Day 391 - Overdue

Luke decided today that he wanted to get a haircut. After school, we drove straight to the nearest $4.99 haircut joint and got it done, no hesitations.

Before. Wavy. Wild. Rock-star.

In the chair ordering up a short cut he can "brush forward".

The end product plus some chocolate pudding face.
5 pounds lighter, ya think?

Day 383 - I'll Figure it out Later - Whew!

I'm behind. Way. Behind.

Things have been beyond busy.

Mostly, I have been busy being the "co-chair" of the school carnival (which was yesterday, which is why I have time today to actually write a bit here.)

"Co-chair" is how to passive-aggressively say, I did way more than 50%.

"Co-chair" also means I don't have any power and couldn't do anything other than "this is the way we've always done it."

"Co-chair" means you "get" to do everything the other person doesn't want to.

"Co-chair" means you have to communicate with another person over every little decision, yet it is extremely hard because they don't return your calls or e-mails for weeks.

So, "co-chair" was a pretty sucky job.

And it shouldn't have been, because the school carnival is such an iconic part of my childhood. (Except for that year that I missed it since I had the chicken pox.)

So, for anyone that has been around me the last few weeks - I'm sorry that I complained about every last detail of carnival hell. I have not been pleasant. (Plus, I've had strep throat.)

I'd like to find my smile again in the near future.

Day 382 - Food Revolution

Last night I stayed up so late watching TV. I got sucked into Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I loved it. I'm hooked. I'm a sucker for British accents, but the message was even more captivating.

Fast forward to today - my day with no kids and extra time to prep a good nutritious meal. It didn't go as planned...the chicken wasn't thawed so it took forever to cook. By the time it was ready, Maria had already devoured the left over Kraft Mac & Cheese, and Luke had a peanut butter and jelly. {Disclaimer - I only use 1 Tb. of butter and not the whole seasoning packet in the mac & cheese. And the jam is homemade by us...raspberry freezer jam - super low sugar.}

The chicken dish will make a lovely dinner for tomorrow.


I took some nibbles and it was scrumptious. Healthy? It's relative. It's homemade and doesn't have a million scary foreign ingredients in it. Maybe Jamie would think it was a step in the right direction.

Chicken Angelo

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 12 ounces Muenster cheese, sliced
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Dip chicken breasts in egg, then roll in bread crumbs to coat. Lay in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Layer cheese on top of chicken. Spread soup on top of cheese. Bake covered in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 20 to 30 minutes more, until juices run clear.

Days 380 & 381 - Weekend

We bought Chris a plane ticket so he could come home this weekend. (Do you know it costs $25 a bag on United Airlines? Insane! You'd think you'd give a guy with a sea bag a deal...)

He came especially for the kid's Odyssey of the Mind performance. Glad he saw it because the kids did a fantastic job - the best they've ever done. It was months of work boiled down to a 5 minute performance. I am now free of any after school obligations!! Yippee!!

The OM problem this year was "Surprise Party." The group had to give a surprise party for something that doesn't usually have one. Then they had to give that person 3 gifts that fit the type of party. They also had to make noisemakers and a song.

Luke and Maria's group were things in a closet. Luke was a pair of pants. Other kids were things like shirts, underwear, socks, and shoes. Maria was a dog, and a little girl was a cat.

After the pants get scratched by the cat (because of a dog chasing it), the other members of the closet throw it a surprise party for getting worn for the first time. They gave the pants a belt, a patch, and an iron. The noise makers were made from hangers, buttons, and safety pins. The kids had to do everything themselves, from brainstorming the idea, writing the dialog, making the costumes, and background, and then of course, performing it. Well done everyone!

So, back to Chris being home.

This weekend, because he was home, I got out of:

changing at least 2 dirty diapers
plunging one toilet
changing one light bulb
taking out batteries out of an annoying toy
driving
folding 1/2 of the laundry
some dishes

However, I did miss my chance to sleep in, and take a long shower. I will have to wait until next weekend I guess. That's when he will be flying back again. (I hope he brings carry-on luggage this time!)

Days 376-379 - Knee Deep

I'm still here. Well, in body - not in mind. Because I have officially crossed over to the insane way of life.

This week I've been so busy with school carnival planning, Odyssey of the Mind dress rehearsal shuttling and costume making, basketball pool hustling, getting 84 baby things into a local consignment sale, and then the normal cooking, cleaning, laundry sort of thing.

So, this is the last place I've been. But after all of this craziness goes away, I'll be back.

Days 374 & 375 - Another Bout of Funk

I can't seem to snap out of my grumpy mood lately. The last few days have been surrounded by stress (about silly things), poop (and other various messes), and death (a husband of a teacher at school). Pile on a load of various aches and pains, zero weight loss, and a complete lack of sleep and you have one cranky me.

Hopefully the sun will come back out to play and lift the funk.

April will be better.

Days 372 & 373 - Ewww

There is something stinky in Luke's room.

I can't unclog the toilet. I've been working on it for 2 days. (Thank goodness we have 2 others.)

I just realized I haven't taken a shower in 48 hours.

I've been cleaning all morning and the house is still a mess.

{Hurry home honey. Things are going downhill fast.}