Daylight Savings Time

Today, Feb 28th. The sunrise wasa at 7:11 am . this means that at 6:45 when my kids are waiting for the bus, the sky is starting to lighten up, and it's not pitch dark. Next week I will be able to send them out to wait for the bus and I will be able to see them clearly while they are waiting. More importantly, other drivers will be able to see them.

However, a week from Saturday,. Daylight savings will apply and we will "spring" our clocks forward one hour. It will be another 4 weeks until it is the same brightness at 6:45 as it was today.

I have not decided if it will be comforting that won't occur until after 7 PM.

Snow Days

My boys went to school a whole 2 days last week. They were off on Monday for President's day. Then the 12 Yo was sick the preceding Thursday and Friday. He did have all parts of his research project ready to turn in Monday. (It was due Friday). Sunday he finished his bibliography. The yesterday he had a missing assignment. He admitting it to Dad when Dad asked. Then Dad looked at his planner. He has stamps for 3 missing assignments over the past 3 weeks. Sigh! If he had only had the one yesterday we would have been ok because of his absentes, we would ahve told him to do better next time. However since there was a Math assignment before the sickiesa nd snows, a Social Studies assignment from last week and a Religion packet ("I did not hear the due date", "It is your responsibility to find out.")

Thus a loss of privledges has been levied...

Sigh An email from the 8yo's teacher just came across. He had 2 slight meltdown yesterday. As usual, he did not tell us about them.

My Son and Liquid Zithromax

So my 12 YO last week was a bit sick. He has a nasty cough and a low grade fever. So he stayed home form school Thursday and Friday. Friday Dad took him to the doctor where he was given a prescription for liquid Zithromax. This stuff is bright red and cherry-flavored.

So here is this boy who was dragging becasu fo cold that morphed into a sinus infection, but starting Saturday, he was off the carts with ADHD hyper energy. I swear he tap daced around the house for 4 days. His mouth was going a mile-a-minute. He was pushing all of his brother's buttons. You would ahve though we had forgotten to put his Daytrana patch on.

His Dad said he thought it was the lack of wrestling practice and the outlet for nervous energy it provides. I voted for something in the Zithromax. Yesterday was his last dose. This morning I noticed a big difference. The 12 YO noticed a difference. He does not usually notice those sorts of things.

Dinner date

Saturday Hubby and I went to dinner to celebrate a late Valentines. Now that our oldest son is old enough to be in charge at home, we have decided to make a monthly dinner date. I have this list of non-chain restaurants in the area that I want to try. We went to a neighborhood steak and seafood restaurant. It was wonderful.

We did not have reservations, but we got there early enough for them to give us a table in the lounge. It was really fun. There was jazzy music playing, we talked with the bartender and our waitress. We talked to both of the owners. The food was cooked wonderfully. While I was not extremely fond of my dish, it was the flavor of the dish itself. I am more than willing to go back again. Hubby absolutely loved the atmosphere. Now I need to convince him that there are more great restaurants to try.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Ground beef thawing - Hamburgers, baked beans, carrot sticks

Tuesday - Wrestling banquet. We need to take a 2 ltr of soda

Wednesday - Stuffed chicken breasts. A MArket day product. We have Broccoli and cheese or Cordon Blu.

Thursday - Not sure. May stop and pick up pork chops. Or I could do Chicken and rice.

Friday - Fish fry at Church.

Did I mention that we are finished with wrestling? The 12 YO was home sick Thursday and Friday and chose not the wrestling in the districts. Thus he is not eligible for the traveling team. With moving, It has not been the best year for him. He is ready to go on to baseball. I still think wrestling is his best chance for a varsity sport in HS. He will go to 2 wrestling camps this summer.

For more great menus, check out Laura's blog.

Happy Valentines Day!

Hi All,

We exchanged some Valentines yesterday as Thursdays are usually a busy day for us. Hubby brought me home a nice boquet of mixed flowers. They look beautiful in the center of the kitchen table. He picked up a Whitman's sampler box for each boy. I picked up a box of Chocolate covered Cherries for Hubby. (Glad I got them).

Yesterday my 12 yo was sounding quite froggy and was speed-eating rootbeer-flavored cough drops. Poor kid coughed all night. So this morning we decided to give his teachers and classmates a nive Valentines by NOT sending him and his cold germs to school. That means he won't be staying after school for band practice nor will he go to wrestling practice tonight. Thus our normally busy night is quite free.

However, I did not make plans for dinner tonight. It is usually just the 8 YO and I as Hubby swings by and picks up food for himself and the 12 yo between band and wrestling.

This also means I do not ahve to leave work early to be home when the 8 yo gets off the bus. I can make up the hour I missed yesterday when they boys had a 2 hour delayed start for school.

Snow day

My boys finally go their snow day yesterday. We left them at home. The 12 Yo is of age to "babysit" and the 8 yo is very responsible. They do well together in such situations. Of course they were the recipients of phone calls from Mom and Dad reminding them to eat breakfast, get dressed, eat lunch, etc.

But of course, the 12 yo did not work on his writing project. Sigh, I'm going to nag him to death on this project.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Turkey Meatloaf

Tuesday - Turkey - Noodle Casserole from the Freezer since Mom has to work late and the 12 yo has wrestling practice at 6:00.

Wednesday - Chicken Stir fry - Requested by Hubby. He bought some vegetarian egg rolls.

Thursday - Just the 8 yo and I. I'll dig something up

Friday - Fish Fry at Church or scallops/cheese stickes from the freezer.

For More great menu ideas, check out Laura's blog.

Ash Wednesday

As a practicing Catholic, Ash Wednesday is an important day. It is a day of Fast and abstenance. We abstain from meat and we are called to fast. My parents - practicing Catholics themselves, had us eat three meals, no snacking in between. Funny, I'm in my early 40's and just recently have I really looked at the blurb in the church Bulletin about what it means to fast per the Church. We are supposed to have 2 snacks and one full meal. The tow snacks are not supposed to equal the amount of the full meal.



I don't fast well. The last 5 to 7 years I find that when I go for more than 5 hours without eating that I get a headache and my emotions start to go out of wack. I start to worry about stupid things. I get agitated and I start snapping at people. I don't like this.



So this morning I decided I was going to try. My stomach was protesting, so I decided to eat 2 South Beach Cereal bars. Not bad. I also had a cup of coffee with some milk. This is about 7:30-8:00. About 11:45 I started to get a headache. My stomach is starting to whine also. So I drank the 6 oz can of V-8 I packed. Then I warmed the piece of Brie I brought and ate it with some crackers. Then I decided to get a small salad from the cafe here in my building.

Ok, So now it's Thursday morning. I still have a headache, must be sinus. But I went home, Had dinner - Some Onion rings, hush puppies and crab cakes. So I am pretty pleased that I managed well.

Menu Plan Monday - What happened?

I have not given up on planning my menus weekly. I get a vague idea before I do the grocery shopping. It's jus tthat there are so many poster on Laura's blog for Menu Plan Monday. I'm finding it better for my family if I write my menu on a piece of paper and slap it ont he fridge. My 8 yo is always very interested in his meals. Of course he makes an ugly face at half of my plans. Unless it included hot dogs, mac and cheese or spaghetti.

So Hubby is out of town this week. He' be back Thursday evening. I did - even though it's the end of the season, find someone to carpool to wrestling with. Last night the other Mom did the drop off and pcik-up. Tongiht it is my turn. I suggested this way becasue the 8 yo goes on Tuesdays. When Hubby is home, he goes and coaches. Of course The 8 yo could have his last meet thins Sunday.

But I am rather free with my menus when Hubby is not home. Last ngiht it was hot dogs for the boys and mac and cheese. Tonight will most likely be leftovers of mac and cheese.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. As a good Catholic, I try to fast, but I am scared to death of my blood sugar dropping. So I will try to be careful. I think I will make Mozzarella cheese sticks for dinner. I will cook up a little bit of shrimp or scallops for myself.

Not bad for a wrestler

My 12 YO son is a wrestler. We put him on a wrestling team when he was in First Grade becasue we felt he needed an outlet for his energy during the Winter. Wrestling is a great sport for an ADHDer becasue it is fast paced, energy intensive and requires a short period of focus. (Matches are rarely longer than 6 minutes).

When he was in 3rd anf 4th grade, he also played basketball. That school is a feeder to a High school known for excellence in Basketball. And that school was right across the parking lot. But this basketball league was Friday nights only. Practices and games were Friday nights. Great! Wreslting was not Friday nights. So he played. And discovered that he wa a better wrestler than a basketball player.

So imagine my surprise when he comes home with a flyer about a free-throw contest sponsordd by our parishes Knights of Columbus Council. "I can throw free-throws Mom!" So Of course, I took him. (He's having a rough year in wrestling). Last night we got a call that his 9 out of 15 shots was the record for his age group. So Tomorrow night I need to take him to another Church in town for another round of free-throws.

Oh, and he wrestled on Sunday and took second place. He got beat by the teammate who keeps beating him out for a position to go to dual meets.

I Must be crazy

Ok, So we are in the depths of Wrestling season. The 12 Yo is into it. While he keeps getting beat in wrestle-offs to be the A wreatler for the tournaments, he's still putting forth his best effort. He practices 3 days a week. Four if Dad makes him go to Friday night practice with the grade school kids. The District Tournement is in four weeks. So we'll be through, right? Nope. There will be a team to go to open tournaments. The boy wants to participate.

But I met another Mom last night and we decided we live close enough to carpool. Oh joy! Of course the boy still does not get home until 8:30. Yes, he is 12, but he boards the school bus at 6:45, which backs up to mean we roll him out of bed at 6:00 AM. I worry about making sure he has the opportunity to get enough sleep. He is starting to sleep in on the weekends, just like a teenager. He also stay up lat some nights reading.

So here is why I am crazy, I am going to sign him up for a boating safety class. It is Wednesday nights, 7 - 9 PM for 8 weeks. I have been wanting to get him into some sort of water/boating safety class. My Parents have a house on a lake with 3 boats. My Dad got a little row boat with an electric motor that he can take out himself. My son will probably spend upwards of a month there this year.

This class is conducted by the Coast Guard Auxilliary. The cost is $25. I'd be willing to pay three times that amount for such a class. So we are going to go, get the class materials. If it proves to be too much after a couple of weeks, I have no issues with pulling him out. I talked to the instructor last night asking if it would be appropriate for a 12 YO (Almost 13 he reminded me). The isntrcutor said if another family member wanted to come too, the cost would be $5 as long as they shared the materials. We also discussed retaking the class if it's over the head of the 12 YO. He said, as long as we still had the materials, the cost would most likely be $5.

Dieting stories

So my husband has decided he wants to lose about 20 lbs. Being the man he is, he gets intrigues by an infomercial, PX90 where all of the models in the commercial are ripped. He ordered the program in November. It was January before he started in on it. This is providing me some great entertainment, unfortunately it is a bit at his expense. See, I have bad genes that predispose me to obesity and then throw in misbehaved hormones, and I have been on many diets. I’ve read many books.

So in January he starts this program. He decided that he is going to shoot for the highest calorie expenditure on the chart, even though he has a desk job. So I look at it, the Plan is a low carb, high protein, makes sense since the workout program expects an hour to an hour and a half workout per day. I can work with this. I do better limiting my carbs, I do have a bit of an insulin resistance issue. So I start to make appropriate meals. I can venture away from the limited meal plan in his book. He is having trouble dealing with the one serving of carb per day. (Hey, here’s my chance to start shifting the family towards whole grain/high protein pasta.)

Now Hubby is finding that life is getting in the way of his 60 to 90 minute workouts per day. Life being 9 hour workdays, 40 minute commute and getting the boys to wrestling practice 4 evenings a week. But he’s not doing badly. He’s sticking too it longer than he’s stuck to similar things before. He’s learning to appreciate turkey bacon.

Hubby also realized how helpful it is that I am buying groceries and cooking meals and even bringing him snacks to a wrestling meet that fit with the plan. He even apologized to me for the times when I was seriously watching what I ate and he brought home his own treats. He now understands why I asked him to keep them out of the house or to at least hide them.

Last night he told me he though he had hit a plateau. He lost 10 pounds the first week and the scale is now moving very slowly. He asked if I had any hints or tips. So we discussed how all diets give you immediate gratification with a large loss of water the first week and that a healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week.

So our meals are consisting of pork loin, top sirloin, chicken and turkey. Our boys are missing the casseroles. But we are eating more rice. Hubby is learning the necessity of planning his eating. He has always operated on a “I’m hungry, what can I put in my mouth right now” mode. I have been trying to explain that “Hey you are going somewhere and will be there for a long time, you will get hungry. The Concession stand costs a lot of money. Plan ahead. At least pack some drinks and snacks so you can enjoy the hot dog or pizza without feeling like your wallet got stolen.” After fifteen years, it may be starting to sink in.

Dieting stories

So my husband has decided he wants to lose about 20 lbs. Being the man he is, he gets intrigues by an infomercial, PX90 where all of the models in the commercial are ripped. He ordered the program in November. It was January before he started in on it. This is providing me some great entertainment, unfortunately it is a bit at his expense. See, I have bad genes that predispose me to obesity and then throw in misbehaved hormones, and I have been on many diets. I’ve read many books.

So in January he starts this program. He decided that he is going to shoot for the highest calorie expenditure on the chart, even though he has a desk job. So I look at it, the Plan is a low carb, high protein, makes sense since the workout program expects an hour to an hour and a half workout per day. I can work with this. I do better limiting my carbs, I do have a bit of an insulin resistance issue. So I start to make appropriate meals. I can venture away from the limited meal plan in his book. He is having trouble dealing with the one serving of carb per day. (Hey, here’s my chance to start shifting the family towards whole grain/high protein pasta.)

Now Hubby is finding that life is getting in the way of his 60 to 90 minute workouts per day. Life being 9 hour workdays, 40 minute commute and getting the boys to wrestling practice 4 evenings a week. But he’s not doing badly. He’s sticking too it longer than he’s stuck to similar things before. He’s learning to appreciate turkey bacon.

Hubby also realized how helpful it is that I am buying groceries and cooking meals and even bringing him snacks to a wrestling meet that fit with the plan. He even apologized to me for the times when I was seriously watching what I ate and he brought home his own treats. He now understands why I asked him to keep them out of the house or to at least hide them.

Last night he told me he though he had hit a plateau. He lost 10 pounds the first week and the scale is now moving very slowly. He asked if I had any hints or tips. So we discussed how all diets give you immediate gratification with a large loss of water the first week and that a healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week.

So our meals are consisting of pork loin, top sirloin, chicken and turkey. Our boys are missing the casseroles. But we are eating more rice. Hubby is learning the necessity of planning his eating. He has always operated on a “I’m hungry, what can I put in my mouth right now” mode. I have been trying to explain that “Hey you are going somewhere and will be there for a long time, you will get hungry. The Concession stand costs a lot of money. Plan ahead. At least pack some drinks and snacks so you can enjoy the hot dog or pizza without feeling like your wallet got stolen.” After fifteen years, it may be starting to sink in.

Menu Plan Monday 1/14/08

Hi Everyone,

I've still been doing menu planning even if I have not been posting. Hubby started a diet. It's been pretty funny. He's apologized for the times when I dieted that he did not fully support me and brought treats for himself and to boys into the house.

He's allowed 1 serving of carb per day and low fat. I have been supporting him with the menus and showing him how he can go beyond the meals printed in his booklet. He's actually doing an ok job.

Anyways~

Sunday - Turkey meatloaf, steamed spinach (boys had fruit) and rice (I made regualr and wild)

Monday- (Hubby's out of town, DS12 has wrestling at 6 PM) - Pulled a 2 serving-sized container of Chicken and rice casserole out fo the freezer for the boys to eat. There is leftover Chicken stir fry for me.

Tuesday - (Hubby's out of town, DS12 & DS8 have wrestling at 6 PM) - I'll find something else for the boys to make on their own.

Wednesday - (Free night, yipee) Pork Loin chops, Broccoli or green beans, leftover rice

Thursday - (Just DS8 and I, DS12 has band practice after school, Hubby will pick him up, get some fast food and go to 6 PM practice) - We'll dig for stuff - homemade pizza maybe

Friday - (DS8 practice at 6:30) - Hubby works a half day on Friday's, so I leave it up to him. However he invaribly calls and asks what I have planned. Last Friday, instead of getting frustrated, I told him it was "Dad's choice" night.

Weekend - We are going out of town for a wrestling meet. The hotel includes breakfast. But we do have a fridge. So I will pack some snacks to lessen the times at the concession stand.

I'm still here

I tried to log in yesterday, but Blogger told me my browser security was messed up. I did not have time to play with it, so I simply tried again today. Some Computer support person I am, Good thing I moved up to management.

Anyways, Hubby is dieting for the first time. He wants to drop a few pounds. He's never really gone hard core before. He did thank me for the effort I have being going through to support him and he also apologized for the times when he was not supportive of my efforts by bringing home sweets and stuff. "I now know how hard it is to have them around and not go for them."

The 8 YO has all but given up on putting much effort into wrestling practice. We did tell him we wanted him to wrestle in 2 meets per month. So this Sunday he is signed up the wrestle. He's signed up for baseball. That will start in April. With games in May and June. Then Fall will most likely be football. Hopefully Flag Football for the next few years.

The 12 YO is inconsistent with his efforts in wrestling. There are certain Jr high meets where they allow 6th graders to participate. In those instances, there are 4 kids in the 86 lb weight class. He just has not adapted to the style of this club. It is more intense than the last club. But that is a big part of the reason we choose this school.

I am being challenged with a new smartphone. The CIO has one. We had a serice problem last month. No one but the CIO complained. We eventually got it fixed, but I now hope to know about service issues befoe the CIO notices. But My Blackberry was much simpler.

Celebrating small victories

We got three trash bags of hand-me-down from my Aunt the other day. But first I made the ADHD pre-teen go through his clothes. He pulled everything out of his drawers and decided if it went into the Stay basket or the Go basket. This is my child who has trouble letting things go. He did great this time. I only nudged him a little. He made the decisions.

He is doing better about keeping his room less cluttered. It may help that the room is bigger, but there are not as many trinkets or treasures lying around. (Oh yes, Mom does not walk by his room on a daily basis in the new house. That might help also). Maybe the "Clean Sweep"-style room emptying sessions we perfomred every couple of months taught his some things. A Mom can hope, right?

Snowy Good Morning..

Yes, it is snowy today. It took awhile to get into work. The boys are disappointed that today is the last day of Chirstmas vacation and they did not get a snow day. LOL!

Santa Claus Revealed

Christmas night about 6:00 PM, members of the family gather. This is my Mom's family. She is second of 11. My youngest Uncle is 2 years older than me. I have cousins close to the same age as my kids. There ae about 75 os us that gather. Hubby loves this party and it is a must-do for us every year. Ever since I was little, Santa has always paid us a visit. He tells us he is on his way back to the North Pole after going around the world distributing gifts. Santa usually brings another small gift for each child under 10 with him.

This year, the 8 YO sang "Jingle Bells" at the top of is lungs so Santa knew where we were. He held a coversation with Santa, posed for pictures on his lap and accepted his present. He came over and sat under the table I was sitting at while other kids were called up for their turn. He looks at me and says in a whisper "that's just a guy in a red suit and a fake beard." I replied "Yes, but isn't it fun?"

On the way home I took the opportunity to ask if he didn't think that having a guy in a red suit and a fake beard come every year was fun. He decided that maybe it was. We discussed about how Santa embodies the spirit of the season, how we believe that Christ is in everybody and by giving them Chirtmas gifts, we give Christ Brithday gifts.

The 12 Yo never has come out and made such a bold statement. Actually I am relived. next year I do not have to worry about keep special wreapping paper. (Santa only brought three gifts for each boy every year. ) And I won't have to make sure I have cookies around so that Hubby can eat them before falling into bed.

So, I hope my kids continue to hold the image of Santa in their hearts as the spirit of Christmas. I plan to continue to fill their stocking on Dec 6th for the feast of St. Nicholas. I plan to continue to sing jingle Bells on Christmas night until I hear him rings his bell and shout "ho ho ho".

Merry Christmas