We have a mouse

And no, he doesn't have on white gloves and red shorts and call himself Mickey. He is a nasty, beady-eyed rodent. Now let me tell you that we live outside of city limits, and we have fields all around us, and this definitely isn't the first mouse experience we have had. In fact, at one time, we were popping traps every night it seemed. Then we finally got neighbors on both sides of us that kept their yards mowed, and it seemed to stop. I am guessing that with the weather not being able to make its mind up, the mice are still looking for a warm place to stay. But even this winter, we haven't had any. Until now......

I saw him about 4 nights ago while Robbie and I were out in the living room watching a movie. And I never saw him again after that. So I thought that maybe he left, and that was it. Nope. I saw him again last night while Robbie and I were watching TV in the living room out of the corner of my eye. He scared me so bad that I thought I was going to have a mini heart attack right there. I am not one of those that believes that the mice are harmless creatures. They might be, but I don't like anything, other than dogs, if it has a tail. I never had gerbels or hamsters or ferrets or any of those rodents growing up. While we were sitting there watching TV, he runs out of the kitchen, looks at us, I quickly jump up in my recliner, and he runs along the baseboard and clearly he is laughing at us the whole time, and then runs behind the couch. We were watching The Office, and I told Robbie that he might as well turn it off because now I won't be able to concentrate. So Robbie set a trap last night for him before we went to bed. And guess what? He wasn't on the trap this morning when we got up.

So once Robbie left for work, I turned the kitchen light on, the living room light on, and my bedroom light on. Most mice don't like it when there is any sort of activity going on. They won't come out if there is. Even if I am not in the room, supposedly they don't like lights either because it might mean there is activity going on in that room. So I am sitting here at my computer in our bedroom, and the little bastard runs in and runs behind the night stand. I quickly jump up on the bed (not sure I have ever moved that fast), and I kick the nightstand. He runs out, goes over by the door, looks at me and smiles, and then runs back in behind the nightstand. I kick the nightstand again, and he runs out. Not sure where he is now, but I am wholed up in my room and planning on leaving the house as soon as possible. I refuse to sit in the house all day with the mouse.

I wonder if my Grandma would be up for a 7am visit..........

Those much needed nights

You know those days where you just don't think you can go much more without running away? Or those days that you wish your kids couldn't talk yet? Or those days where if you have to change one more poopy diaper, you might just go insane? Well that is how I was yesterday. And Robbie has been that way for more than a few days now. It has been insane around this house lately.

Robbie works 12 hour shifts, and when he comes home, he comes home to me trying to cook dinner (almost always it is almost ready though), trying to keep Clay away from the stove/oven (and out of everything else), trying to keep Colt entertained since he is going through a stage where he has to see me or he isn't happy, and me trying to keep from pulling my hair out. And for the next 2 hours after he gets home and before Clay goes to bed, it is us eating dinner, cleaning up from dinner, me bathing Colt, him bathing Clay, and then teeth getting brushed, bedtime stories being read, and then fighting with both kids to go to sleep. By the time that they are both asleep, Robbie and I are ready to fall over dead. And if Robbie is going to work the next day, he is really in for it. Since Colt can sense when Robbie needs a good night of sleep, those are usually the days that he doesn't want to sleep all night. Or he wants to fight until midnight to go to sleep.

On top of the normal routine, Colt has been teething. The first 2 teeth (on bottom) finally cut through 2 nights ago, so he hasn't been as fussy. But we also think that he may have an ear infection, so he is going to the doctor tomorrow. So he has definitely been more fussy than usual. And it can wear anyone down to hear a baby cry and fuss all day long.

So I knew that we needed a break. We have not had more than a 4 hour break since August 5th. Do you realize how long that has been? Now we have had a break from Clay lots of times. Breaks that last overnight. But from Colt, not more than 4 hours. And we definitely appreciate those times for sure. But we can't have an overnighter from both boys yet because Colt is exclusively breastfed. He has had a bottle ONE TIME since he was born August 27th. ONE TIME! Do you hear me? ONE TIME! Anyone who knows how many times a baby eats (from the bottle or breast) knows that that is a lot of time to have a baby attached to your boob. And with him not being on anything but rice cereal once a day yet, he still nurses a lot. I plan on exclusively breastfeeding him until he is 10 1/2 months old. Then I will start weaning him off of me, and hopefully have him on whole milk by 11 months old. Clay was 10 1/2 months old when we started switching him over to whole milk (for tummy issues, and approved by the doctor), so I am going to do the same with Colt. So until then, we won't be getting an overnight break from Colt. And as soon as he is weaned from me, I plan on having a whole weekend overnighter! :-)

Anyway. So yesterday it just so happened to work out for me to plan an in-home date night. The last in-home date night that we had planned, Clay went to my Mom's, and we kept Colt. And Colt cried from about 8:30 pm until 2:30 am. Just cried and cried and cried. And for no apparant reason. It was horrible! So last night I really wasn't looking for it to really work out for us. But it did!!! Clay didn't have a nap yesterday because he absolutely refused to lay down, and so I knew that he would go to bed early. And Colt had been up most of the day, and he was due to eat cereal and nurse around 6:30. I had planned on putting dinner in the oven at 6:30, and that would give me 30 minutes to feed and nurse him. Since I wanted Clay going to bed between 7 and 7:30, I ended up making him a grilled cheese for dinner with chips. I started that at 5:50, and he started eating at 6 pm. Since I had to make pasta, I started the water to boil, and I fed Colt his cereal while I was waiting for that and while Clay ate his dinner. Then once Clay finished dinner, I cleaned him and his dishes up, and then I put him on the couch and turned his Barney movie on.

Once Colt was done with his cereal, I prepared the rest of dinner and put it in the oven at 6:30. Then I nursed Colt. Then Robbie got home and took a shower. After I finished nursing Colt, I changed his diaper, put his pjs on, and then I put him in bed. After Robbie got out of the shower, I asked him to brush Clay's teeth while I finished getting dinner ready. Robbie didn't know that I was doing this, so he was a bit surprised to hear me asking him to brush Clay's teeth BEFORE dinner. I told him that Clay had already eaten, and he was going to bed once Barney was over. When Barney was over, I popped the bread in the oven, and we went to his room, changed his diaper and put his pjs on. Then off to bed he went. And then all was quiet in the Girman house!

Robbie and I have become huge fans of The Office. We had never watched it when it came on during the week, but we had caught a few of the late night episodes on TV and fell in love with it. So I bought Robbie the first 3 seasons on DVD for Christmas, and we just recently bought Season 4 and 5. So after putting the kids to bed, we happily filled our plates, popped the first DVD of Season 4 in the DVD player, and sat on the couch together. Other than the few times that I had to get up and tell Clay to go to bed with the last time threatening his life to take his toys away the next day if he didn't hush and go to bed, it was a pretty quiet night. And just what we needed to re-energize. We would have been in bed at 10 pm, but as soon as we laid down, Colt got up to eat again. So we went back in the living room and talked while I nursed Colt, and then we were in bed by 11:30. It was SOO nice! Colt did wake up again at 2:15, but it was because he was uncovered and couldn't find his paci. So I popped that sucker back in his mouth, pulled the blanket up, and turned back over and went to sleep.

Clay is again refusing to take a nap, and I am completely fine with that! Another early night for the boys, and a nice quiet night for the parents! Works for me! Robbie is off tomorrow anyway, so he can spend much needed time with them then!

I made Destiny's Baked Ziti last night, and it was amazing! Robbie said that he would prefer it over regular spaghetti! There was 1 change that I made, and there is another change that I will make the next time that I make it.

It doesn't have ground beef in the recipe. Robbie is a huge fan of having meat in spaghetti (as long as it isn't meatballs), so I mixed ground beef in with the sauce before mixing it in with the cheeses. That was the 1 change that I made this time.

Next time...I did NOT like the way that the parm cheese "melted" on top. It is like it doesn't melt. It gets hard and forms a shell on top of the dish. I am also not a huge fan of bagged cheeses. I prefer grating the cheese myself. So next time I will buy a block of mozzarella cheese, grate the whole thing, put 3/4 of it in the mix with the ricotta cheese, and then put the other 1/4 on the top and bake it. I also grated fresh parm cheese last night to put on top of individual portions. Sometimes Robbie does, sometimes he won't. I love fresh parm cheese though. So next time I will just do fresh parm cheese on the side and do the fresh mozzarella on top to bake with. But other than that, a simple, easy, and delicious dish!

Here it is fresh out of the oven!

I was planning on putting a salad on the side with it, but I decided to do something different instead. I had 2 kaiser rolls leftover from the hamburgers the night before, so I cut them in 1/2. Then I buttered each 1/2. Then I put garlic powder on them, freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, and then Italian seasoning. And Robbie and I both loved it! Something that I would definitely do again! Next time since I will be using mozzarella cheese, I will grate a little for the bread too and mix the cheeses. So good.

Robbie's plate

This dish made so much that we have over 3/4 of the pan left. Therefore, we will be having this again tonight. Tonight Clay will be eating it with us, and I will be doing salad on the side instead of the garlic cheese bread.

Tomorrow I plan on doing PW's (courtesy of Pastor Ryan) Cajun Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and some sort of veggie or salad. The meatloaf serves 8 people (with 3 lbs of meat), so I am going to cut that down to 1 lb of beef and cut the ingredients to match that. Should be good! I love meatloaf with onions and bell peppers, but Robbie can't even stand the sight of meatloaf. I am hoping to change his mind with this one.

Confession

Yesterday we had one of those days. You know those days. The ones that there is a constant roadblock everywhere that you look. One that has you taking tylenol every 4 hours just to keep the headache at bay. The one that leaves you with a sleepless night. Not the sleepless night where you are waken up every 4 hours to nurse. But the one that has so many things on your mind that you can't catch a wink of sleep.

The day started out really well yesterday. We got up and got the boys ready. My Grandma had stayed the past two nights, and she had decided to go home yesterday. We were all hungry, so instead of eating leftover beans, we decided to go out for a nice lunch. So we load up the car and drive to Panera Bread. We have a great lunch, and then we stop in over at Michael's. We wanted to get some fresh, spring flowers for my Grandpa's grave. The snow had pretty much left the poinsettas that were on his grave flat. After getting the flowers, we drove out to the cemetery. Then we headed to my Grandma's house. Colt was asleep and Clay was almost there, so we left them both with my Grandma, and Robbie and I went birthday shopping for Clay. Since we have a little bit of extra money right now, we wanted to go ahead and get his birthday party supplies out of the way and get his big gift. It isn't until May, but still.

We leave my Grandma's house and enjoy a few hours away from the kids, and then head back over there. After we got there, we had planned on leaving and going grocery shopping. But Clay was still asleep, and Colt was ready to nurse. We ended up staying til 11:15 last night and decided to go grocery shopping today. My cousin (who lives with my Grandma) was off last night, and we all watched a movie and ordered a pizza. So not only did we eat out for lunch, we ate out for dinner. I didn't cook at all yesterday. And I didn't workout. And I drank a dr.pepper. After we ate dinner, we started talking about some things that Robbie and I are going through (more on that later), and it pretty much went downhill from there. I had to take tylenol to get (somewhat) rid of my stress headache. Clay was acting like a complete terror. And then Colt has (we think) an ear infection. So he didn't want to be put down. And when you did hold him, you had to be standing up and he had to be up on your shoulder. Not laying down. So yesterday just ended up being a horrible day.

This morning Robbie had to go and get some stuff taken care of for work, and then he had to stop and get his oil changed. Once he gets home and we eat lunch, we plan on going grocery shopping. This is what I have in mind for tonight. I am not a blue cheese fan, but I am definitely willing to give it a try!

Lists, lists, lists!

I am one of those types of people that I have to have a list for everything that I do. I love to see things being marked off. I love to see things being accomplished. So in order to make my 2010 resolutions work, I decided that I needed to make a list. So that is what I have been working on today.

My first resolution was to start staying caught up on my housework. So I got on the computer and made a calendar for my household chores. I assigned certain things to certain days, and that will make it easy for me to go through and do those few things on the list. With doing these few things everyday, my housework should stay caught up.

The second thing on my list is losing weight. And I am working on that. Slowly but surely, this weight is going to come off.

The third thing on my list was getting these boys on a schedule. Clay is doing really well about going to bed at night. He still doesn't go to bed at 9 pm on the dot, but he is in bed before 9:15 every night. And even if he doesn't go to sleep, I am okay with that. He isn't getting out of bed and fighting with us to keep playing with toys. So every night we put him in bed with a book, and we let him "read" until he is tired and falls asleep. And it has worked for us! Now with Colt, I was going to start trying to make a schedule with him this past week, but he is sick with a head cold, and it just isn't working right now. So maybe this week or next week I can get that started.

My fourth goal was to get Clay potty trained. We are still working with him, but not forcing it. I will ask him a few times a day if he needs to go potty. If he says "No", then I will leave it alone. If he says "yes", then I take him and let him sit on the potty. But I don't get mad if he doesn't go. I let him sit there and try for a reasonable amount of time (about a minute or 2), and then I get him down. We wash his hands, and he goes about his business. He is getting to where he tells us that he needs to pee or poop, but when we sit him on the potty, he doesn't go. So maybe he is starting to learn that that is where it goes, but it just hasn't clicked yet. He is getting to where at night if he needs to go potty, instead of telling us (because we keep his bedroom door open, so he can come out if he needs to) that he needs to go, he takes his diaper off and pees or poops on the floor. Now we don't scold him for peeing/pooping in his diaper, but when he goes on my floor intentionally, I definitely get on to him. So now if we can just get him to put it in the potty, I will be happy. But it looks like we are getting somewhere.

So back on to my list making. I have so many projects that I want to do around the house. Cleaning, organizing, trashing, etc. So instead of making it into a huge project that I won't ever want to do, I am breaking it down into several different things. So every month, I am going to make a to-do list and try to have everything done by the end of that month. Then the next month, I will make a new list. And with it being a few big projects that I want done, I am being specific with my lists. That way it breaks it down and makes it less overwhelming for me.

I am excited about my lists! I can't wait to see things getting accomplished around here!!!

New Year's Resolutions

So many of our New Year's resolutions come and go. We make a resolution on New Year's Eve, and then by the time that February 1st hits, it is gone. And some people don't even make it past NYE with their resolution.

That is me almost every year albeit I actually get to at least the 8th or 9th of January before giving up on them. I am bad about making a resolution and not sticking with it. So this year, I have vowed to make a change. Crazy that my first NY's resolution is to stick with my NY resolutions. Right? I usually have 2 or 3 major things that I want to make happen, and then I make little ones.

2009 was such a hectic year with Robbie's layoff, the birth of our 2nd son Colt Emerson, and much much more. There are still many things that are hectic in our lives right now, but for the most part, it has calmed down. For now. After the layoff, Robbie started a new job at Target DC. But in November, he quit there and started another new job. Ever since we have lived together (since 2005), we have always had good jobs, good insurance, and a pretty steady life. 2009 was all over the place. When Robbie got laid off in April, he lost his insurance. We had to be put on Cobra which was $265.00 a month. The good thing was that Robbie got the job with Target within a week of being laid off, and so we only had to pay that for a few months. Then he got new insurance THREE days before I gave birth to Colt. Luckily pregnancy is NOT considered a pre-existing condition, or we would be out thousands of dollars for the hospital. Then in November when Robbie took this new job, we lost our insurance again. So we have had a roller coaster of a year. We are still without insurance, but only til March 1st. Thank goodness. So yeah...2009. Not our best year. Actually, other than Colt being born, it sucked!

So I definitely want 2010 to be a much better year!

So I have made several NY resolutions, and I think that they will be easy to achieve if I set my mind to it.

Okay, so my 2 big things are:

1.) Last year when everything seemed to be falling apart, and when I was pregnant and couldn't do everything I was doing, my housework seemed to start falling apart. I got out of the habit of cooking dinner. I got out of the habit of keeping the laundry caught up. And so on and so forth. So I would like to change that this year. I would like to start getting back in the groove of things and have it like it was when I first started staying home in May 2008. So far so good. Now my laundry did get backed up this past week a little, and I had 8 loads of laundry yesterday. But in my defense, I did wash sheets and stuff too. Not just clothes.

2.) I think there has only been like 2 years that this hasn't been on my list, but this year, it has to be. Losing weight. I want to get these pregnancy pounds off of me once and for all. I still have weight on me from my pregnancy with Clay, and that has to go. I haven't really started too much yet because I keep going back and forth with what plan I want to use. In 2004 I lost a bunch of weight with counting calories. I have also lost weight with Weight Watchers. But my big dilemma is that I know I won't count for the rest of my life. So I have to find something that works for me. And also get back into my exercise routine that I used to do in 2004 when I lost that weight.

And now my little resolutions:

1.) With Robbie's new job, he is back to working both days and nights. And when he was on nights, I got into a bad routine with Clay. I would get bored at night, so I would keep him up later than usual. He would fight me for so long with taking a nap, that come 9 pm for bedtime, he wasn't tired anyway. So now we put him to bed at 9pm, and he fights us until 11 pm. Used to he would be asleep by 9:30. And so this is just not going to fly anymore. I can't stand fighting with him to stay in bed every night. Colt is pretty much on a schedule now. He goes down about 8:30 every night, and then he is back up at 11:30 to eat. After he eats, he sits up for about an hour, and then he is back in bed. But even that, I would like to get it changed to 1 hour difference. So I want him eating around 10 or 10:30, and then back asleep by 11 or 11:30. Then I can be in bed before midnight. So I am working on getting us into a good, set routine.

2.) Potty Training. The 2 words that I despise the most. I would like to have Clay out of diapers by May 30th. His 3rd birthday. But I would settle just having him out of diapers by December 31, 2010. That gives him until he is 3 1/2 which according to most, that is good for a boy. Clay has gone potty a few times, but it just hasn't clicked yet. We are still working with him, but that is all I can do. I can't do it for him. And I can't force him. We don't use discipline when it comes to potty training either. We look at it as "he has gone potty in his diaper for 2 1/2 years without getting in trouble. So it isn't right to get onto him for going in his diaper." The only thing that we do is tell him that he is a big boy and he should be going potty in the big boy potty. Not his diaper. But it still hasn't clicked yet.

So there you have it folks. 4 things that I want to get taken care of this year. And I am hoping that with me posting it, I will be able to stick with it.

So here's to a better 2010!!!

Change

So Robbie and I have hit a point in our lives where we are ready for change. We have been talking about a lot of things lately, but we just have to put it into effect now. I wish that I could go into details about all of the changes coming, but for now, I will leave it at this. We still aren't sure what all will work out into the change and what will not. Just keep us in your thoughts and prayers that everything works out though.

And I promise to start posting here more often now that things have slowed down here at home.

Clay's 1st trip to the movie theater!

Today Robbie and I decided to take Clay to his first movie. We went and saw "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs". It was pretty good. Clay did suprisingly well, and we only had to tell him to sit down 3 or 4 times. So not too bad. It won't be an all the time thing for sure, but it was fun to see how he liked it. On the way into the theater, he had a mini-meltdown because it was dark in there, and he wasn't sure what to expect. But once we got in there and he saw that there were still lights on, and a big TV, he was fine.

Before we went to the movies, we went to The Cotton Patch for lunch.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Us before the movie started. Not sure why Clay had this look on his face, but it was cute.

He did well sitting by himself, but we had to put his diaper bag with him to hold the seat down since he wasn't heavy enough to do it on his own.

Robbie wanted me to take a picture of the movie screen. So here it is.

Well I turned 33 weeks yesterday! So only SEVEN more weeks to go! My baby shower is this weekend, and I am ready for it! I am ready to start getting stuff organized, although I am still not going to do too much. Clay and Colt are going to be sharing a dresser since most of their clothes hang up, so I need to get Clay's drawers organized so I can have a place to put Colt's clothes. That is going to be my big thing for the next 2 weeks is getting Clay's room organized. Then I will start working on Colt's room. And hopefully not too long after that, I will have him! Here is the update on Colt:

Babycenter.com

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I have noticed a big difference between last week and this week. I have started getting nosebleeds again because my nose is drying out. Not major ones, but just when I blow my nose and stuff. I also have started getting heartburn from anything and everything. So I am keeping the Maalox Complete very close to me at all times. With Clay, I never had him pushing on my bladder. It is weird because he sat very low in my stomach pretty much the entire pregnancy, but I never had those kicks to the bladder. But with this one, I am higher, and I get them all the time. I have also noticed that when I go to the bathroom, it is a trickle of pee, and then 5 minutes later, I have to go again. Very annoying. I am sure that with me getting further along and with Colt already giving me bladder kicks, I will have 7 more weeks of bathroom trips every 5 minutes.

And one last update on the dogs:

Robbie went and dropped them off yesterday. He said that he met the guy that was taking him, and the dogs warmed up to him immediately. They didn't have any dogs, although they have rescued dogs before. They have 2 teenagers, and Robbie got to meet one of them yesterday too. He said that the teenager went right to the dogs, they loved him, and he was playing with them immediately. Robbie said that the guy was very nice, and he was very gentle with the dogs. Also with them being with a friend of his Grandma's, we can keep updated on them. So I am glad that they went to a good home.

The grass just turned brown.

Last night, Robbie called his Grandma and told her our situation with the dogs. He told her that we have been having problems with them snapping at Clay and at me when they get in trouble. We told her everything that has been happening lately and told her that we just can't do it anymore. We are having to compete with Clay and the dogs, and it is just going to be too much with bringing another newborn into the house. We have had Clay and them mixed for a little over 2 years now, and they still aren't used to each other. They still don't know how to act around each other, etc. And we just can't do it anymore. So his Grandma told Robbie that she would try and find them a good home along with us trying to find them one. She also told them that she was hoping that we would have kept them long enough so she could take them back when she moved back to Texas. She is living with her Mom (who is 91 yrs old) up North right now because her Mom is starting to not be able to take care of herself anymore. Robbie said "Well I thought that you told us you were going to be there permanately." And she said "Well until she dies or I die." Um okay.

So today they had an appointment at the groomers. Robbie asked the groomer if she knew of anyone that would want them, and she said no but that we could bring a picture to put up on the board. We figured that we could at least do that, but that we didn't want to just give them to anyone either. We wanted to find a good home for them and hopefully someone that we knew. Well about 3:30 pm today while I was snapping fresh green beans, Robbie's Grandma calls me. She says that she has found a home for them. The oldest son of her longtime friend wants to take them. He is an animal lover, and he has other dogs too. He also has teenagers so I am sure (or I would hope) that they know how to act around dogs. She gave us the phone number of her friend, and we were supposed to contact her and set up a time to bring them. So Robbie calls her at 3:45 and tells him that her son is coming over at 4:30 today, and we could just bring them then. And I know that I have wanted to get rid of them for a while now after that snapping incident at Christmas, but I just broke down crying right then. Even though our kids will always come first, and I will do anything to keep them from harm's way, I will miss those damn dogs.

We had them for 4 1/2 years, and even though they annoyed me, I still have a place in my heart for them. But I am REALLY glad that they went to a good home that his Grandma knows the person and keeps in touch with that person. She thinks of those dogs like she does her kids, so I trust her decision of where they are going. I am just going to miss them.

So I guess that I will find out here in the next week how much greener the grass really is on this side.

Will the grass really be greener?

When Robbie and I moved into our house, we didn't have a fence so I left my black lab, Alex, with my Mom. Robbie's Grandma had 2 shih tzus that were 3 and 2 yrs old, and she could no longer take care of them. Her health was in bad shape, and she was talking about getting rid of them. Since we didn't have a fence, and we weren't sure when we could get one, Robbie and I talked about taking his Grandma's dogs. After speaking with her and finding out that she wanted to get rid of them, but that she didn't want to seperate them, we decided to take them on. We had dog sat many times for her before then, so the dogs knew us and were used to us. So it worked out perfectly. His Grandma, however, didn't have any discipline instilled into either dog. They did as they wanted, and that was it. We had to start from scratch with them, and although we have worked with them for 4 1/2 years now, they still aren't where they should be. They are MUCH better than they were when they came, and now that they have gotten older, they are definitely calming down a lot.

We have talked several times about finding a new home for them. We can't have company over without putting them up because they are so hyper and jump all over them. When we brought Clay home from the hospital we were a little skeptical at how they would react. Munchkin (the oldest one, female) is not a big fan of kids. Panda Bear (the youngest, male) loves anyone, but is so hyper that he is too rough with kids. But they did great with Clay when we brought him home. Munchkin stayed away from him, and Panda Bear would stay next to him in a protective way. Then Clay stared moving, and that wasn't good for either dog. Munchkin would growl if he got too close and then run off. Panda Bear would just try to play with him, but was too rough with him.

Then came Christmas time last year. We got home from my cousin's house, and Clay tried to give Panda Bear a hug. I am not sure what happened since I didn't see the whole thing, but my Grandma did. She said that Clay hugged Panda too hard, and then Panda turned around and snapped at Clay. Although he didn't break skin, he did leave a mark on his face (it didn't scar though). And Robbie and I talked again about getting rid of the dogs. We had always said when we had kids that if either of them snapped or bit, then that would be the end of that. We would find them a new home that didn't have kids. Or had older ones that could better understand how to act around a dog. After talking about it, Robbie and I decided that when Clay wasn't taking a nap or sleeping, we would keep the dogs either outside, in our bedroom, or in their cage. And when he was napping or down for the night, we would let them roam around the house. We felt bad that they had already been through his Grandma's home, now ours, and we didn't want them to just be moved around all over the place.

Well now it is getting worst. Panda is snapping at me when he gets in trouble. We can't leave them out and about while Clay is up because neither of them know how to act with each other. We do love them, but they are just getting to be too much and our kids definitely come first. And with them snapping at everyone, we can't have that and bring a newborn in (again). So Robbie talked to 2 people that he works with today. Neither one of them have kids, and they are both interested in taking them, although we told them that we wouldn't split them up. Robbie has to take a picture to them tomorrow to show them, and I guess then they will decide. They both know the reasons why we are trying to get rid of them, so it is no surprise to either of them.

So after listing all of these reasons, why do I feel bad about it? Why do I feel like we owe it to them to keep them? Why do I feel like we are doing the wrong thing if we DO get rid of them? Will I really be that much happier without them? Will the grass really be greener on the other side?

Robbie and I said that IF we do find a new home for them, then we will most likely, eventually get a new dog. We will get one that starts from a puppy and train them the way that we want them trained. And we will wait until both Clay and Colt are older than 5 and can understand how to treat a dog. How to pet him without hurting him. How to leave him alone when he is sending out the warning signs that he doesn't want to play, etc.

So why do I feel so bad?

Just call me Rachael Ray!

Not that I am THAT good yet, but I have really started to enjoy cooking! And I haven't even done every recipe that I have planned for the week yet. Robbie and I went out for date night last night instead of staying in. So that means that we didn't make the fajitas last night as planned. We went to Chili's instead. Then after we ate, we went and saw the movie "My Sister's Keeper". That was an excellent movie, but it was a very sad movie. I did really well during the movie NOT to cry. At all. And then the ending came, and I bawled my eyes out. In fact, everyone on our row was reaching for kleenex, wiping their eyes, sniffing, etc. It was awful. And when I say that I bawled my eyes out, I am saying that I was almost shaking because I wanted to just cry out and sob, but I couldn't because the movie was still going. I wanted to lean into Robbie and cry it out. But I didn't. I held back the blubbering sobs, but I sure didn't hold back the tears. But other than that, it WAS a good movie.

So tonight was fajita night. Robbie had to work today, and I went to a Permier Designs Jewelry Show at my Mom's friend's house. Once Clay and I got home, Robbie was already home from work, so I started on dinner. I started with my homemade pico de gallo first. Since the same thing I put in my pico also goes in my guacamole (other than the avacado, of course), I made sure to make enough to have pico de gallo and to put some in my guacamole. Tonight was the first night also that I had EVER used fresh cilantro. That stuff was hard to cut up to the right size that I wanted it, but nevertheless, it wasn't bad. After my pico was done, I cut into the avacados which were perfect, and then I scooped it into a bowl. After mashing it, I put the desired amount of pico in there and then added the juice from 1/2 a lime and more salt. After I finished making that, I started sauteeing my onions and green peppers while Robbie put the fajita meat on the grill. And what we used for the meat was a flank steak (which I had never bought before), and then Robbie seasoned it with meat tenderizer and fajita seasoning. That was it. And then it sat in the fridge (in a bag) all day yesterday and overnight and then all day today. That was the juiciest meat and best tasting fajita meat that I have ever had. I made Robbie wait to cut into the meat for about 5 minutes after getting it off of the grill because that is what Rachael Ray says to do. She says to wait to cut into it because it gives the juices time to redistribute throughout the meat. If you cut right into it after taking it off of the grill, the juices run out, and then you have dry meat. So we waited, and it was great!

I am changing my order of the menu, so tomorrow is hamburgers and twiced baked potatoes! We shall see how all of that turns out.

Healthy Choices

First off, just wanted to say that I got another new look on my blog. My Mom said that the green was hard on her "old eyes". So that is why I changed the background!

So today was grocery shopping day. Like I said in an earlier post, I have been inspired by Destiny to start expanding my cooking skills. I had already started doing bi-weekly menu plans and grocery shopping for those 2 weeks only. But this week, I decided that I would start grocery shopping weekly and doing only a weekly menu. I know a lot of people that use this website to find new recipes, and all of the reviews that I have heard about the recipes have been good. So I decided to look for new recipes and try a few this week.

So here is my menu for the rest of this week and then next week's menu:

Tonight: We are going to dinner with another couple (a guy that Robbie worked with Robbie at the mill, and his wife).

Friday: Robbie and I are having date night, so he is going to grill some fajita meat. And I am going to make fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. I will serve it with spanish rice.

Saturday: Tator Tot Casserole

Sunday: Hamburger Helper (we have 1 box left, and I am hoping that I don't turn back to cooking Hamburger Helper anymore)

Monday: Beans & Cornbread. I bought dried pinto beans and thick cut bacon. I am going to slow cook them all day in my crockpot and serve with Jiffy sweet corn bread!

Tuesday: Hamburgers & Twice Baked Potatoes. I am making BBQ burgers and using club rolls from the bakery instead of packaged hamburger buns. And for the Twice baked potatoes, I am using this recipe.

Wednesday: Another Pepsi Ranch pot roast in the crock pot

Thursday: Chicken Tacos w/rice and beans

Friday: Grilled steaks, onion strings, green salad, and beans. I am using this recipe for the onion strings.

Saturday: Veggie Night which includes boxed augrautin potatoes (I hope to make homemade soon though), fresh green beans, and my Mom's sweet carrots. For the green beans, I am using this recipe.

Sunday: Open night. Not sure, but we MIGHT go out.

So there is my menu for the rest of this week and next week. I am excited about getting back in the kitchen and cooking every night! When we went shopping at Target today, I swear that is the healthiest our basket has looked in a LONG time. So I was proud of myself. And we spent less than $200.00 on everything, but that also included diapers, etc. But even if we spent $200.00 a week on food, it would be less than going out to eat every night.

I will be busy in the kitchen this week, but I think that it will be totally worth it!

Inspired by Destiny.....

....but taught by LeaAnn. Lately, Robbie and I have gotten into the habit of eating out too much. And with the extra $400.00 that was coming in, it wasn't a problem with our pocketbook at all to do that. But even before we lost the job (thank goodness), we had decided that we were going to start cooking at home again. I missed home cooked meals, and everytime that we would go out to eat, nothing sounded good anymore. That is a sign for me.

Last Sunday, I sat down and made a meal plan. Robbie and I have had some serious talks about both of us trying to lose weight together once Colt arrives and I get released from the doctor to exercise. We are going to start walking to begin with and watching what we eat (most likely counting calories). But in order to do that, we must get the junk out of our house first. So I made a meal plan that included stuff that was in our pantry that needed to be used. And then included a few meals with fresher ingredients. It worked out well, and we haven't had to buy dinner out once since we went shopping last Saturday night (after we went out to eat because my cousin, LeaAnn, was in town). The only time that we have bought out was for lunch when we were on our way home from somewhere. And that was twice. So not bad at all.

I read a blog everyday that a friend of mine, Destiny, writes. She just recently started staying home a few months ago, and has just now gotten into cooking a lot. Baking cakes from scratch, etc. Now I am not sure when I will get to that point, but I am hoping that one day, it will come :-) Seeing her blog and seeing that she makes all of these meals (from scratch) has inspired me to expand my cooking skills. (Thank you Destiny!)

So when my cousin, LeaAnn, was in town, we had dinner at my Grandma's house one night. LeaAnn was cooking, and she had decided on fried porkchops, mashed potatoes, homemade cream gravy, and beans. I have really gotten away from porkchops because I can't find a marinade that I like too much anymore. And I have gotten away from the bland way that we would do them on the grill. So I watched her fry the porkchops. I already knew how to make mashed potatoes, and heating up beans on the stove doesn't take a rocket scientist. But I did watch my Grandma make homemade gravy. I have seen my Mom do it a million and one times, but I never really paid attention. And ever since Robbie and I have moved in together (4 1/2 years ago), I have only made packet gravy. But since Robbie doesn't like cream gravy (he will eat brown gravy though), I just never took the time to learn to make it from scratch. Until I paid attention and saw my Grandma make it. So last week, I made the dinner that is in the picture. Fried porkchops, mashed potatoes, HOMEMADE cream gravy, and black eyed peas. And it turned out WONDERFUL!!!! My gravy could have used a bit more milk, but I will know next time to do that. But it still turned out excellent. And my porkchops?? YUMMY!

Nothing major on the menu for tonight, but we are having sloppy joes, chips, and homemade (my Grandpa's recipe) potato salad that was leftover from Saturday's 4th of July party. And here is my menu for the rest of the week....

Tuesday: Roast w/potatoes and carrots made with pepsi (Destiny's recipe that I am trying out), and then I will make roast gravy with it.

Wednesday: Grilled BBQ chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and some sort of veggie.

Thursday: Beef enchiladas

Friday: I am going out to dinner with my friend Jennifer. So I will probably make Clay and Robbie a tator tot casserole for dinner.

And then Saturday I will make my new menu. So I am not sure what we will have Saturday or Sunday yet.