My mind is so full...

Sometimes I click on my blog site just to see if someone else has posted something interesting. I know this isn't possible, but some deep, needy part of me hopes that someone else might write on here . I know it is disheartening to look on here day after day and see the same title; meaning no new posts. For this I apologize. Life gets busy. It's not that I don't have things to say. Those among you who know me best, know that I am never at a loss of things to say. However, you may also know that given the choice, at the end of a long day, to write or lay on the couch and stare mindlessly at the TV or post the contents of my brain...99% of the time I will lay on the couch.

I really don't have time to be writing currently. We are leaving for a family vacation tomorrow and I still need to finish laundry, pack, mow the lawn and clean the house. (I really don't like to come home to a messy house so I have to stay up all night cleaning before I leave.) I am extremely weird, and I have never claimed otherwise. I figured if I wrote some stuff, maybe, just maybe I could stop feeling stressed and unfocused. (These may be two huge parts of my personality, but I am certain I can conquer them with a brain enema onto this blog).

As I sit here I can see out of the corner of my eye a large pile of cereal on the floor. Courtney tried to pour her own cereal this morning and well, she can't do it. Thus explaining the pile. Now it is 5:00 pm and I still haven't cleaned it up. This is concerning. Mostly because I forgot about it until just now. Maybe I'll get one of the kids to clean it up.

I don't really like cell phones. I like that I can talk to people when I'm driving or doing something else. But I don't like that I can't see the expression on people's face when I'm talking to them or know what's going on around them. I wonder, "Are they really listening? Or are they reading a book while talking on the phone?" Maybe no one else thinks this way, but maybe you all should. I may not be listening when I'm on the phone with you.

Here is a question that I need an answer to. Is it more cost effective to set your thermostat at 80 degrees all day so the air comes on and off all day or let it get to 85 degrees in the house and turning on the air at the end of the day just to cool off the house? I do the latter, but I'm wondering if I should just set it and leave it.

Maybe there will be a more focused post later...I just remembered I haven't written about the fact that Steve and I just celebrated 11 glorious years of marriage. That deserves a post for sure.

I know Two in One Day is too much Jenn

I was just sitting here thinking. I don't think enough accolades are given to fresh grown tomatoes. I just really love these things.

Now that I am taking a nutrition class I have become very interested in the food I eat and the food I serve my children. While the meals around home (I am not addressing in this blog the amount of times we eat out) tend to be pretty healthy (with the occassional mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets thrown in) and the activity level around here is a constant I am concerned about the 13 pounds of baby weight I can't seem to shake. So I am doing an experiment. Join me if you'd like. Instead of just eating when it is meal time, I am eating nutrient dense snacks whenever I am hungry. I am active and hungry most of the time. But because of my upbringing, rarely snack. So i have started cutting up tomatoes to snack on all day along with a handful of almonds or peanuts. I'm finding I eat about every 2 hours, but I am a lot more delightful to be around and I don't feel starved by the time the meal comes. The goal is not necessarily to lose weight as much as it is to lose that unsightly half-spare tire that hangs out very conspicuously along the back side of my hips. That's where the fat likes to hang out and it's difficult to exercise that particular area.

I thought about including a before picture and following it up with an after picture in 3 months or so. But no one is getting a look at these "love" handles...NO ONE!!! Please feel free to post suggestions or other comments relating to this new endeavor. However, if you just want to give a shout out to home-grown tomatoes, then do that too.

By the way JRS....how are those cages?

Super Size Me

While the movie “Super Size Me,” has had an impression on people across the country, I would submit that it is disturbing that we needed a documentary to remind us that the food we are eating is actually killing us. It really doesn’t take much of an IQ to realize that fried and processed foods may taste better, but no one actually feels good after eating them. I found the movie to be an arduous account of the obvious. It was interesting, at first, to see the down hill spiral of health, the steady incline of weight and cholesterol, and the general malaise of the main character directly related to his food consumption. However, it soon became frustrating as the point continued to be made. I appreciated the added commentaries on junk food in America and was deeply disturbed by the lack of consideration being given to students when presenting their lunch choices. The interviews done with food professionals and advertisers were really enlightening. I never really stopped to consider the fact that kids really are bombarded from all sides regarding the types of food they eat. They are not just bombarded, but they are purposeful targets. That is disheartening when admittedly those putting forth these advertisements say they are part of the “obesity” problem in America. How is it that we are part of a society that actually and literally puts the value of a dollar ahead of the preservation of the health of our citizens and our young people? A documentary should be done on the possible outcomes of a society so money hungry that they forget to preserve even themselves. Forget global warming and other debatable topics, and tackle the big issue of “We are Killing Ourselves…one Processed Food Item at a Time.”
My family, unfortunately, eats out quite a bit. The excuses are long, but we are busy is the main one. Driving through someplace and eating on the way is a “kill two birds with one stone,” type of attitude for us. I pride myself though on staying away from hamburger places and driving through the much healthier alternative (read with strong sarcasm) Del Taco or The Hat. This film has definitely made me more concerned about what I am doing to my little girls. (Cue triumphant music here) It’s probably too late for me, the damage is done, but my kids still have a fighting chance at a healthy life style and I have to be the person who exemplifies this healthier life style. (Sigh) The reality is, I will do my best to be better prepared for meals on the run…but sometimes (hanging my head in defeat) it’s the only alternative to not eating at all. I want to do better and I think a realistic goal would be to only allow fast food one day a week as opposed to our normal 20 times.

Day Belonging to Fathers

Let me say a few words about my Dad. I used to say that my dad was the most perfect man to walk the earth, besides Jesus. He didn't like it when I said that. I used to say that my dad was a very patient man. He doesn't like that either, because it turns out in some cases he's not patient at all. (especially in instances of changing brakes, people chewing loudly, high school chem/physics or double faulting). I used to be amazed at how he handled a household full of emotional women. And to that I can say a resounding...I'm still amazed. I don't know how he did it without killing us all...slowly. I am still astounded by the fact that he made me and my sisters such a huge priority in his life. I took for granted that's how every one's dad was. It turns out I was among the lucky ones. I think the job of dad is hard. I've never been one, but I'm married to one. I think it must be hard to balance it all. The stress of work, the pressures of being a man, and then trying to meet the emotional needs of the family. It must be hard. My dad made it look easy. He still does. He is an amazing dad to me still. He's an outstanding grandpa (Papaw). It just seems to come naturally to him. He was created to be a positive influence on kids and he embraced that calling with everything in him. My sisters and I all knew how to hit a baseball, a tennis ball, and a golf ball. We could throw a football pretty well at young ages. And he tucked us in every night, inspite of how tired he must have been most of the time.

Now in all fairness I have to say that the reason my dad could spend the time he did with us was because my mom is a supermom. She did it all and made life flow easily. She encouraged my dad to be a dad to us girls and that meant not always getting her due. It definitely was a team effort with those two.

So happy father's day to those who wear the title dad so proudly. Your calling is among the highest there are. Don't give up on the bad days and be encouraged on the good days. As my dad says a lot, "Finish strong!!"

Good Advice from Kayci Beth

This is a direct quote from my second born,

"Mom, I brushed my hair. You know what? You should always take your ponytail out of your hair before you go to bed. You know why? Because in the morning you might have syrup for breakfast and it might get in your hair and you won't be able to get the ponytail holder out of your hair."

Good advice Kayci.

Now faithful friends, family members and lurkers: Apply this advice to your individual lives as you see fit.

Proud to be an American (and Steve's wife)

She will bleed to death and then die

The origins of this title are an inside joke between my mom, dad and I. I'm sure they are smiling, my dad may even be using his real laugh. I know it makes no sense to anyone else, but it is my blog and I think it is funny. (Yes, someone bleeding to death and then dying is humorous to me. I will be a great nurse someday).

As far as things that really gross me out...this seems to be an important question to those who find out I want to be a nurse. I have found two things that actually make me blink and look away briefly: someone getting hit in the head repeatedly with an object accompanied by sound effects and someone getting their teeth cleaned. That's about it. I don't gross out easily, but those two occurrences make me feel a little weird.

I have also written much about the importance of friends and family. I love my friends and family (some fall into both categories). However, let me tell you what I don't like about some people who claim to be friends: bad tennis calls, saying that a tennis match that I legitimately won was "given to me," and guilt trips over things out of my control. I can handle pretty much anything else...but these things make me react poorly. Usually with a flood of tears or some other such awesome, powerful response like that.

I cooked salmon last night for the first time. I decided hot dogs and chicken nuggets may be stunting my children's growth and development so I decided to try something healthy. I asked my sister for help and she is quite resourceful. However, I ended up having to look in a cookbook. Once I found the recipe, I discovered that the only thing I had in common with the recipe was the actual salmon and an oven. So here are the substitutions I made: (Please note that I tried extremely hard to at least find similar ingredients)
The recipe called for basil: I substituted garlic powder
The recipe called for dill: I substituted Lawry's season salt
The recipe called for Tarragon: I substituted pepper
The recipe called for butter: I substituted margarine (broiled for 5 minutes on each side)

The amazing thing was it was delicious. My kids even liked it. Steve actually said, "This is good." Which is huge because food is, "Not a big deal, " to him. And he doesn't just throw around compliments like he does musical ideas. So feel free to try this recipe. It was great.

I visited my grandparents in Oklahoma a week ago. I am so blessed. We had a great time together. Let me tell you, there is a lot of open space there. "Plenty of room to swing a rope...plenty of heart and plenty of hope!"