O'Google?

Hey Google! What's the deal? You change your home page for every weird, random "holiday," but not on St. Patrick's Day? Where's the love for the Irish? Where are the leprechauns? Where are the shamrocks? Where is the leprechaun dancing with shamrocks? Allow me to help....

See, now was that so difficult?

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now go grab your sweetie and have some green beer for me.

I'm one of THOSE people

When I started this blog, I swore I wouldn't be one of those people who gets all into it just to give it up after a month or so.  Dang it to hell if I didn't turn out to be exactly what I didn't want, kinda like realizing you've turned into your mother. (Hi mom! I love you!)

So. I'm back.  No, seriously!  Would I joke about this after being exposed as a fraudulent blogger?

In honor of my resurgence, I give you my beautiful children.

Oh! P.S. I was totally cyber-stalking and ended up on a blog written by an old boyfriend's wife. It was so friggin' booooooooring!  [giggle]

Dear Santa

Who knew it would be this time consuming to create Christmas wish lists for my kids?  Oy.

No time for rambling, so without further adieu here are Ryan and Maddie's wish lists.  The links are simply to give you a visual.  I'm sure the items are available at many stores.

Ryan's Christmas Wish List

• Fisher-Price Imaginext Dragon World Fortress
  
• Disney's Cars Drift & Jump Speedway Play Set
  
• Matchbox Rocky the Robot Truck
  
• Crayola Color Wonder Magic Light Brush
  
• Cars Race-o-Rama Wii Game
  
• The Ladybug Game
  
• Toy Story (movie) (Note: It looks like this movie is in Disney's "vault" and the stores aren't selling it.  You may be able to find it on Ebay or Amazon through a private seller, but PLEASE, don't spend your life savings on it! )
  
• Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway: EDWARD, the blue engine (Ryan would like the wooden one and the die cast one...picky picky!)
  
• Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Figure 8 Expansion Pack
  
• Any Play-Doh set 
• Clothing
• Pants/Jeans, size 4T with adjustable waist
• Shirts, size 5T
• Shoes, size 12 1/2 or size 1

Maddie's Christmas Wish List

• Fisher-Price Little Superstar Jammin' Band Musical Microphone
  
• Fisher-Price My First Dollhouse
  
• Fisher Price Little Mommy Newborn Doll Stroller
  
• Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm
  
• VTech Spin Around Learning Town
  
• LeapFrog Learning Friend Lily
  
• LeapFrog Fridge DJ
• Clothing - size 2T

Mmmm, Soup

Mmmmm, noodle soup.  I mean soup!  I mean noodle soup!


Am I the only one who still quotes "Friends"?  Yes?  Never mind then.

In my quest to slim down and shape up, I pulled out a few of the many, many (many) diet books that I paid too much for acquired over the years.  I figured if I was going to eat healthy, I needed some recipes that didn't call for whole sticks of butter (Sorry, Pioneer Woman.  I love you, but you're killing my waistline.).

Bob Greene's The Best Life Diet has some fairly simple and appetizing recipes.  Over the weekend I made Mexican Tortilla Soup with Roasted Chicken.  It was divine. Anything made with fresh lime juice is divine in my book - salsa, guacamole, cosmopolitans, kamikazes, (I'm getting off track but can't stop), gimlets, margaritas, and apparently this drink.  Can you imagine going into a bar and asking for this?  What if there was a waxing place that served drinks and you asked for one of these?  Confusion all around.

Back to the point.  This soup kicked ass!  I highly recommend you try it soon.

Mexican Tortilla Soup with Roasted Chicken


2 T. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 small roasted chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded
One 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (regular diced tomatoes are fine)
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 small (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut in half, then into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 ripe avocado, cubed
1/4 cup shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese

In a large stockpot over medium-low flame, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onions and saute them until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, and saute the mixture another minute.

Add the chicken broth, raise the flame to high, and bring it to a simmer. Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove the stockpot from the heat and cover.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium flame, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the tortilla strips and allow them to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with cubed avocado, shredded cheese, and handful of tortilla strips.

Serves 4. Per serving, about: Calories: 264, Protein: 11g, Carbohydrate: 23g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Total Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 21 mg, Calcium: 135mg, Sodium: 398 mg.

Note from me: I bagged the tortilla strips and just broke up some corn tortilla chips on top.  Tasted great, if you ask me. Also, if you can find low-fat Monterey Jack cheese, you rock.  I couldn't find it anywhere, so I just omitted it altogether. 

38

I have been blessed with good "youth" genes.  The women in my family do not look their respective ages.  I don't know if it's the fair skin, but I have always been mistaken for someone much younger.  Well, not always.  Not now.  I think my age has finally caught up to me.  I look in the mirror and wonder what happened to the fresh-faced, non-wrinkled young woman I was just a few short years ago.   Now the woman I see in the mirror has crows feet, dark circles under her eyes, uneven skin tone, and an extra chin (or two).  The woman I see looks old.

In a few hours I will be 38.  Thirty-freakin-eight.  Two years shy of (God help me) FORTY.  That scares the bejesus out of me.  But it doesn't have to.

Up until a few years ago, I managed to spit in the eye of my good genes.  I treated myself like total crap by not exercising and eating gobs and gobs of unhealthy food.  And now it shows.  In the past 6 years I've gained 70 pounds.  Wow.  Seriously.  Wow.  Seeing this in print is giving me heart palpitations.   Regardless, it has to be said, because I don't know how else to wake myself up from the self-loathing I've been putting myself through.  

Why are so many of us, especially women, so unkind to ourselves?  Why do I stress about my children eating healthy foods and then I hit the McDonald's drive-thru?  Don't answer that.  I know why.

On the eve of my 38th birthday, I'm giving myself a present:

• I vow to love myself.
• I vow to be kind to myself.
• I vow to make some life changes in order to be healthy.

I'll keep you posted.  Who knows?  Perhaps that fresh-faced girl will show up in my mirror again.

I know, I'm a bad mom

What is it about footed jammies that make toddlers look so adorable?  I love to watch M run around the house in her pj's - she looks so snuggly and comfy! And when she runs away from me, I just want to grab her little diaper-covered hiney.  Yes, I'm a hiney grabber.

This morning she is wearing a brown sleeper with pink hearts.  With her long torso and short little legs, I couldn't help but make this comparison:

What can I say?  I love that little monkey!  Curious George is cute, too.

Progress

Having a contractor for a husband has its perks.  Having a meticulous contractor for a husband is a Godsend.  Our house was, for a lack of a better term, a real shit pit when we bought it 6 years ago. But it came with 3.1 beautiful acres and it was what we could afford at the time. Knowing that D could turn it into a comfortable home, we forged ahead.  Over the years we've tackled (ok, not me, just him) room by room and slowly it has transformed into something we're proud of.  

One of the biggest eyesores of this house was the bathroom, especially the bathtub.  Permanently stained and its paint peeling off, the bathtub has made me snarl for 6 long years.  Every time I cleaned it, and, I'll admit, it wasn't that often, I screamed and cursed at the disgustingness. 

D is finally working on the bathroom remodel and I couldn't be happier. The old, nasty tub is gone!  It won't be long before I can camp out in the the new tub.  Thank you, honey, for helping to turn our house into a home!