Meme - Because I'm Too Tired for a More Coherent Post

It's the end of Spring Break Day One, and boy what a day it was. I'm wiped out and, quite honestly, too tired to recount the highlights (or the lowlights, for that matter). The condensed version is: cold, wet weather, no outdoor play possible, hectic lunch at Chic-Fil-A, visit to local toy store, lost digital camera, teething baby.

So, rather than dazzle you with the remaining details, I'm going to answer this meme posted by the housewife a few weeks ago. She offered it up as "bloggy fodder" for all and, after today, I'm jumping on it.

What I was doing 10 years ago: I was living with my husband on the outskirts of London (England). I traveled everywhere by foot, bike or train. I worked as an assistant editor for a Christian publication and also volunteered at a day center for those suffering from psychological disorders.

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Survive Spring Break Day Two
2. Wrap and mail birthday gifts
3. Pick up birthday gift for my sister
4. Have some crazy fun with my kids
5. Laundry, laundry and more laundry

Snacks I enjoy: Oven roasted garbanzo beans (these are THE best), chocolate chip cookies with milk, and chocolate (of course!)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: I'd want to use the majority of the money to help make a difference in the lives of others, but I'd be lying if I told you I wouldn't do some world traveling and have a few crazy shopping sprees.

Three of my bad habits: Drinking too much caffeine, eating too much chocolate, being a standard 10 minutes late to everything (hey, cut me a break, I've got three kids!)

Five places I have lived: New York, Michigan, England, Georgia. That's it.

Five jobs I have had: Babysitter, receptionist, waitress, PR manager, magazine editor

For anyone else suffering from exhaustion and writer's block, I tag you!

What's for Dinner This Week...

Here's what's on the menu for our house this week. A couple of side notes: The Bourbon Chicken is a new recipe that I haven't tried yet. I'm going to try to lower the sodium content by using low-sodium soy sauce. Thursday is always a busy day for us, so I'm planning on keeping things easy and picking up some chicken salad from a local store earlier in the day.

Monday: Bourbon Chicken with brown rice and fresh broccoli

Tuesday: Divine Italian Pie (recipe follows), green beans and fresh fruit

Wednesday: Beef taquitos with salsa and sour cream, fruit and salad

Thursday: Chicken salad on lettuce with poppyseed dressing

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Sweet Balls of Fire, salad, brown rice

Sunday: Wild Rice with Chicken and Mandarin Oranges, salad

(If you're looking for an easy downloadable menu planner, you'll find a great one here.)

For more menu planning ideas, don't forget to head over to orgjunkie.com.


Divine Italian Pie
Crust:
6 oz. whole wheat vermicelli or angel hair, cooked and drained
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. dried basil
Filling:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 lb. Italian sausage (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (15 1/2 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (8 oz.) package of grated mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all crust ingredients in a bowl. Chop mixture and press inot the bottom and sides of a 10" pie pan. To make filling, brown beef, sausage and onions in a skillet. Drain. Stir sauce into meat mixture. To assemble pie, sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on the crust. Pour meat mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown. Makes 8 to 10 servings

Second-Helping Saturday: Easy Oven Crisp Chicken

If you're looking for a chicken dish that delivers lots of flavor for minimal effort -- this is the recipe for you. It sounds like a crazy mix of ingredients, but the final result is some of the juiciest, most tender chicken you'll ever taste. The recipe calls for marinating the chicken overnight, but I've marinated it for as little as two hours and have found little difference in the final taste. It's great paired with brown rice and a green salad.

Easy Oven Crisp Chicken
8 servings

1 cup low-fat sour cream
¼ cup lemon juice
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. celery salt
8 skinless chicken breast halves
(1) 8 oz. pkg. herb-seasoned stuffing mix
4 Tbs. butter, melted

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic salt, black pepper and celery salt. Mix well. Add chicken and marinate in refrigerator overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and roll in stuffing mix. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees or until meat is tender and coating is browned.

The hardest working piece in my wardrobe

I'm a terribly scattered person. Between managing a home, changing diapers, running carpool, organizing playdates and figuring out what to make for dinner, I can look like I was run over by a Mack truck at the end of the day. However, I have found that getting dressed in the morning makes all the difference, and here's the one piece that will help you look like you've got it all under control: a denim pencil skirt. I promise, it will change your life.

Stay with me here.

A denim skirt is comfortable to wear, especially as the temperatures get warmer. It can take you from school to the park and home again. It's classic, doesn't wrinkle and, if you choose a nice dark wash, it does a pretty good job hiding stains.

Let's talk about length for a second. Because length is key.

Option #1:

Don't do this to yourself unless you're 18, not my daughter and have great legs. I have three people that call me "Mommy" at home, so for me, this ship has sailed. A long time ago.

Option #2:

This is too long, hits at the widest part of your calves and makes you look heavier than you really are. 'Nough said.

Option #3:

Hits right around the knee, sits just below the waist, perfect all the way around. It takes no more effort (in fact it's easier) to throw this on instead of a pair of capris or sweats. I add a t-shirt, a lightweight cardigan and a pair of ballet flats. I'm dressed in five minutes and, though the reality is usually very different, I end up looking like I have my act somewhat together.

And friends, when you're fighting the frump, looking the part is half the battle.

For more frump-fighting ideas, head on over to Fussy's place!

Easter: A Brief Photo History

Easter pictures. I love them. I love the bright spring colors, I love the outdoor settings. I love getting the kids dressed up in their Easter finery. I have several adorable pictures of my daughter Jillian (5) in any variety of Easter scenes from this year and years past:

Frilly Easter dress: check
Sitting with the Easter Bunny: check
Hunting for eggs: double check

She is, in short, a photographer's dream.

My 3-year-old son, on the other hand? Notsomuch.

The first Easter Josh could walk and hunt eggs, the best we could do was this:

Idyllic, no?

Last year, we were out of town. The only egg hunt we did was indoors, early in the morning. We didn't get any pictures.

Here's a picture of my son at this year's egg hunt:

Yes, I know I'm showing you his backside. Or is it his front side? No. His jeans are on backwards. And don't you think the navy blue t-shirt just screams spring?

Let's discuss the outfit, shall we? I did not send him to school like that. For the record, I had him in a very handsome Easter egg hunting outfit. I thought long and hard before I dressed him that morning (I wanted a good picture, after all). I didn't want to go too "frou frou," so I opted for nice jeans, a long sleeved white t-shirt and a sweater vest in shades of blue, white and green. Perfect.

Apparently, not in Josh's eyes. He had it in his mind to change that outfit and set his plan in motion as soon as he stepped foot in the classroom:

"Miss Joy. I'm hot. I need to take my sweater off."

"But Josh, you look so handsome and your Mommy has you dressed for the egg hunt later."

"But I'm hot!"

"Alright, we'll take the sweater off and put it back on for the egg hunt."

With part one of his plan complete, Josh runs off to play. An hour later, snack time provides the perfect opportunity to complete the outfit switch. One drop of milk hits the sleeve of his white shirt.

"Miss Joy, I got milk on my shirt."

At this point, Miss Joy directs Josh to the bathroom and hands him his ziploc bag of spare clothing. Please understand, I don't blame her at all. She's got 10 other two- and three-year olds to keep track of. Lord knows, she can't be spending the morning fighting my fashion battles.

So, Josh goes into the bathroom and comes out in the spare clothes. Now, the outfit I send as a backup outfit -- it's not pretty. I keep the nice outfits in his dresser so he can wear them regularly. The spare clothes are for emergency only. They're a little ratty, but they'll do in a pinch. His Easter egg hunt was not the "pinch" I had in mind.

There was no time to change before the hunt. Josh happily hunted eggs, backwards jeans and all. After the hunt, the children gathered together, a mass of pastel hair bows and handsome Easter sweaters. And then there was Josh.

I stood to the side, a proud mama.

We are classy, folks.

Better make room in the scrapbook, because at this rate next year's pictures are going to be a sight to see.

Help with Handwashing

We began potty training my son back in November. Since then, he's become pretty proficient and has even been managing solo trips. The one sticking point, however, has been hand washing. It's not that he can't (or won't) wash his hands -- it's that he's too short (even with a stool) to turn on the spigot by himself. This turned into a full-fledged problem when he went through the "Potty Fascination Stage" of using the toilet several times a day. I was spending a lot of time helping him wash his hands.

Well, we have found the path to self empowerment. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the humble pool noodle. Cut the noodle so it measures around 12 inches in length. (It's important that you use a noodle that has a hole in the middle.) Then, place the noodle onto the spigot.

Viola! You have easily extended the reach of the spigot, while also ensuring that your child can control the temperature and water flow.

Of course, you could also just buy a taller stool! :)

For more great ideas, head on over to Shannon's place!

Perspective

Years ago, in my life prior to diapers, sippy cups and naptimes, dandelions were weeds. I remember driving home from work one afternoon to find my front lawn blanketed in yellow. It was as if the dandelions had sprung up overnight, without any warning. They were an eyesore. A neighborhood embarrassment. Something to get rid of.

Last night, as I was cooking dinner my 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, fresh from an evening walk with their grandparents, burst into the house in a flurry of excitement. In their hands -- dandelion bouquets -- thoughtfully picked for me.

Isn't it funny how things change? What I once saw as something worth getting rid of, I now placed in a crystal vase on my kitchen counter. It got me thinking about the power of perspective. How many things are there in my life that God wants me to see as a blessing, rather than a curse? How many day-to-day issues do I consistenly label as weeds, instead of stepping back and trying to find the beauty in the moment (even if the moment is fleeting). Laundry. Family relationships. My daughter's chronic eczema.

It's more than just looking at the cup as half full -- it's knowing that even if I can't find the good in the situation, perhaps I can finally step out of the way and give God a little room to work. That's where I'll discover the hidden blessings -- even amongst the weeds.