The Moon Matters

What is it about a full moon that makes people go crazy? I mean really. There's got to be something inside of us that just can't handle the scientific things that happen with it. 

Yesterday Clayton had a bad day and by this I mean he just couldn't get his act together to get ready for school. He was whiny, cranky and so tender-hearted. He couldn't get out of bed. He couldn't get dressed. He couldn't decide on what to eat for breakfast. Finally, something clicked inside of him and he got in the car and walked into school. He came home from school and watched some wrestling with his daddy. I thought all was good. Until he walked in the kitchen and discovered we were eating something new for dinner. Apparently I make the most disgusting dinners he's ever had. (This is becoming more of an occurrence.) He cried and tried everything possible to not eat his dinner. This went on for just over 45 minutes! Yes people I said 45 minutes!!!!!! He finally gave in, once again, and ate his dinner. Originally he only had to eat one bite, but by the time 45 minutes passed he had to eat all 4 bites I had given him. 

Today.....wow! What a difficult day he had. He got to go to the office this morning. He did all he could to mess with his brother and drive him up the wall, along with everyone else in the office. He came back to the office after school......boy ate 3 fried eggs, two whole boiled eggs made into deviled eggs, grilled cheese sandwich, a 100 calorie fudge striped cookie pack, mixed berry juice AND strawberry chocolate milk!!! When it was time for gymnastics, he didn't want to leave, not without a fight anyways. Once at home, it's time for dinner....he decides his belly hurts too much and goes and lays down in bed and doesn't eat dinner, his favorite, Mac & Cheese and baked cod fillets. Man this kid doesn't feel good. Yet once bedtime comes, it's a no-go, again.......

Carson has been clingy and emotional, more than normal for an almost 21 month old. Our sitter even noticed that he cries anytime she leaves the room......

Seriously, there should be something we can put over their heads or their eyes or something to stop this ding dang reaction to the full moon!

If you have suggestions or thoughts, I'm open to just about anything. I'm currently trying a glass of wine, for myself that is :)

Menu Planning

I hate to admit this, but I completely and totally suck I'm really bad at meal planning. My family can go weeks if I'm not careful on frozen chicken strips, mac & cheese, spaghetti, and other easy to throw together at the last minute meals.

I hate that I'm this way. I certainly didn't grow up like this. My mom always planned out our meals and had an idea of what she was going to do....at least until I go into high school and then I wasn't home, so why bother planning meals for just 2! My parents were always awesome cooks. They can throw together a meal with the simplest ingredients and you'd think you were eating from a world class chef. Amazing cooks I tell you!

Then you have me....Oh crap it's 4:30, I'm at work and I have to feed these people who live in my house! Good thing there's frozen chicken nuggets and boxed mac & cheese at home! I'm so tired of that and I really want to be more like my parents were with meals when I was growing up (not like they are now because they go out almost every night and split an appetizer as their dinner!). The first step in being able to get creative in the kitchen (at least in my eyes) is to be able to plan dinner out!

So, I talked with my friends and one of them, Elizabeth, suggest a menu planning app that she used to use all the time. Menu Planner. This thing is AWESOME for me! I can import recipes from the internet, add in my own (not many there!! YET!), I can track the canned goods in my pantry, the items in my fridge etc. LOVE IT!!!! I went through last month I went through and put in all meals for every day of the month for March. This was good in theory. 

My problem.....opening and using said app. Seems like an easy concept, but when you race out the door in the mornings to get kids to school and "day care", get myself to work at a reasonable time and then work all day, it's easy to forget something as simple as laying out dinner. I have to get better at this. My friends hold me accountable....you need to get better because reminding me at 3 isn't too helpful since I'm at work! I kid, I kid....not really, but you know :P  

I made a decision over the weekend to fix new recipes this week. So far I'm 2 for 2. We'll see how the rest of the week works out :)

Here's my meal list for this week: (we do have a veggie at every meal, I'm just not listing it.)

Monday

Monterey Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Chips and Queso

Tuesday

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

Roasted Potatoes

Wednesday

Baked Cod Fillets

Mac & Cheese

Thursday

Slow Cooker Asian Glazed Chicken

Rice

Friday

Leftovers  (I hate throwing out good food!)

Saturday

Hot Dogs with Pushcart Onion Sauce

Potato Salad or Cole Slaw

Hello Again

So we meet again blogosphere!

It's been well over a year since I last logged in. A lot can happen in a year. Last time we talked we had decided to not move and redo parts of our house. Yeah, well that changed again! Our house is currently listed for sale and we are in the middle of purchasing a home on roughly 2.5 acres.

We took some time and decided we really needed to take the leap of faith now, before Clayton is with his friends for several years and has an even harder time moving away from them. If you know him, you know he doesn't like change and he needs to know what is going on every step of the way. My experience has been that you wait until you absolutely HAVE to tell a young kid what is going on with such a decision. With Clay, he needs to know what's going on. Otherwise he doesn't feel safe, he feels out of control of the situation and his anxiety kicks in and we have problems. Like getting out of the car and walking into school on his own because he worries what's going on with me or with his daddy.

Clay has lost 2 teeth since starting Kindergarten this year and Carson has gained all of his ;) We got rid of the ding dang binkie aka pacifier almost a month ago now and he's doing wonderful without it. Talking up a storm now! his most recent change is his awesome interest in the potty. He goes every time before he gets in and when he gets out of the bath. Our sitter is even helping him go during the day while she has him.

As for Wes and I, we are still working as normal.....although my longing to work from home is even greater these days. Maybe one day, just not yet. 

If been a long time, so I don't want to "over do it!" with this post :) LOL I'll be back soon, Promise!!!!