Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

November Progress Report

November 30, 2011

Well, I think the first thing I need to do is stop promising to post this or that here. Seems like every time I do that, I never get around to it. On the other hand, I really do need to finish out the Control Journal series since I did start that and it’s almost done anyway. If anyone is actually reading this and pulling one together, I wouldn’t want to leave them hanging :-).

I didn’t do as well on my weight loss goals, but I did make that giant version of Richard Simmons’ Deal-A-Meal Program I talked about a couple of posts back. It’s certainly not pocket size (it fits on the fridge), but I think it will work anyway. I gave my card set away to Goodwill a few years back, but truly it’s the only program I liked. It is easy and it is visual – I learn best with visuals – so it’s a good thing for me. Here’s how it turned out:

I have also started listening to what I really want to eat and this is a big thing. Instead of “good food” and “bad food”, if I want a couple of strips of bacon for breakfast, then I eat that. If I want a couple of cookies and a cup of tea for a snack, then I have that. It’s hard to explain, but it has helped take the guilt off me concerning food and I think it’s another good place to start.

Maggie’s EEG came out normal and has been fine since her ER visit last month. However, there are no concrete answers on what happened either and that’s unsettling. Giving it all over to God though – doing all I can to just trust and not worry.

We had a couple of big earthquakes around here at the beginning of the month and that was weird! I’ve never experienced one before so it was new and different and SCARY. Unlike a tornado, there is no warning before one – it just happens. And, also unlike tornadoes, I do not know what to do in an earthquake. Now the really strange thing was, with the smaller quake, we also had severe weather going on here at the same time. Wow – just wow.

This is our last week of school for the year and I’ll be glad for the break next month. I’m sure I’ve said it before – I love homeschooling – but, we ALL need a break to recharge. Advent and Christmas is a great time to do it because, let’s face it, there is a lot of preparation going on! The last 3 months have been good though and I feel like I have a good grip on what we are doing this year.

Advent has begun as of Sunday! I cleared the fireplace mantle and put up the stable with Mary, Joseph, and an empty manger waiting for the Christ Child on Christmas Eve. I put up our homemade Advent wreath that Chris made a few years ago as well. I think we need to fix the ribbons though – they are getting a little squished. I also bought a new Advent calendar and we’ll open the first door tomorrow. For reflection, I bought a booklet to use with the kids called, “Welcome Baby Jesus” and a book for me called “Come Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting”. Both are very good! Here’s a few pics of the mantle:

As far as Christmas goes, I have done at least 1/2 the gift shopping, but I need to start wrapping. I made my own Christmas cards this year and all I need to do is address them. I want to write a letter as I always do, but thinking of a different way to do it. I might even get the kids to do some writing :-).

I think that concludes the wrap up for this month. Mostly I cocooned a little bit and then got my butt into gear and back into the game. Thanksgiving was busy, but good, and this week of winding school up is busy, but good. A better month I think than the last two.

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What I’d really like to do is…

November 16, 2011

..grab the bag of candy that my mom gave me – Halloween leftovers dont’cha know. Then, grab a BIG mug of coffee and my thirtysomething seasons. Next, wrap myself in my fleece blanket and then sit on the couch and watch thirtysomething, eat candy, and drink coffee ’till I fall asleep. Sounds like heaven to me. Or maybe a bad stomachache waiting to happen. At any rate, I’ve been away from the blog too long and need to jump back in. That water main break was the last straw for me and just about sent me over the edge. Again.

So, what am I doing to back away from the edge? Well, I decided that I’m going to get a food scale and start weighing and measuring my food to make sure I am taking in what I should be and not going over (which I don’t think I do often). I threw out my Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal cards a few years ago, and so I decided to make a (much larger) version of it and it will go on the fridge. This coupled with measuring my food will give me accountability to eat properly. Hopefully a side effect will be weight loss. Oh, and laugh if you will at Deal-A-Meal, but you know, it really works and it really helps. Nothing works if you never do it, but if you try it just might!

I am Christmas shopping and getting the Advent stuff down to get ready for the beginning of a new church year. Advent begins November 27 and I have the wreath and candles, a new calendar for the kids (and it was half off at Hobby Lobby!), new O Antiphon pictures and prayers to put up, and a devotional book for MY spiritual guidance this year. So, I’m ready there. I just need to make a list of the goodies we’ll bake in December and our Christmas meal. So, I know I’m making progress there.

The housework is going nicely and having routines is keeping me focused. I’ve done a menu plan the last two weeks as well and stayed on target there. Life is easier when 4 o’clock comes around and I KNOW what we’re having for dinner! Tonight it’s roast in the crock pot and all I have to do is make potatoes and a vegetable for the sides – gotta love that! Pancakes or french toast are for lunch in case you’re interested :-).

School is running smoothly as well. Have I said how much I love learning alongside my kids? Well, I do!

So, I’m getting back in the groove and trying to stay there. I do need to keep up my Friday night ritual though – it used to be What Not To Wear and then it was thirtysomething. A chocolate treat always showed up too. And I loved that ritual – it was fun and relaxing and comforting – all things I needed by the end of the week.

Well, time to get going for the day, but hopefully as the holidays approach, you are finding time to stay in a groove and not let things get crazy for you. And if they do – scale back and take care of YOU because you are worth it (isn’t that a commercial??).

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Someone needs to give me a heads up next time

November 5, 2011

Have you seen that orange juice commercial where someone is sitting at a table at breakfast, and surrounding that person are other people. It’s like a business meeting really because these people are there to tell the other person that their day is going to suck. What does that person say at the end? “Good thing I have my orange juice.” Actually, they should be thankful they got a heads up so they could be more prepared than just by drinking orange juice. Anyway, if that had happened a few weeks ago, this is the conversation that would have taken place around MY table:

Me: What have you got for me?

Mailman: I’m going to put a letter in your mailbox today from a collection agency. Apparently, the credit card company says you still owe.

Me: Swell! What else?

Husband: First, I’m going to leave the light on in the van all night, and the next morning the battery will be dead. Oh, and I should have told you two weeks ago that the front tires are in bad shape. One is bald and the other has wires showing through. You’ll find out on your own the day before you have to go on a trip out of town.

Me: Excellent! Next?

Ambulance Driver: You will not be able to wake your daughter up one morning and have to call us at 6 am to check out what’s going on.

Me: Wait a minute, my mom was in the ER not that long ago!

Ambulance Driver: Sorry – we just get ’em.

Me: Well, all righty then. And you?

Hardware Store Man: I’m going to help you find a new stove because the one you have has a burner that is dying. You know, the big one in the back that you use to cook your mega sizes of food every day?

Me: Super! Anyone else?

Neighbor: I’m going to knock on your door and I’m not there to invite you to coffee, I’m going to tell you that there is a water main break right on your front lawn. You are going to get a lot of attention and not the kind that’s enjoyable.

Me: Sounds great! Good thing the Loony Bin is just two counties away!

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Control Journal 5 – Menu Planning – The Meals

November 3, 2011

Okay, so now you have your shopping list and it’s time to plan the menu. I wrote about this here awhile back, and there are lots of websites to help with this so take your pick. Essentially it boils down to what I said: start with one week and write a breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each day of that week (this is the time to make the things you usually make and not the time to get creative). Then, make your shopping list from those recipes, and go shopping. Get everything on the list! That is important so you’re not wasting time going back out for something you need.

Now you have a weeks worth of meals in your house and a plan to follow each day! Yeah, baby, it really is that simple. However, it is time consuming to think of what to fix each night, but just stick with it. And here’s something even cooler, if you make a new menu plan each week for say 4-6 weeks, now you have a rotating menu plan you can use for a season! Ooohhh – cool eh? You might be saying, but I eat lunch out ’cause I work. Okay, then only make a breakfast and dinner plan. Or you might say, but I eat the same thing for breakfast. All right already – then just make a dinner menu (and count yourself lucky).

That reminds me, I have been working on my rotating seasonal plan and need to get that finished this weekend. It is TOO hard to wing it and too hard to think of new dishes when you have so many other things to do. We need to eat and as long as we have a good meal on the table and family to share it with we’re doing all right. We don’t need to eat out every day (which isn’t healthy and gets boring anyway) or eat fancy gourmet meals either. Good plain family fare that feeds our bodies and souls is all we really need. Saves money too :-).

Don’t forget that the shopping list, and even the menu plans you make goes behind the Menu Planning tab in the Control Journal. That’s how you start to create your rotating meal plans too – by keeping it all in one place. Here’s a link to a menu planner to print out to get started although I have used whatever paper I have on hand too.

One more thing – the FlyLady website FINALLY got revamped and I must say it is awesome! So, my previous links I may have to change to reflect that, otherwise you can scout around. It is definitely much easier to find things now. And amazingly, what is the Habit of the Month? Menu Planning! Well, isn’t that timely :-). Go here to see what she has to say about it and get started!

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A Simple Way to Take Care

November 1, 2011

To take care of yourself that is. I received my Day 10 Christmas Countdown essay today and it was this wonderful recipe if you will of a few simple things you can do to take care of your body, mind, and spirit so that you don’t crash and burn this holiday season. I will go a step further to say that it is a great way for anyone, especially a busy mom, to take care of themselves EVERY day! Here’s the recipe and it’s easy to remember:

5-10-15 For Healthy Holidays

Take 5 servings of fruits and vegetables

Add 10 minutes of quiet time to reduce stress

Combine with 15 minutes of gentle aerobic exercise

And that’s it! Ya know, I think I can do that. Considering how last month I didn’t make any progress with my weight (I gained those 2 1/2 pounds I lost), I think I might make this my new thing to do for the rest of the year. It’s easy and it’s what I need right now. I especially like the stress relief in there. With my household as chaotic as it is, that is one thing I cannot do without! I’ll just add these things to my water and vitamin regimen and call it good.

Okay, so, I’m in – anyone else? (P.S. Thank you Cynthia Ewer for such great advice!)

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