $1.67 at Wally World.

The tin is cute, but a pain to open. I was lucky that the mints didn't go flying all over from the force it took to open it. Maybe next time I dip into them, I'll get the hang of it.

I haven't seen the tin in this picture on the left. Maybe that one is a special one for the holidays or something. It's pretty though.


I guess I expected York Mints to be a hard mint (hard like a Tic-Tac) with a dark chocolate shell. Wrong. They have a white minty shell and the insides are a softer mint surrounded by chocolate. Not as soft as a regular York Peppermint Patty, but still, it was softer than I imagined it would be. They remind me of those small round colored dinner mints. You know the ones that I mean.... Richardson Gourmet mints.


York Mints are only 15 calories for 3 mints. Zero WW points! But really, I want to eat more than 3 mints. I heard someone else say that it was only 2 pts for the whole tin. But I haven't done the math yet, so I can't say that's for sure. I still wouldn't like to buy them too often because the price is so high. It must be the fancy tin. They make it look like these mints are gourmet in their cutesy little tin, but really aren't they similar to the York Bites that used to be out? Do they even make those anymore?




I also tried Nabisco's 100 Calorie Nutter Butter Chewy Granola Bars today. Nuttin' special as far as I'm concerned. They really don't taste like Nutter Butters, but they are ok if you want a pb granola bar. At 2 pts each, it's ok to eat but won't be on my short list of favorite 100 calorie snacks. They also make an Oreo and Chips Ahoy 100 calorie chew granola bar. I have yet to try those. I like Oreo's, but only the actual cookie. I can't stand the Oreo cereal that came out years ago. Blech! I'm also not a big fan of Oreo ice cream or the 100 calorie thin crisps in Oreo flavor. They don't taste anything like an Oreo. Sooo...I won't be running out to try the Oreo chewy granola bar any time soon.

That's it for today's Try it Tuesday. I might try some gum next week.

Oh! I forgot! I have to rant a little bit here. I've mentioned before that I really love Edy's/Dreyer's Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup ice cream right? I still love it, but I'm NOT going to buy it any longer. Boo hoo! This is why....they changed the size of the round container! It's really really small compared to what it was before and they are charging the exact same price for it! What are they thinking? Did they think we wouldn't notice?! Duh! What a rip. I'm not a happy camper. I better write a letter. lol.

Try it Tuesday......Pringles Extreme Screamin' Dill Pickle

I know. Another chip. I guess it's because my family are a bunch of greasy chip eaters. I don't eat too many myself, but there always seems to be a bag in the pantry. This time not only do we have bags, but we have plenty of cans. We are huge fans of the Pringles Honey Mustard flavor. This includes me as probably the biggest fan. You can only buy them at Wal-mart from what I've been told. They are the best Pringle out there! Try the honey mustard people!

Ok,enough about the honey mustard. On to the Screamin' Dill Pickle review. I ate about 3 of these, but the can itself was gone in about 1/2 hour. My kids and hubby LOVE the dill flavor. My husband couldn't get over how much the chip actually tastes like a dill pickle. He thought it was yummy. Now I'm not a big fan of dill pickles myself. Or any pickle for that matter. But after tasting these chips, I can see how most people would think they were eating a pickle. It really does taste like one. Guess they actually meant it when they called it an, "Extreme" flavor.

Pringles also has other Extreme flavors that I have yet to try:

Extreme Blazin' Buffalo Wing
and
Extreme Kickin' Cheddar

I'm curious about the cheddar but have no interest in the buffalo. I don't like buffalo wings to begin with, so it's not something I'd try.



Did you know??

Did you know that Pringles makes flavors especially to sell in certain countries? If you live in South America, you can get Paprika or Filet Mignon flavors! Here are some more:

Japan- Funky Soy Sauce, Grilled Cheese, French Consomme'
Canada- Ketchup flavored
Europe- Thai Sweet Chilli & Lemongrass Flavor, Prawn Cocktail and Rice Infusions with a range of flavors. Hmmm...interesting. I'd like to try Pringles made from rice.
Australia & New Zealand- Light aromas Greek Style Cheese with a touch of Avocado Oil, Light aromas Spicy Thai with a touch of Coconut Oil

Cool huh?


Oh...I also tried Jet-Puffed ChocoMallows this week (Wal-mart had those too). Remember those? I remember eating them as a child once in a while. I didn't know they still made them. Or perhaps they brought them back. Either way, it was fun to see them again and get to eat them. I bet they would taste great in a Smore. Mmm. Eating 2 of them is 1 WW pt., so I go easy on them.

The Grass is Greener

Ava has been outside plenty of times, but last week was the first time she actually encountered the flowers in our yard. She loved the grass and bark too. And yes, it's time to mow for the first time this season!

Try it Thursday??

Yeah, I know. You're thinking, "It's not Tuesday so what is she doing posting about something to try?" Well....quite simply because I feel like it! ;)

I'm not posting about food like I usually do though.

This morning I was feeding Ava while watching t.v. in my room like I usually do. It's our ritual. She drinks a bottle while I watch Dr. Phil for 20 minutes. Or whatever show is on. Today, though, I decided to watch a movie instead.

Enter the chick flick. That was hubby's exit cue. He was out the door before I could say, "Honey, come watch and cuddle with me." He's not toopid!

Ok, I know this movie has been out since like December, but I'm just getting to watch it now that it's out on dvd.

P.S. I Love You


I started watching this movie not knowing what it was about. Nothing. I just knew it was a chick movie and that I'd probably like it since I'm a sucker for most of those. Can you say, "Titanic", "My Best Friends Wedding" and "The Notebook"??

I'm soooo glad that no one was around while I watched this movie! I have never and I mean never cried through and entire movie. Why did I do that?!


I know that Aunt Flo is close (she has been taunting me with her impending visit for a couple weeks now it seems). So that could be part of the problem. Or could it be that it was just a darn good movie? The actors were believable and the storyline was touching and well written. Usually, I don't really care for Hilary Swank, but she was excellent in this movie. Very believable and perfect for the part. And it didn't help that Gerard Butler is super hunky! Also, it was sprinkled with Irish overtones which takes the movie out of the norm. I get so sick of the same old, same old. I love how they mixed things up a bit. It was cool to hear him speak Irish even if he is really from Scotland. I'm part Irish and Scot, so it was a bonus for me ;)

Another bonus was Jeffery Dean Morgan. Great actor and handsommmme. (Why PG-13? He is the reason for the *brief nudity*. But don't worry, it's not as bad as you might imagine).

Boy, between Gerard Butler and JDM, it make me want to start a, "Hump-Day Hunk" blog post! (That sounds naughty...I truly mean Wednesdays!) Of course if I ever started a post like that, I'd put my own hubby first (awwww)....after all, everyone has their own love story right?

Anyway, have you seen this movie? And did you like it?

If you haven't, my suggestion is to rent it or watch it on PPV. But first you have to kick the family out of the house or they will think you are a sappy cry-baby freak!

Or is that just me?!

Try it Tuesday.....Nabisco Mr. Salty 100 calorie milk chocolate covered pretzels

One word.....Wow. Nabisco has made a happy woman out of me! I don't know about you, but I love salt and sweet together. If you feel the same, then try Nabisco's 100 calorie pack of Mr. Salty Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels . ~YUM~. Of course as with all 100 calorie packs, it leaves you wishing for more. No worries.. it's still a nice amount of chocolatey pretzels. It's the perfect amount of salt and sweet for me! 2 WW pts makes it all worth it.

While I don't eat 100 calorie pack foods all the time, I do have some favorites:

#1 favorite:
These are small, but good enough for me. Plus, they have 5 grams of filling fiber! Yesssss.

I also like these...


and



There are sooo many new 100 calorie packs out there to try. I hear there are 100 calorie packs of Sun Chips out. Yum. I think the 100 calorie Pringles are a joke. I can get the fat free ones and it costs me less and taste great.

So, now it's your turn to weigh (hee hee) on 100 calorie packs. What's your favorite? Or do you not even bother with them?

~19 years~

As of today, I've been married to my favorite person for ~19~ years!

I can list a zillion reasons why I love him, but I'll try and come up with 19 meaningful reasons just for this post (not in any particular order):

1. He's so darn handsome (my children are gagging with that one)

2. He loves me no matter what I look like (you haven't seen me sick as a dog with unwashed hair for days, but HE has!)

3. He has a goofy side that makes me laugh.

4. He bore his testimony recently and made me cry.

5. We both like to watch the Fury hockey games, but that's the only sport that we like.

6. He makes fabulous chocolate shakes!

7. He gives the best massages..especially foot massages.

8. He does silly things like buying 56 boxes of cereal because it was a good deal.

9. I love his drive to achieve goals...he has an invention that he gave up his job for and is really close to marketing it. I support his dream 100%.

10. He is always telling me he loves me, kissing me, telling me my freckles are beautiful and so are my saggy baggies! (fyi...I consider my saggy baggies to be all the stuff that used to be flatter or was north of where it is now!)

11. He cracks my back for me every day! Heaven knows I need it. If it doesn't get cracked, it hurts badly.

12. It's a comforting feeling when I see him play with Ava, which is often! Comforting even when he teases that he is going to wake her up just to play! Grr.

13. He surprised the kids by playing Monopoly with them even though he had a busy schedule.

14. He loved me enough to be sealed in the Temple.

15. He works his buns off to make sure we have the necessities in life.

16. We have learned how to better communicate and get along pretty darn well most of the time (I'm quickly knocking on wood!)

17. He can fix just about anything. He says he is a jack of all trades, but master to none. I disagree. He excels at everything he does. He could master anything if he wanted to. I'm being truthful!

18. This is a big one....He carried our son in his arms all the way back to the funeral home from the hospital in GR. He dressed him and placed him in his casket. When it came time, he placed his casket in the ground. He did this because he felt it was the only thing he could do as a Father for him besides love him in his short time on earth. He held me up when I thought I would fall. All with the strength he never knew he had.

19. I love him because he was made just for me. He has his faults, but so do I and I don't regret any minute of the 19 years we've been married :)

That's What Friend's Are For Right?

I have to give my friend Leslie a big shout-out. She sweetly went out and bought me the new Hungry Girl book that I really wanted.
It had only been on the shelves for a day! Leslie knows that I have been trying to lose the baby weight that I've gained when I was pregnant with Ava. I have a looooong road ahead of me and she has been my cheerleader forever it seems! We both meet 3x week to "walk away the pounds". I did a post about that awhile back. It's fun and I feel so good after.

Anyway, for those who don't know what Hungry Girl is....
Hungry girl isn't a dietitian or nutritionist or anything like that. She say she is just hungry. Plain and simple. She's an average woman just like me who has decided to try and eat better. Most women I know struggle with food issues at one time or another. I'm sooo glad that I signed up for Hungry Girl's newsletter! In each daily issue, I enjoy the recipes, tips and tricks for losing weight that she has to offer. She checks out tons of food products and then let's us know which ones are yummo and yucko. She has so much information that she needed to put it in a book for us all to enjoy. Personally, I'm pleased with that fact, because I print so many of the newsletters out that I now have a thick stack! The most important part of the Hungry Girl newsletter for me is the Weight Watcher points that she adds. It makes it easy for me. The disappointing thing about the new book is that the points values are missing! I have to look them up myself. But I guess that's ok. I haven't seen one recipe that wasn't WW friendly anyway. So as I make the recipes, I'll just jot down the points.

If you are interested in losing a few pounds or just want to eat foods that taste good yet aren't loaded in calories and fat, check out the Hungry Girl website which has all the past newsletters archived. Personally, my favorite is the Girls Bite Out which reminds me that some places are scarrrrry with their calorie soaked fattening foods. But there are also some places that serve delish food that won't hinder my weight loss.


I also like "Chew the right thing" in the newsletters that shows a side by side swap. Fattening foods vs. low fat/low calorie. One of the latest was a chocolate cupcake swap. The low fat version was made with chocolate cake mix, diet hot cocoa mix, Splenda and Egg Beaters. It sounds different than most low fat recipes I've seen. You can check out the swap here.

Again, thanks to my super sweet friend Leslie for giving me the fabulous book! Leslie is fun and has great ideas...I wish she would start blogging ~hint, hint~ :)