Mediocre Wraps..

I attempted to make some sort of Mediterranean Chicken wrap thingy..I actually saw this on Sam The Cooking Guy show..

Here's what I gathered:

*tortillas

*lettuce

*Caesar dressing

*red onion

*grilled chicken

*feta cheese

*roasted red pepper

I chopped it all into small pieces like this

Then put it all in a tortilla and added a wee bit more Caesar dressing..It was alright..nothing to brag about. Lily said it was just an "OK dinner, not that great" But yet when we went to Trader Joe's yesterday she wanted to pick something out and guess what she had first? A chicken Mediterranean wrap! What! I told her I made that exact thing last night and she replies "But Mom, the store version is always better." I begged a differ child!

She settled on a Chicken Caesar wrap..which was still very similar to what I made too. Ah well.

This morning we are going to meet a future member of our family... Stay tuned!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

Its been raining here for a few days. Justin had called me the other day after he left for work and told me to take the kids outside to see a magnificent rainbow. I took a picture of it, but the photo doesn't do it justice. Beautiful.I made up some Italian Parmesan Chicken yesterday for supper and it was good. Lily said it tasted like KFC..I also paired it with some Parmesan Couscous and steamed broccoli to round out the meal. Jack has been very picky lately and not eating his veggies. He used to LOVE broccoli and eat green beans by the handful (from a can, but hey, its still veggies) and lately he is ridiculously picky..and ultimately I have to use the old.."You're not excused until you take this many bites of your greens." I have even done the "Eat your veggies and you can have desert" Lily, shes pretty good, although she hates peas, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe. I can't believe she doesn't like watermelon. I thought any offspring of mine would gobble it like it was going out of style. I love watermelon. Jack and I will eat a whole one together in the summer months. Love that stuff.

I have been a cleaning fanatic lately. Scrubbing, scouring, mopping..you get the picture. Jack wanted to help so I had him wash some dishes. Just his plastic cups and bowls. He loved it and said he wants to do that all night! Ha! I am teaching him early! Woot!!

Thats a boy for ya...

I have started to do more and more schooling with Jack. And let me tell you it is way different this time. Lily was so excited about it and really wanted to do it. Jack..he doesn't want to, gets all fidgety, and distracted. He will do some and then ask if he can be done now. He has absolutely no interest in sitting down and learning something. Granted he's 3 1/2 but still, at that age Lily was reading Dick and Jane. I know I shouldn't compare the two..and really I just want him to sit still for five seconds and absorb what I am teaching. I finally did figure out something he like. I wrote out the alphabet using a dot-to-dot format and he LOVED to trace over it. He did the whole thing. I was impressed..then of course he asked ever so sweetly "OK that's it, now for some Nintendo?!?" Ha!

Weekend project: Cranberry Zing

I have been wanting to paint this one wall in my living room a dark reddish color for some time now. Finally Justin was tired of be talking about it so off we went to Home Depot for supplies. I love it. This picture doesn't do it justice though because I took it at 7 am so its still a little dark. I will snap another when the sun comes out (hopefully). I was torn between Cranberry Zing and Deep Burnt Sienna. I am glad I chose the cranberry. I only wanted one wall painted, as an accent wall...so not the whole living room is this color. Next..I want to do the hallway Marigold..to brighten it up a bit. :)

Wingin' It...

Tonight I made up some recipes. I thought it would be neat to make lasagna roll ups. I actually saw something similar on a Olive Garden commercial. I call it 'herbed turkey lasagna roll-ups' They were pretty tasty..although I think I used to much thyme..(I'm not the measuring kinda gal, I rarely use measuring spoons and/or cups). Here is a step by step picturama of what they looked like. Enjoy..I'll wait here until your done..

Moving on....No meal is complete without desert. Even though not in season, I was craving peaches and berries.. so I made something I call 'Peach Strawberry Crumble Pie- Tart Thingy' What a combo. The sweetness from the strawberries and the tartness from those peaches was like a taste explosion in my mouth. Although it didn't look pretty when all said done, it sure was tasty. I made a crumble of butter, brown sugar and flour to put on the top...I used frozen peaches and berries..to them I added sugar, flour and some lemon juice. Then threw all that in a graham cracker crust. I only baked it for maybe 40 minutes. It was good, a wee bit liquidy... but tasty nonetheless.

Oh yeah..also made a drink we saw from the best ever show Sam The Cooking Guy..we mixed some champagne with some pomegranate juice and then a squeeze of fresh lemon. Nice..although it brought me back to the early high school days when my friends and I would drink Boone's Strawberry Hill, the taste is very similar, but without that cheap malty taste...

Desperately Seeking Mama (for a make-over)

Jack is occupied at the moment..playing Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo Gamecube. I can't believe he knows how to play video games..at 3.. it has to be in his blood..same with Lily. Speaking of Lily, she was pissed this morning because Jack kicked her butt in that game. Haha
We did flashcards this morning and ventured to the backyard where I consumed a ridiculous amount of coffee and Jack made me a mud birthday cake w/ sprinkles of twigs and stuff.
This weekend is one I am so looking forward to. Tomorrow is date night with Justin, still not sure what we are going to do..I want to go to here , Justin wants to go see Cloverfield..either way I am just glad to go out for a few hours without kids.
And Sunday..the Charger game against the Patriots...
I have been in such a funk lately. I despise winter. I am a summer person. I have been living in sweatshirts and my gnome pj bottoms for what seems like months. My legs are actually blinding me and my hair is dull and the lamest shade of mousy blah brown. When walking down the street I secretly pray someone sees me from one of those make-over shows and snatches me and tell me how I am in dire need of an extreme make-over. No such luck...
I am 30 and I desperately need a new look...seriously I have looked the same since I was fresh outta high school..except with the extra bonus pounds that keep lingering around. Not sure what I should do. I don't want to cut my hair, I look terrible with short hair, not to mention my hair is so insanely thick that if I did cut it short (which I have in the past) it poofs out and I have a mushroom-ish do and look like a oompa loompa . Perhaps a new color..yeah..that sounds good..and new clothes...and , and..soft, supple skin...and..and...

Strike a Pose...

I love this picture..its like the yin and yang of Jack..
Jack bored and tolerating his sister singing Ashley Tisdale at the top of her lungs..again.

My cuddlebugs...


Yeah..those critters are mine....Jack is just bursting with excitment don'tcha think?

This Daughter of Mine...

Lily came home from school yesterday and had a snack and we talked about her day..you know..normal stuff. Than she was headed to her room when she asked where her class picture was. No clue I told her. A few minutes went by and I walked back there to help her find it. Apparently she already did. There were two pictures cut out of it. Why did you do that? Who did you cut out of that? I was a little pissed becasuse I paid money for that and I didn't want her to ruin it, not to mention that was her only one. At a closer look, I realized she cut herself out...and someone else. Troy. A boy named Troy..and a cutie pie at that. This boy has a crush on Lily she informed me and the feeling is mutual. In third grade. Wow. So she then got both pictures and taped them inside the locker. For Christmas one of my tenants got her this cute miniature pink High School Musical locker with a lock and a key. Its decorated with stickers from the cast of the movie and music notes and whatnots. A few days ago she woke in the morning chipper as can be and letting me and her dad know she had the best dream, ever. I figured it was about puppies, or unicorns or Hannah Montana..boy I was wrong. I asked her what it was and she turned beet red and started shaking her head no. Finally she told me it was about Troy. Coincidentally that's the dudes name in High School Musical.(aka Zach Efron) And there was smooching involved! In the dream that is. Remember how I struggle with her and how damn picky she is w/clothes. Well lately..(meaning that last 3 days) she wants new hair do's, wants to wear eye shadow and gloss, (gloss was ok..shadow, not a chance). It all makes sense now. Last night after her shower I put in a million tiny braids so her hair would be wavy for school. She picked out a totally cute outfit and she was so happy!

Clone Wars...

All over the news this week is cloned meat and how the FDA has approved it and that it is safe to eat. Also, when you buy any meat in the store, you will not know whether you are getting cloned or original meat because it is not mandatory to label anything on the package. More reason to buy organic meats and milk. We only purchase organic milk..however, the meat, no because it is outlandishly expensive. I try to get 'natural' labeled meat, but even that is not necessarily safe these days. But do we really need to put a price on the health of our children and ourselves? I want to order meat from Wholesome Harvest so we'll figure a way. Want to read more go here.
In other news..Jack's current favorite flick these days is none other than Napoleon Dynamite..haha!

Hormonal tween and kick-ass coffee

Let's start with the good stuff first. I started having coffee again. I know, I know I said I was done, but I came across vanilla nut cream beans at Albertsons and omg is it so good. I add creme brule creamer and I can say with no hesitation that it is hands down the best java I have had. Love it. I look forward to waking up and inhaling the aroma that drifts through to my bedroom. Ahhh...love...
Now, the not so good...
I don't know what the heck is going on with Lily, but lately she has been having some sort of breakdown every day and of course it results in some hysterical crying episode. Like last night for instance..I had made a yummy dinner..(I thought so anyway) I made beef and veggie stir-fry..(mind you we have had this plenty of times before). It consisted of the following, beef, rice, garlic, shredded carrots, broccoli, snow peas, shredded red and purple cabbage, and scallions. Justin got home around 430 and I gathered the kids and we sat down for a nice family supper. NOT!!!
I put a bowl of hot steamy delishishness in front of my daughter and she says how gross it is. She had not even taken a bite yet. Not to mention I can't count the times she has had this before and loved it. Whatever. Then outta no where the sobbing begins along with a generous helping of whining how she wasn't going to eat this and how nasty it was..I am sure there were other things, but I couldn't make it out. Justin and I choose to ignore this and chat. I asked how his day was and he started to answer and I couldn't hear because she started screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs..louder and louder. I couldn't even hear Justin and he was across the table from me. Jack said something that made us laugh and pissed off Lily. He said "Mom go get the camera" He wanted me to document this outburst so she can see how retarded it all is. I thought she would jump across the table and strangle him! Meantime I was gritting my teeth trying to ignore this, but it took all I had not to take her whiny ass and throw her in a corner, nose against the wall. Fast forward five or six minutes (the longest five or six minutes of my life) and we couldn't take it anymore. Justin finally got up and spanked her hiney. Then informed her she would sit there all night until she ate her supper. I am not a short order cook, I make one meal and if you don't eat..fine, try again later..but I am not making separate dishes for everyone. Miraculously, she finished her bowl of stir fry and was sent to her room. Justin and I felt so drained after that ordeal.
After awhile I put her to work. She cleaned her room, top to bottom, then I made her tidy Jack's room, and after that, I gave her some all purpose cleaner we had (7Th generation brand, I let her use that..granted it doesn't do as good as say Windex or Lysol, but at least she is using something safe) and off she went to clean the front bathroom..a.k.a. the kids bathroom.
Brand new day..this morning she said she missed talking to us last night..as after her cleaning she read and I sent her to bed.
So yeah, last night sucked. Today..not so bad.. still somewhat attitudey(is that a word?) But I guess that's a tween for ya. Its so weird to see my girl act this way. She is the sweetest little girl and so compassionate and kind, i hate to see her in trouble and act so poorly. A friend of mine took her daughter to the doc for something and they got to talking and the doc had informed her that her daughter was going through puberty..the little girl already wears a training bra(the said child is very thin, but developing in the chest) and she wears deodorant..and she is 9 freaking years old!!! That is crazy!! I wonder if this early puberty has anything to do with all the hormones and stuff in food? Scary.

Stress...

Finally I went out briefly Thursday of last week. God..I was having one of those days when the kids are acting like little shits and they always come running to me..If I heard Jack scream at the top of his lungs "MOM!!!" one more fucking time I was gonna lose my shit ya know. And Lily..every little thing Jack does to annoy the piss outta her, she also has to holler.."MOM!!!"
Bugs me that their Dad is here too and yet its ALWAYS me. So I phoned a friend and out we went. Unfortunately it wasn't to a dark bar like I had hoped as she had to bring her daughter along, so we settled for Starbucks where I nestled in and drank my chai. Talked and I was able to vent. It was good.
Things have been better, but I swear last week couldn't suck anymore ass.
Yesterday i had a terrific day with Jack. I don't recall him having a tantrum. It was nice to sorta have a schedule while Lily was out in class. I even told him to nap and *gasp* he did!!
This weekend we are heading up to Matt's house (Justin's boss) to watch the playoff game. Chargers will be playing the Colts. Not sure whats up for Sat. maybe the zoo or something. I gotta get outta here..its been too long..we didn't do anything fun for 2 weeks because we were all sick puking and all. Fun.
Its sunny today and I love it. I am so ready for spring/summer. I wanna bbq by the pool and lay in the sun. I miss the summer and wearing shorts and tank tops. Kids running around barefoot and smelling like the sunblock we use,water babies I think..its the quintessential sent of summer, that and the aroma of bbq's grilling burgers and dogs. I am still doing good and hopefully when the time rolls around to pick out some swimwear I will actually wear something. I want to wear little board shorts and a bikini top..I wore something like that last summer, but w/ a shirt over the top and I didn't have board shorts..it was just regular cotton shorts.
I bought another herb garden kit this morning and I planed chives, cilantro, basil and dill. They are in the little terra cotta pots on a over the sink shelf in the kitchen right under the window. I love that I have done this before and to have fresh herbs at my fingertips was awesome. So much better than the stuff in a jar. Tonight I am making Jack's favorite dish, Beef Stroganof..and I will save some leftovers for Lily's lunch tomorrow. I bought her that stainless steel food jar and it will keep her stuff hot. She is quite excited about that. That's it from me. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Back To Routine

Lily is finally back in school. We are glad..she was starting to go a bit nuts in the house..its been raining for about 5 days straight. When shes in school I can get somewhat of a routine with Jack. I know kids thrive on consistency. School breaks and summer are hard sometimes because schedules are out the window. Jack and Lily are so different. When Lily was Jacks age..we played with her of course, but alot of the time she entertained herself..she would go in her room and gather all sorts of toys and brought them out and just played..by herself. For at least an hour, sometimes even longer until she was hungry or needed another direction. Jack..he is so clingy..he says he can't play by himself. He constantly needs to be tended too. But one time last week..it was one of those days..and I told him to just play by himself, that I was not going to play with him right now. And sure enough he went to his room, gathered toys and played right here in the living room. It was awesome. Justin says everyday I should make some time just for me and tell Jack its Mommy time now, you need to play by yourself. Brilliant! I will do this after lunch so he won't be hungry. And I will let myself have an hour. Just for me..For whatever. Reading. Blogging. Watching trashy TV, whatever I fancy. Currently Jack is watching Shrek2..its his current favorite . He loves Puss In Boots. I went to Walgreen's this morning to by Lily a food jar for lunch. I bough a stainless steel one, keeps food hot or cold. Its small so it will fit in her lunch tote perfectly. I am sick of sandwiches for her so I can give her hot soup, leftovers, whatever. She'll love that.

Boring Post..

All is better now..no one is sick. I actually have an appetite now. No holiday crap in the house..all is good. I always end up putting decor up for whatever holiday way too early and get sick of it before said holiday even arrives.
I am done with coffee. I haven't had any for a long time. I have been having hot tea in the mornings which is nice. I no longer get headaches anymore either, when I don't have coffee(caffeine withdrawal)
I had a dream not long ago that this woman..not sure who she is, but she was an African American woman, older..looked me in the eye and told me to stop drinking coffee..she said I was washed out. Hmm...
I am making Monte Cristos tonight for supper..I saw Robin Miller making them on her show quick fix..looks yummy..but I am omitting the mango chutney. I don't think I would like that and lots of the reviews said to leave that out too.
School starts back up Monday. Lily is happy about that, as am I. She needs to go back she is getting so bored..she needs the structure and social stuff. We are expecting 3 winter storms this weekend. I'll believe it when I see it. Perhaps we'll get some drizzle..haha I never believe those weathermen.