Thursday, May 28, 2009

On leave...

So as you may have noticed, I have taken a week off of my blogging. I will be absent a few days more and will update everyone on my adventures!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Vacation Shmaycation

Today I was supposed to go out of town with my mom for the weekend. She needed a break from work, and family things and I simply needed a break. Unfortunately this beautiful (seriously) weather we've been having has dampened (no pun intended) our plans. We had originally decided to go to Roosevelt, AZ and spend the weekend on the lake. Big body of water + thunderstorms = bad idea. So now I'm not sure what she has in store as far as a reprieve.

The weather forecast for the day predicts a high of 83 degrees and thunderstorms throughout the day so I'm shutting off the A/C and opening the doors and windows to try and take in as much of this weather as I possibly can before it slips away. To set the mood I'll make some homemade egg flower soup and toasted sandwiches for lunch and perhaps even watch a good movie on TV.

Have a great rainy friday everyone!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Recap of Swimming

So Aiden (and cousin Kaylee) went to their first swimming lesson last night and we had a ton of fun! We practiced kicking and dunking under water. Neither of them shed a single tear. Hopefully he'll be doggy-paddling by the end of summer! No rush though, he's got the rest of his life to learn to swim. I was really happy that Ian decided (with some minor brute force) to come along to the lesson. I think it was a confidence boost for Aiden since he seems to favor his daddy's presence over mine most of the time.

We ended up leaving kind of late so we did not get to our spaghetti dinner. Instead, we stopped at Wienerschnitzel (we have never eaten there before) to grab something quick and easy. The food was ok, nothing spectacular but it was so steeply priced for the amount you are given that I don't believe I will ever eat there again.

Today I'll just do some light cleaning and maybe even some baking. It's beautiful outside right now (with a chance of Thunderstorms) so I may even go pick up the cigarette butts our neighbors toss into our front yard and kindly leave them in a pile on their doorstep. We'll see what I get around to.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Timeline Tuesday

Wow! I am so exhausted! I spent over 4 hours with my grandmother working on my family tree. I finally have nearly 400 people in it and that's just on my side of the family. Of course I have more to add, but I needed a break from all of the records and paperwork. I hope to add some of Ian's family ancestry to the tree later tonight.

Aiden has swimming lessons at 6:30 tonight and I am so stoked! I hope he has fun! I'll try to get pictures :)

Ian stayed home again today and babysat for the day for me. I was pleased to see my house still intact and my son still living (and even fed) when I returned home. I guess men aren't completely incapable of nurturing. Perhaps he just got lucky and any disasters are either well hidden or took care of themselves. Either way, it was a good day today. Time to change into our bathing suits and head to swimming lessons!

PS - Spaghetti & Meatballs for dinner!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Tardy Sunday Show & Tell

Due to a very busy day yesterday, I was unable to get my show and tell sunday blog up. I'll post it here now. Saturday night Ian stayed up until 2am installing and programing our new surround sound in the living room. It sounds great!
As you can see from the pictures; we now have 3 new JBL front speakers, a new Yamaha receiver, a 10" JBL subwoofer (far right of bottom pic) and not pictured are our 2 in-ceiling rear speakers. We are totally rocking! The great sound really compliments our 61" flat screen. So let's have a movie night! Bring over your favorite flick (no chick flicks please) and I'll pop some popcorn. That pretty much wraps up my show and tell for the week and/or month. Please leave comments to talk about something new and exciting for you!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Simply Saturday

I've finished my morning routine and done a few things around the house. Now it's time to pack up and drive to Phoenix. I'll be spending the day with my family creating a memorial mural for my late Great Grandmother. Those of you who wish to keep in the swing of things can focus on the Master Bedroom. Pick everything up clean the floors, dust the blinds, organize the closet, wipe down baseboards and light switches, and (if applicable) dust the fan.

I need to try to remember to call APS and inquire why they are charging me twice in the same month. Hopefully this little memo in my blog will help... Probably not.

Also, an update on my goals...

1) Anemia - I've been doing great with this one (so I think) and have been drinking 2-3 slimfast replacement meals every day between meals. They have 15% of my daily iron which is great! I've also been sharing lentils with Aiden and keeping my focus on beans and meats (red meat is best for iron.) During my next check up I'll find out what my levels are.

2) Teeth - This is going great as well. I'm still only brushing twice a day (that third time is so hard to get to during the hustle and bustle) but I'm using Crest Whitening Strips which are working great.

3) Thighs - This one is a bit harder to see instant results since it can take a while to firm legs. It may just be my natural happy high from doing so well on my other goals but I don't hate my legs nearly as much. I wore shorts out on the town yesterday while I ran errands in Phoenix, Glendale, and Cave Creek. I know they aren't down an inch, but at least I feel better about them and that is improvement already.

Tomorrow will be my Show & Tell Sunday. Once it's posted, leave comments to show and tell something new that you have gotten or learned this past week.

Also, in case you haven't noticed I have added a new section to the right hand side of my blog. It will show what Aiden is eating for the day. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Talk about Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I've decided to work on a few of my personal goals and I'm blogging about it to try and keep myself motivated. I would like you to know that I in no way consider myself vain but the goals I intend to work on focus on my physical appearance. I'm not trying to catch attention. I just want to feel better about myself and be healthier. Everyone is looking for that fountain of youth, right? So here are my goals for this month:

1) Reduce Anemia by bringing iron levels from 9.5 to at least 11 or 12.
2) Visibly whiten teeth without dental bleaching.
3) Slim thighs by 1 inch.

So now lets visit each of my goals so I can explain them further. Goal number 1 is clearly a health risk to both me and my baby. Both my radiologist and my OB doctor have agreed that Ambria is in the bottom 10th percentile for growth and it can be a cause for concern. They said she could possibly not be getting enough nutrients so I'm going to do my best to fatten her up and keep myself healthy. For those of you who may not know, Anemia is a medical condition in which the limits the bloods ability to transport oxygen to the tissues, either because of too few red blood cells, or because of too little hemoglobin. This can be caused by too little iron or an inability to process iron; which happens to be my problem. Anemia causes a colorful array of symptoms such as:

-Fatigue and loss of energy
-Unusually rapid heart beat
-Shortness of breath
-Headache
-Difficulty concentrating
-Dizziness
-Pale skin
-Leg cramps
-Insomnia
-Hunger for strange substances such as paper, ice, or dirt (a condition called pica).
-Upward curvature of the nails referred to as koilonychias.
-Soreness of the mouth with cracks at the corners.
-Loss of sense of touch.
-A wobbly gait and difficulty walking.
-Clumsiness and stiffness of the arms and legs.
-Dementia
-Hallucinations, paranoia and schizophrenia.

Obviously, some of these symptoms are more severe than the others and really only occur with chronic anemia. I only have a few of the preceding symptoms and I'd like to work to make myself feel better; thus, my first goal. I am taking a vitamin B12 supplement and loading up on beans and meat to help but so far that has only kept me lingering at 9.5 on the scale. I recently bought a whole bunch of the oh-so-delicious (seriously!) Slim Fast. No I'm not trying to lose 20lbs while I'm pregnant, but Slim Fast happens to have 15% of my needed daily intake of Iron (according to the can) so maybe it will help? Time to do some research so I wont have to get weekly injections!
Goal number 2 I have decided to employ because of television. Yes, television. I was watching an episode of house when something caught my attention - the actors' teeth! They were all remarkably white! I realize they get invasive whitening on a regular basis and tv can make anything look white (or yellow) but I would like whiter teeth. Something about it just seems refreshing. Not to say mine are brown or yellow. I'd just like mine to be above the standard. I plan to do this by increasing my brushing to 3 times a day (when able) and using whitening strips. We'll see how they look in 2 weeks :)
Goal number 3 is purely for my own satisfaction. I have never liked my thighs, ever and I have finally decided to start doing something about it. I understand I'll never have super model legs, but I can settle for some that are just a little less jiggly. Perhaps some leg exercises are in order?

I better get to my cleaning! Have a great day everyone!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sad Ending on a Great Day.

Did everyone have a Happy Mother's Day? Yesterday we learned the true meaning of recognizing your loving mother more often than just one day a year. My dear Great Grandmother, Myrtle Krogh, is over a century (that's 100 years) old. Yesterday, on Mother's Day, she went into the hospital with heart problems among others and a call went out to her family members that it was time to come in and say goodbye. We made the drive out there and were greeted by at least 30 other family members who had all gathered in sadness. This woman is a huge part of history. Because of her, so many people have come into this world and done great things for our family and society. Myrtle married Eldor Krogh and together they had two daughters, the start of a snowball effect that would leave Myrtle with seven grandchildren (all married), nineteen great grandchildren, and five (at the time of this blog) great great grandchildren. That's five generations and 33 people (not counting spouses or step-children) all because of one woman. We stayed at the hospital for a few hours and prayed when the chaplain came; after which, many of the family members decided to stay through the night with her while some left because of unavoidable schedules.

Myrtle Krogh breathed her last breath this morning, so it is today we join hands in sorrow and say goodbye to a truly amazing legend.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day

I'd like to wish all of the hard-working mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! Take the day off and enjoy yourself!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Errand Wednesday

Good afternoon everyone. Today was supposed to be my errand running day, however since Ian was not able to get the day off, I am limited in the number of things I can do. I'll re-write my wednesday to-dos and figure something else out. My family has spent the better part of this month at their summer house in Colorado and are coming home tonight. This means we can all enjoy a "Welcome Home" dinner at some last minute choice restaurant. This is alway exciting. I've updated the menu for the next few days to reflect tonight's and future plans. My new business cards are in too. If any fellow stay-at-home/work-from-home mom's would like to join me at the mall either for some good time away from home or to promote their work, just let me know!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Last night dinner was a hit! I was really tired and not feeling particularily well so instead of a homemade chutney, I used a canned substitute. Lazy, I know. For the side I cut up some carrots and added parsley and garlic. The parsley really adds to the sweetness of the carrots when cooked together. For dessert we indulged in some oreo cookie ice cream. On tonight's menu: Salisbury Steak! Yum!


Today, I will spend the day cleaning. There isn't anything major, just minor maintaining things that need to be done. Such as wiping down counters and mirrors and dusting. I've done a fair job at sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping daily so my floors are in good shape.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Sunday - The Day of Rest

Well my floors are shimmering and clean! As is the rest of my house... for now. I guess today I'll just relax and enjoy myself. Last night's chili was good but hubby didn't make it home until 10:30pm so we were too tired to savor it. Tonight we will be feasting on Chicken Parmagiana; which is a swiss and mozz stuffed chicken smothered in thick tomato chutney (or sauce depending on preference) and will be served over a parmesan pasta! Yummy! I'll make an attempt to post pics later.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

F.F.F! Saturdays!

Bright and early Good Morning to you! Ian and I woke up at 4:30am today so we got showered and brushed. Ian started doing his paper work for work and I got my morning routine underway.
As of last night, we are back on track with our dinners. I made sausage and potatoes with some beautiful green bell peppers tossed in. The whole meal from start to finish only took me about 20 minutes and it was quite yummy! We skipped dessert last night, which I suppose is for the best.
On the menu for tonight is my zesty 3-pepper chili! I love the heartiness of homemade chili and nothing compliments it better than a melty grilled cheese sandwich. So needless to say, I am stoked about eating dinner tonight. Actually, I love eating in general.


In other news, Aiden is amazing me every day! He's 7 months old now and he's already taken his first steps (without any support) and I was lucky enough to get pictures! He took 3 steps unassisted so gracefully, but as you can see, his fourth step led to tragedy. Don't worry, we caught him in time. He walks along furniture flawlessly. With a little more practice, our big man will be running in no time!

Every first and third Saturday of the month I will be treating my clients to a day of free food, fun and facials (F.F.F) at the Mary Kay Studio in Mesa! It's absolutely free for you and there are lots of prizes to win. In addition I also conduct skin care classes (also free) and give free facials to anyone interested. Go ahead, invite a few friends for a ladies day out.

My new shipment of invetory is almost finished. It's a tedious task to count each item individually to verify receipt. Luckily I have experience doing inventory for Verizon Wireless so I know a few tricks that helped to speed up the process a bit. So once I get these last few things counted and put away I'll be all set for my next 3 classes. Then time to order more and do it all over again.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Join me in the fight to have clean dishes!

Clean out the food trap in your dishwasher.

There. Doesn't that feel better? I thought so. Last night I ended up frying up some chicken, bell peppers, onions, and pineapple and tossing it all with some sweet and sour sauce over long grain rice. So the menu will all be adjusted accordingly. We did consume our remaining pudding for dessert though.
Inventory took me hours last night and I'm still not finished. I should be able to get it all done by this afternoon... I hope. I didn't have to do it but I'd like it all neat and organized instead of piled in boxes. Tidiness looks better for business anyway.