Brussells Sprouts Really ARE Disgusting...

Last week brussels sprouts were on sale at our local grocery store. I'd never tasted them before, and I knew how healthy they were for you so I thought I'd give them a shot. They couldn't really be as bad as everyone makes them out to be right? I mean, it had to just be dirty lies inspired by generations of vegetable hating children right? Surely with my advanced adult palate, I would love the cute little vegetables.

Um, no. When kids say brussels sprouts are gross, it's because they really are gross. I tried sauteing them in a little bit of olive oil and adding a bit of cheese on top. They looked delicious. Then I took a bite. And gagged. Ok, it must have just been the method of preparation. The next night I chopped the rest up and cooked them with apples and brown sugar. They looked delicious again. Then I took a bite. And gagged. Yup, I can guarantee you I will not be forcing my children to eat brussels sprouts. They are disgusting. :(

Family Moment Monday

Motherhood for Dummies hosts Family Moment Mondays, check her out to get more ideas on how to spend time together as a family!

Thanksgiving is all about gratitude and spending time with your family, but preparation can be very stressful and time consuming. Here are a few tips to help you get through it faster so you can spend more time with your family. :)

*Casual Buffet - Instead of going all out with fancy table settings and centerpieces, set up an area to place all the finished food, drinks, plates, and other items needed for dinner. Have people serve themselves and then sit and visit where they are most comfortable.

*Paper/Plastic - Although this is not as environmentally friendly, try using paper or plastic plates, cups, and utensils. This will allow you to skip a big portion of clean up time so that you can spend more time with your family and friends.

*Make ahead - A lot of the side dishes and desserts can be made ahead of time. Pies can be made and stored several days in advance, while many side dishes can be prepared ahead of time and reheated on Thanksgiving day.

* Use a Roaster - If you have limited oven space, use an electric roaster to cook the turkey in. Then you can cook the side dishes in the oven, and not be stressed out about not having enough time to cook them.

*Split the Responsibility - If your guests ask if they can help, don't hesitate to ask if they can bring a side dish or a dessert. My sisters and I split the responsibilities so that no one is stuck making the entire meal by themselves.

*Be a Duck - Many times, bickering and arguing are ways in which some people deal with the stress of the holiday. When something goes wrong with the meal, or you hear an unwelcome comment from a family member, try to remember that getting upset will only make it worse. Roll with the punches and you may find that your peaceful attitude is contagious.

Does anyone else have any Thanksgiving tips?

Is it weird for me to want these?

I mean really, these "Mommy Cards" are the most unneccesary things in the whole world...

But they are so darn cute...
Who would I even give them to? Maybe I could enter those business card contests at lunch restaurants...if they would even accept them and not laugh at them.

Ok, yes totally useless but I still really really want them! :)

Wii Fit Wednesday

Here are the numbers:

Weight - 165.6
BMI - 32.51

Yikes! From 2 weeks ago, I actually went up a little bit in weight! I blame it on the early holiday snacking I've been doing. :( Also, with the cold weather, I start to crave heavier meals like creamy soups and cheese engulfed lasagna. I'm too much a food lover to give these up, but today was a real wake up call. From now on, I really need to work on portion control, especially with Thanksgiving coming up. The holidays are always my weak spot, but if I can really get my self control together and not go overboard I think I should be ok. Also, I know that tea or a broth based soup makes you feel fuller, so I think I will start each meal with either one of those and see if it helps. :{

Operation Monkey Crawl

Alright, I am bound and determined to get Michaela to crawl in the next month or two. Up to this point we have been mutually happy having me carry her around everywhere all day long. But she needs to learn how to crawl and learn to be a little bit independent. I am going to try to give her tummy time 15 minutes out of every hour and see if that helps her develop her muscles and her interest in crawling. Wish me luck!

By the way, thank you all for your very kind comments about the nursing situation. It must have been a blocked duct after all because after some heat therapy and extra long nursing sessions to make sure my breast was fully emptied I feel much much better! :)

Nursing Nightmare?

I don't know why, but this morning I woke up with a very very sore left breast. I don't know why I would be engorged, Michaela has not made a single change with her eating habits. She is not eating more frequently or for more time like she usually does when she hits a growth spurt. She ate just as frequently as usual last night. I can't figure this out! I had to deal with a blocked duct once before, but this doesn't feel like that. I'm starting to worry. What does it feel like when you dry up? I can't dry up now, Michaela is not even a year yet and she refuses to take a bottle anymore. Please give me some advice and tell me that drying up doesn't feel like this!

Family Moment Monday

Motherhood for Dummies hosts Family Moment Mondays, check her out to get more ideas on how to spend time together as a family!

I've been trying to think of various Thanksgiving crafts when I remembered an activity that I used to do with my housemates in college. We wanted a fun and visual way to show what we were grateful for, so we came up with this neat little craft.

Get a posterboard or large piece of butcher paper and draw or paste the body of a turkey on it. Cut out several small leaves out of various colors of construction paper (brown, yellow, red and orange are the prettiest). These will be the feathers for the turkey. If your kids prefer, you can use feathers made out of traces of their hands instead.

On Thanksgiving, before your guests arrive, tape or tack the turkey to a wall and set up a small table or stand next to it with the turkey feathers, markers, and tape. As each guest arrives, have them write their name and what they are thankful for on the feather and tape it to the turkey body.

This is not only a fun craft to make ahead of time, it is also a fun conversation piece. Remember to take a picture after everyone is finished so that you'll have a visual momento!

Halloween finally!

I've been wanting to post this for over a week, but have been too busy. Here are our Halloween pictures:

We were Alladin, Princess Jasmine, and Abu the monkey.

We went Trick or Treating with my niece and nephew who were a lion and Cookie Monster. Our new neighbordhood was great for trick or treating, it is such a nice little area!

We had our housewarming party that same night. We always have a party on Halloween because it is my birthday, so we decided to make it our housewarming party also. The house was not really ready, but our family and friends knew we had just moved in and didn't mind the lack of decorations, or the box filled back rooms.

I promise I'll get up some pictures of the house at some point, it's just a matter of getting those darn boxes out of the way!

Wii Fit Wednesday

Ok, I missed last week due to lots of craziness that hopefully I will have time to post about later today. Here are my stats today:

BMI: 32.42
Weight: 165.1 lbs

Overall that is a loss of 2.7 lbs from the start! I'm not losing weight as quickly as I'd like to, but at least I am losing a little bit. This week has been really hard for me. Not only was Halloween a major temptation (one I didn't entirely avoid), my back also went out last week after lifting a box that was probably a little bit too heavy for me. Alot of the Wii Fit games hurt my back a little too much so I am trying to take it easy until I can get in to see a doctor. All in all, however, I am pretty happy with my progress! :)

Family Moment Monday

Motherhood for Dummies hosts Family Moment Mondays, check her out to get more ideas on how to spend time together as a family!

If you are like me, then your leftover Halloween candy is both a desired indulgence and an unwanted temptation. So other than eating a handful of chocolate every hour for the next several days, what are some other ways to deal with all the candy?

*Make an Advent Calender! Count down the days to Christmas by placing a piece of candy for every member of your family for every day in partitioned drawers, plastic cups, and fabric. For an example Advent Calender, go here.

* Donate your candy to Operation Gratitude. This program sends your leftover candy to the troops stationed overseas in care packages. For more information go here.

*Crush up your candy and separate the different kinds into different Tupperware and refrigerate them. For the next few times you eat ice cream, you can add in these special mix-ins for an extra treat!

How do you plan on using your extra candy?