Would This Annoy You?

If there are less than 4 pieces of bread left in the loaf Mr F will open a new one and start eating that.

This Week The Plan

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
I finished and sent out my first batch of Compacting Christmas boxes. And they looked freaking fantastic folks! I mean seriously... I have a gift for this (If I do say so myself... "TOOT TOOT"). Photos and RECIPES will all be posted in the next couple of days. Mr F wanted me to keep what's in the boxes a surprise. But I think it would be more universally helpful to get some great gift ideas BEFORE it is too late to ship them out yourselves. Am I right? Okay then. Check back for those later.

Unfortunately this week has proven (yet again) that I cannot really do "it all". So in order to don my Martha cap (even her more zen one) I had to kind of let diet and exercise go. Fortunately I did add in drinking... so my health won't deteriorate. ;)


On to this week...

Menu:

Monday - Layered Zucchini, Corn & Bean Enchiladas (exactly what it sounds like) w/ salad

Tuesday - Turkey Meat Spaghetti Sauce w/ pasta & California mix steamed veggies (1/2 lb meat sauteed w/ grated onion, carrot, 1/2 T sugar & half a jar of sauce... double it for 2 dinners worth)

Wednesday - Brown Sugar & Ginger Salmon, rice mix & broccoli

Thursday - Salmon Noodle Casserole (finally found an organic cream o' mush soup!)

Friday - Homemade pizza (crust recipe from Bittman's How To Cook Everything)

Saturday - Pork Tenderloin w/ green beans & mashed potatoes

Sunday - Egg Crepes w/ spinach & mushrooms & Tomato Soup (boxed)

As soon as I get through the holidays I will make more of an effort to post full recipes and calorie counts (w/ pictures!) and add them to my recipes section. If I list something new between now and then you can always ask for the recipe in the comments.


Errands & Chores:

Monday - ice sugar cookies & pack gift boxes

Tuesday - mail boxes, make Pepparkakor for Kid (her fav) to take to school, get haircut

Wednesday - playdates AM & PM, clean house

Thursday - look at used piano!!!, clean off desk (still have never accomplished this lofty task)

Friday - Make returns & restock for gift box supplies at Michael's

Sat & Sun - make xmas cookies etc for boxes


Diet & Exercise:
Doesn't look like it's happenin' this week either ;)


Kid's Lunches:

Monday - smoked salmon, banana, yogurt, milk, pb&j

Tuesday - smoked salmon, orange, yogurt, milk, lomein

Wednesday - smoked salmon, kiwi, yogurt, banana, milk, spelt pizza (from school)

Thursday - smoked salmon, orange, yogurt, milk, leftover salmon rice & broc

Friday - smoked salmon, banana, yogurt, milk, leftover salmon noodle casserole

I Fear I May Have Failed To Mention This Little Tidbit

When I was at home my grandmother revealed that she's been thinking about (in her words) "cougaring someone".

When we laughed/gasped (whichever... it's hard to tell when your heart is seizing) she went on to say kind of mysteriously "Oh, you know what a cougar is then?"

Yeah... we do.

They Don't Make Enough Kleenex For This One

I just finished watching last night's Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "Front Of The Class", about a real life teacher who despite his Tourette's has gone on to become a successful teacher. Sweet Jesus... it was the best Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of ALL TIME!

It's Beginning To Look Even More Like Christmas

The decorating continues... carefully... very carefully choosing what and where to place things so that Baby isn't tempted to climb up and get them.






Kid wanted you to see ALL of her Nutcrackers in one shot:


And I continued pumping out *treats* for my Christmas boxes (with Kid's help):

caramel corn:

gingersnaps:

fancy (and PAINFUL) cloved tangerines:

gift tags:

playdough kit (steal this idea folks!):

And guess what we'll be using as "packing peanuts"?:

If I Waited For Things To Be Perfect I'd Be Waiting A LONG Time

You may know that I suffer from a bit of extremist type behavior and thinking. Well this can really rear it's evil head during the holidays. I have a very hard time letting myself *enjoy* simple things like decorations if I haven't set the stage (ie have everything unnaturally clean & organized). This typically results in a lot of family stress... that... um... takes away from the enjoyment (right Mr F?!). It means we have to have a major clean the night before decorating and do all the decorating at once. It can be so overwhelming and bicker producing that we'll kind of put it off.

Well not this year. In part because our storage system is easier to get at I've decided to enjoy our decorations from the beginning of December without all the fuss. I've just brought out what I can a bit at a time. Why should I not be enjoying a snowflake on the window just because the toys aren't picked up? Why should it be less meaningful or joyous? We are not clean freaks... we do not insists the kids pick up each toy as they move on to another (and never will). Just like we will NEVER be able to keep a horizontal surface from collecting mail, broken things, tools, etc. This is us. So as the ever evolving human that I am this year I'm not punishing myself for it.

Just because this living room looks like this:

Doesn't mean the windows can't look like this:

Just because the counters look like this:

Doesn't mean our table can't look like this:

Just because the playroom looks like this:

Doesn't mean the mantel can't look like this:

Just because the stove looks like this:

Doesn't mean the oven can't look like this:

You get the point.

And NO our house doesn't ALWAYS look like this... it gets cleaned up every night (ish). The point is that is DOES look like this (more or less) every day because we are real. And we have real kids. And we put an outdoor slide in our house. And we suffer from Horozontalitis (thank you Emily) for which there is no cure.

At the end of the day it really comes down to allowing yourself to enjoy life where you are at. Do I still have that nagging voice in the back of my head whispering "But things aren't clean! You FAIL!" ? Yes. (hmm... that sounded a lot creepier than I intended it) But I am enjoying the holidays. I think I might even enjoy the decorations more this year than in the past because I'm not also freaking out at Mr F every time he "messes it up" by putting his loose change (or what have you) on the counter. I'm sure he enjoys it more too.

Oh. My. God.

At Mary Poppin's suggestion I made these little babies for my Compacting Christmas boxes...

They're Candy Cane Joe Joe's (available at Trader Joe's... and yes I bought a box and packed them in my suitcase to bring home... kind of wish I'd bought two right about now) dipped in white chocolate and embellished with a little extra holiday spirit.

It's a good thing I already started packing them up before I tried one..

or they might not have made the boxes at all!




What you need:
One box cookies (I'm sure mint oreos or the like would work)
One 12 oz bag of white chocolate morsels
sprinkles

Melt white chocolate in microwave in 15 second intervals. Stop heating when chips are mostly melted and stir until smooth.
Using a knife dollop a generous amount on each cookie (holding over the bowl) and spread over edges. Place on parchement or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with decorations. Repeat. Let rest until chocolate cools. Then shovel in your mouth...er... I mean package up to give away!

This project should only set you back about $5!

If I could send every single one of you some of these... believe me... I would!

Guess Who's A Big Girl Now?!

[Missing Pic Of Adorable Peeing Toddler... check back soon!]

While we wait for Mr F to reformat that photo I'll give you this:

Baby proudly wearing her self-styled "big girl underwear" (Kid's bikini briefs worn backwards... St Tropez style)
Look at those little curdley butt cheeks basking in the glory of their new found freedom!

Compacting Christmas Videos I Made Before I Got Pissed Off With The FDA

Tune into this one for the "blooper" moment:

Can You Feel The Fury?

Even more melamine info HERE. Good grief.

Disgusted and Depressed and Infuriated

I got to tell you I'm actually feeling pretty fucking depressed.  I was minding my own beeswax making santa shaped crayons (what?!) while listening to Michigan radio (I still miss you) on my computer when I heard the report about the melamine.  

This is what I'm feeling...

Is it too much to ask that the food we feed ourselves be free of ANY amount of toxic compounds? Have we really gotten to the point where we have to convince ourselves that a little bit is okay?  Really?  REALLY?  

I'm sitting here late at night looking at my canister of Nestle hot cocoa... one of my only non-organic vices (that is just for me) and I can't help but wonder "what the fuck is in this?!"  Nestle had melamine in their formula.  Hot cocoa is made from milk products.  It doesn't take a huge leap there.  And it just fucking disgusts me.  

Why can't anything be completely safe?  Seriously?  Why the fuck can't my goddamn kids' food and toys and shampoo just be safe?  Why do I have to have a full time career as an investigative reporter to try and eliminate toxic (factually, admittedly, toxic) compounds from their stuff?  

And still it isn't enough.  It's never enough.  I can't be thorough enough.

And some people might say "give it up".  "You can't protect them from everything."

Don't you think I fucking know that?  

I certainly can't protect them from everything.  Shit I can't even protect my kids from their own bodies!

 Don't you think we should be able to keep our kids from being poisoned (even a little bit) everyday of their lives?  Who even knows what the result of all of this will be?  How much of a little bit of poison is okay when there's a little bit in EVERYTHING.  

Well This Stopped Me Cold

Remember when I was talking about melamine making its way into our food supply?

Well LISTEN TO THIS! (if you aren't checking it today Thursday December 4th... then select today's date in the playlist) The FDA now admits that they have found melamine in baby formula in the US.

If your babies are drinking formula please listen.   They list the US formulas that have now been found to contain melamine. This is seriously legitimate.


You may have noticed I took down my video post. This is so important to me I don't want something frivolous up at the same time to distract you. I'm literally sick to my stomach over this. I'll remind you that NO testing has been done to determine exactly what parts per million is safe for babies. And this is exactly what killed those children in China. This is not about China. It is about a global food industry.

I'm furious. How many times does shit like this have to happen? Seems like a pretty common occurrence that a government agency would *report* facts that later turn out to be the opposite of true.


The Associated Press broke the story, you can read it HERE.

I found this on MSNBC.com:

"While proclaiming that the very low concentrations detected of melamine and a similar compound called cyanuric acid pose no health danger to infants, the FDA has maintained it is unable to identify any exposure level of melamine in infant formula "that does not raise public health concerns."

Further complicating the situation was inaccurate data that FDA released to The Associated Press, which was first to disclose the formulas' brand names and other details in an investigative report Tuesday.

A spreadsheet the AP obtained from the FDA under a Freedom of Information Act request stated that Mead Johnson's Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron contained traces of melamine.

On Wednesday, FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said that spreadsheet contained an error — that the FDA had incorrectly switched the names of the Mead Johnson product with Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron. That meant, Leon said, that the Nestle's Good Start had melamine while Mead Johnson's Enfamil had traces of cyanuric acid.

The FDA said last month that the toxicity of cyanuric acid is under study, but that in the meantime it is "prudent" to assume that its potency is equal to that of melamine."

It's Beginning To Look A Little Like Christmas

Mr F Was Wrong

Somewhat Overdue

I was meaning to post this video and discussion last month since November is both the anniversary of Kid's official diagnosis and also Epilepsy Awareness Month. But I have to say that I'm trying to push down my state of worry (and moments of hopefulness... lest they be dashed) and talking about it or thinking about it has been difficult.

Today was the last day that Kid will take her anti-seizure medication. This morning she had her last dose... maybe forever... maybe for now. The uncertainty is overwhelming.

Today, by chance, the nurse who came to give us our life insurance physicals revealed (for no apparent reason) that her son has epilepsy. Boy did that bring up a lot of feelings. His is not the same as Kid's but not that different. We had a lot to talk about and it really made me wish that there were more support groups geared toward the parents. Many places don't have a support group at all and if they do it is for caregivers of adults with epilepsy. We had so many things in common... the mood swings... unexplained fevers and vomiting... the bed wetting (who freaking knew? Kid wet the bed twice since weaning her meds and I guess that can be a sign that she was seizing... all new levels of worry are entering my mind).

So I'm sitting with it. I'm just trying to stay the course. I'll talk more about it when I can do it without having to think so much. I'm also thinking of taking the family to D.C. in the spring and participate in the annual Epilepsy Walk there. It might be nice to talk with other parents. It might also do some of them good to see a child who has (hopefully) made it to the other side of their journey... give them a little hope that there (sometimes) is an end.

Cause And Effect

=

+

Listen Up!

Wondering how the Compacting is going? Well. Very, very, well. Shockingly so.

The results are in... aka... the credit card statement has arrived! And take a guess at how much we saved in one month of Compacting?

1100 freaking dollars folks! Believe it.

Now here is the truly astounding thing... I still went to Target. We still ate organic. I even bought the kids some clothes. We did not go without.

Changes we made:

• I cut my grocery spending nearly in half by meal planning around what we had on hand each week and trying to buy as little as I could get away with. While I've been meal planning all along planning this way meant I was typically only buying fresh diary, meat & vegetables. Pantry items Mr F stocked up on at Whole Foods which saves us considerably.
  
• Mr F started taking a sandwich to work everyday. FYI my grocery spending included his new lunch.
  
• I enforced a "only make as much coffee as you are going to drink" rule. We had been dumping half our coffee every week... which was $7 down the drain. Might not seem like a big deal but it is the small things that add up!
  
• I shopped (at Target etc) only for what I needed RIGHT then. Not things I might need next month... that is definitely my habit at both Target and the grocery store. By cutting out my "anticipatory needs" at each shopping trip (a serious challenge I assure you!) I cut my spending in half at almost every trip.
  
• Instead of ordering pizza we started making frozen pizza on Friday nights (or this week homemade).
  
• We didn't cut out going out to eat entirely but we definitely made cheaper choices and really weighed out if going out was worth it.... sometimes it wasn't (that's when you want to have a few frozen pizzas in the freezer).
  

That's it. Basically by being more conscious of our spending we cut out a thousand bucks of unnecessary spending. That seems crazy to me... but it is true. Did it take some thought and self control? Yes. But was it actually difficult? No. I wasn't sure we'd save that much even if we cut out all spending outside of food and gas... I'm shocked. And I didn't cut out all spending. I think adopting a "do I need this today" shopping test is key. Does it mean you might have to go back to the store tomorrow? Maybe... but I think you'll find you don't.

I'm excited to see what our savings are for this month. I'm hoping that we'll be able to stick in the same range of spending (which was the lowest since we've had kids). If we can that means we are covering tuition and an addition $300 bucks that could go to something fun like a VACATION. I feel so much more in control and positive about our financial outlook... and that is saying something!

Now You Tell Me

"If you wait for sex to happen spontaneously it ain't going to happen."

This Week The Plan

I'm getting down to business...

Menu:

Monday - Potato Leek Soup, crab cakes, salad

Tuesday - Brown Sugar & Ginger Salmon, rice & broccoli

Wednesday - potluck ???

Thursday - spinach stuffed egg crepes, tomato soup

Friday - homemade pizza, salad

Saturday - dinner out

Sunday - Shrimp Lo Mein


Kid's Lunches:

Monday - hard boiled egg, gogurt, carrots & ranch, milk, pb &J

Tuesday - hard boiled egg, gogurt, orange, milk, potato soup

Wednesday - smoked salmon, gogurt, apple, milk, spelt pizza (from school)

Thursday - smoked salmon, gogurt, avocado, milk, leftover salmon & rice

Friday - smoked salmon, gogurt, apple, milk, pb & j


Diet & Exercise:
I'm back to food journaling but for this week I'm not counting calories. I just need to get back in the habit of keeping track and making mindful choices.
As for exercise I'm going to do 5 days. I'm not pushing myself crazy hard... just show up and give a good effort.


Errands & Chores:

Monday - groceries, decorate outside of house and begin inside

Tuesday - clean up kitchen & craft area, put away clean clothes

Wednesday - continue decorating, vacuum

Thursday - shop for Compacting Christmas boxes

Video Update