Okay, so maybe since Greg's been gone these past few days, I've had more time to think...maybe certain things are just starting to drive me crazy so I know I need to change them.
Yesterday, as I gritted my teeth and tapped my toes to the music blasting in the Bodypump class I took at the gym, I got through a killer set by making a little list of the things I wanted to accomplish by the summer. I felt the need to put it in writing. Somehow it makes it official and makes me accountable...here's hoping!
1. Greg and I have been reading "The Love Dare" together. While I have found most couples' devotionals rather cheesy, we've enjoyed this one. It has challenged us in realistic, tangible ways, just enough to make us feel like we're making a difference. The timing of this devotional was perfect; it's been just what we need. Our time together lately is very limited and it's good to know that we can do something productive and enjoyable together. I want desperately to keep it up, and I hope that we can grow closer together.
2. I want to enjoy my kids more. I spend a great deal of my day teaching them things, whether it be during our schooltime or how to load the dishwasher or how to get the back of their teeth with the toothbrush or how to talk sweetly to each other. I want to spend more time just letting them know that I love them and that they have changed my life more than they'll ever know. I want to play games with them and tell them stories more.
3. I want to complete a couple of decorating projects here in my house. The prospect of a remodel (and, let's face it, a couple of pregnancies!) have put a halt on my decorating aspirations, but the empty walls are driving me crazy.
4. I really want to continue my workouts and achieve my most comfortable pregnancy yet. Having muscle tone makes such a big difference when carrying a baby. I know this and slacked for the last two pregnancies. I had a lot more little pains and felt like a blob after they were born. I want to feel a little less that way.
5. I want to stop eating late at night. My diet standards are lowered quite a bit when I'm pregnant. I let myself eat what I want (I trust myself that I won't go absolutely crazy like eat a whole dozen donuts or anything, but I'll let myself eat one if I want to), I give into cravings, I eat lots of meat. I'm not a crazy person when it comes to cutting out caffeine...I drink a cup of regular coffee a day. I even indulge (on rare occasions) in a half of a glass of wine. But the eating at 10 pm thing has got to stop...I have to draw the line somewhere or all of these Pump classes will get me nowhere...
6. I will finish a task when I start it. I usually have so much going on at once that I have at least one or two projects that I don't complete. This drives my husband crazy and it's got to stop. I vow not to start something unless I can do it to completion.
Okay, I said it...let's see how it goes...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thai Chicken Wrap recipe
Okay, so I'm not really one to post recipes on my blog (that just feels too MOM-ISH!)
but I had some requests for this one...it's so good. Make one now!
Thai Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (any kind)
Salad:
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts (or canned)
1 cup shredded carrots
2 scallions, sliced on an angle
1-2 tablespoons of chopped mint, basil, or no herbs if you're picky
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
Salt
Peanut sauce:
1/4 cup room temperature chunky peanut butter2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
Dash paprika
1 tsp. sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flour tortilla wraps
Directions
Heat a grill pan over high heat. Toss chicken with soy and oil and grill 6 minutes on each side.
Combine cucumber, sprouts, carrots, scallions, basil, mint and sesame with a generous sprinkle of sugar and vinegar. Season salad with salt, to taste.
Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne together. Stream in vegetable oil.
Slice cooked chicken on an angle. Toss with veggies and herbs.
In a very hot nonstick skillet or over a gas burner heat tortillas 15 seconds on each side.
Pile chicken and veggies in wraps and drizzle liberally with spicy peanut sauce before wrapping and rolling.
Once you get the ingredients (you may need to get a couple things to keep in your pantry, like rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds) and have made it once or twice, these come together so quickly and are delicious!
but I had some requests for this one...it's so good. Make one now!
Thai Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (any kind)
Salad:
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts (or canned)
1 cup shredded carrots
2 scallions, sliced on an angle
1-2 tablespoons of chopped mint, basil, or no herbs if you're picky
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
Salt
Peanut sauce:
1/4 cup room temperature chunky peanut butter2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
Dash paprika
1 tsp. sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flour tortilla wraps
Directions
Heat a grill pan over high heat. Toss chicken with soy and oil and grill 6 minutes on each side.
Combine cucumber, sprouts, carrots, scallions, basil, mint and sesame with a generous sprinkle of sugar and vinegar. Season salad with salt, to taste.
Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne together. Stream in vegetable oil.
Slice cooked chicken on an angle. Toss with veggies and herbs.
In a very hot nonstick skillet or over a gas burner heat tortillas 15 seconds on each side.
Pile chicken and veggies in wraps and drizzle liberally with spicy peanut sauce before wrapping and rolling.
Once you get the ingredients (you may need to get a couple things to keep in your pantry, like rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds) and have made it once or twice, these come together so quickly and are delicious!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I think I can, I think I can...
Here it is...the weekend I've been (dreading, fearing, hoping to God wouldn't arrive?) ahem...looking forward to.
Every year, there are five weekends in which Greg takes off for a few days and has "guy time": two campouts with the daughters for the semi-annual YMCA Indian Princess weekends, two boys' campouts with the fathers and sons (slightly more dangerous...there are weapons involved, and a total lack of personal hygiene), and one ski/snowboard weekend in WV, where 8-10 guys go and do "man things"...oddly enough, Greg brought all of his toiletries...I don't think he uses them at all though.
I have to admit: I'm slightly jealous. Not only because he gets to escape all of life's duties as a father/husband/employee, but also because he and his friends get to choose all of their favorite things to do, and they all get together and enjoy each others' company while partaking in snowboarding, eating meat, poker, etc., etc, etc...
I think I need some girl time. Tina, I'll be there next weekend (I wish...)
But for now, I need to go and don my Supermom cape...it's going to be a long couple of days...
Every year, there are five weekends in which Greg takes off for a few days and has "guy time": two campouts with the daughters for the semi-annual YMCA Indian Princess weekends, two boys' campouts with the fathers and sons (slightly more dangerous...there are weapons involved, and a total lack of personal hygiene), and one ski/snowboard weekend in WV, where 8-10 guys go and do "man things"...oddly enough, Greg brought all of his toiletries...I don't think he uses them at all though.
I have to admit: I'm slightly jealous. Not only because he gets to escape all of life's duties as a father/husband/employee, but also because he and his friends get to choose all of their favorite things to do, and they all get together and enjoy each others' company while partaking in snowboarding, eating meat, poker, etc., etc, etc...
I think I need some girl time. Tina, I'll be there next weekend (I wish...)
But for now, I need to go and don my Supermom cape...it's going to be a long couple of days...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Over the hump
I am writing this because I always want to remember this time in my life...for two reasons. The first is obvious: my kids are each at a stage that I want to hold onto forever.
Emily is grown up enough that I can sit with a cup of coffee and have a real conversation with her like I would with one of my girlfriends. Yet, at 8 years old, she's still innocent and genuinely loves to help and love on her family.
Kaleb, 6, is still my little guy. He still loves to give me hugs and kisses, and he's discovering the athletic abilities and engineering gifts he's been blessed with.
Avery, at 2, has developed a PERSONALITY like I haven't seen in my other kids. (Read my "Where'd this kid come from?" post from a month or two ago.) She's so cute. And my little Levi...what a honey! He's the most content little baby, and I love where he's at right now. 9 months old, he's not really saying any real words, but he is very vocal and full of life. And this next little one, still five months away from making his/her appearance, gets to be a part of it all. Our little surprise bonus, he or she is allowing me to experience all that I love (maybe most of all) about being a mom: pregnancy and childbirth.
There is no other time in my family's life like what we are experiencing right now.
That being said, let me tell you the second reason why I always want to remember this time: I want to remember that we SURVIVED it! Even now, as I type, I hear some sort of loud rolling (I don't think we have a bowling ball upstairs!) in the hallway and someone yelling at someone else.
Our weeks looks something like this: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays, Greg is off to work at 7:30 or earlier, comes home for an hour for dinner, and is off to tutor or teach a college math class for the evening. Those are the toughest days. I teach Emily and Kaleb during the schooldays, trying to begin before 9 am. (It's 8:59 right now!) We get through school with a two year old terrorizing the house and a baby getting up and down from naps. Until recently, I was running to the bathroom getting sick (from pregnancy) every half hour, and wanted to take five naps a day. Greg and I are particular about toys being picked up and the house being, well, at least decent, so that takes a lot of energy with four kids around all the time. And then we try and fit in trips to the library, botanical gardens, and gym. By Wednesday night, I am SPENT!
This new schedule is only a few weeks old, but I'm realizing what Thursdays mean. They are like the new Saturdays. (or at least a step in that direction!) Thursdays and Fridays are the days when ALL I have to do is teach, clean, cook, change 6-8 diapers, give baths, run errands, go to the gym, and anticipate Greg's arrival at 3:30 pm. Ahhh...
By the way, it is Thursday morning. We made it over the Wednesday hump.
I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me. There are people that have it a lot worse off than I do. I get to be home with my favorite people in the world, and for that I'm very grateful. I'm writing this so that I can look back on it one day and think, "I made it. That was a crazy time, and I'm glad I was young when it happened. We did it."
Or maybe that's all an illusion and life will only get crazier from this point forward. I don't know. But I'm going to pat myself on the back and tell myself that I made it to Thursday for one more week...
Emily is grown up enough that I can sit with a cup of coffee and have a real conversation with her like I would with one of my girlfriends. Yet, at 8 years old, she's still innocent and genuinely loves to help and love on her family.
Kaleb, 6, is still my little guy. He still loves to give me hugs and kisses, and he's discovering the athletic abilities and engineering gifts he's been blessed with.
Avery, at 2, has developed a PERSONALITY like I haven't seen in my other kids. (Read my "Where'd this kid come from?" post from a month or two ago.) She's so cute. And my little Levi...what a honey! He's the most content little baby, and I love where he's at right now. 9 months old, he's not really saying any real words, but he is very vocal and full of life. And this next little one, still five months away from making his/her appearance, gets to be a part of it all. Our little surprise bonus, he or she is allowing me to experience all that I love (maybe most of all) about being a mom: pregnancy and childbirth.
There is no other time in my family's life like what we are experiencing right now.
That being said, let me tell you the second reason why I always want to remember this time: I want to remember that we SURVIVED it! Even now, as I type, I hear some sort of loud rolling (I don't think we have a bowling ball upstairs!) in the hallway and someone yelling at someone else.
Our weeks looks something like this: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays, Greg is off to work at 7:30 or earlier, comes home for an hour for dinner, and is off to tutor or teach a college math class for the evening. Those are the toughest days. I teach Emily and Kaleb during the schooldays, trying to begin before 9 am. (It's 8:59 right now!) We get through school with a two year old terrorizing the house and a baby getting up and down from naps. Until recently, I was running to the bathroom getting sick (from pregnancy) every half hour, and wanted to take five naps a day. Greg and I are particular about toys being picked up and the house being, well, at least decent, so that takes a lot of energy with four kids around all the time. And then we try and fit in trips to the library, botanical gardens, and gym. By Wednesday night, I am SPENT!
This new schedule is only a few weeks old, but I'm realizing what Thursdays mean. They are like the new Saturdays. (or at least a step in that direction!) Thursdays and Fridays are the days when ALL I have to do is teach, clean, cook, change 6-8 diapers, give baths, run errands, go to the gym, and anticipate Greg's arrival at 3:30 pm. Ahhh...
By the way, it is Thursday morning. We made it over the Wednesday hump.
I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me. There are people that have it a lot worse off than I do. I get to be home with my favorite people in the world, and for that I'm very grateful. I'm writing this so that I can look back on it one day and think, "I made it. That was a crazy time, and I'm glad I was young when it happened. We did it."
Or maybe that's all an illusion and life will only get crazier from this point forward. I don't know. But I'm going to pat myself on the back and tell myself that I made it to Thursday for one more week...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The first decade
Ten years have come and gone. On Friday, Greg and I celebrated our tenth anniversary. Ten years ago, I walked down the aisle of a candlelit church to Billy Joel's "She's got a way" (Greg's selection). That blustery, snowy Buffalo Saturday evening, this (at that time) twenty year old girl gave my hand to a man I'd known for 14 months. And I hadn't a doubt in my mind that it was the right thing.
Just now, I spent ten minutes expressing what the past decade has consisted of in our marriage in this posting, and have now deleted it all. It suffices to say, without going into detail, that our marriage, like all marriages, has had moments of bliss, moments that are dull, moments when I've wondered how we'd make it through. But the point is this: we have made it through.
We've fought and cried and kissed and made up at least a hundred times. We've survived financial struggles. (There was at least one semester where we both were in school full time and had a baby. What did we live on?) We've survived my hormones for five pregnancies. (Trust me, I get a little crazy sometimes...) We've mourned the loss of people that we love and comforted each other as we questioned life. We've experienced the miracle of childbirth four times (and cried our eyes out every time).
And we've learned what it is to be a team. That's been the hardest of all for me. But I'm (slowly!) getting it. And I'm happy to be the other half of his team.
We are blessed. We have all we'll ever need and then some. We have beautiful, happy, children. (And because of that, we are NEVER bored!) We've been given much these past ten years. So many blessings...
But, the GREATEST of these...is love...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wake Up Call
I barely slept last night. My mind was spinning.
I haven't spoken to any of my old CBC friends in a couple of years. I felt like for a while I could relate to one in particular. She had gotten married young and started having a bunch of kids like me. She was one of my favorite people back in my freshman and sophomore year of college. ALWAYS full of energy, she was one of those girls that had you laughing all the time, mostly at something goofy or daring she was willing to do. And she had a heart of gold. (I know she still does.) I had the priviledge of being in her wedding during the winter of my sophomore year. Last I knew, she was pregnant with her third baby. Time had gotten away from me, and it had been a while since we'd caught up.
Until yesterday.
Good old Facebook! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to glance through her photos and see what she's been up to. I saw that she had a fourth child, and...maybe...is she pregnant again? Yes! Wonderful. What I realized next took my breath away. Her husband, the man of her dreams that she married at only 19, passed away this fall (I later learned it was a motorcycle accident).
Months away from having their fifth child, she was alone.
My heart hurt for her. I cannot imagine.
There was a video clip from his memorial service in which she addressed family and friends, urging them to live life to the fullest and to honor God. Could I stand there and say the same things after such a tragedy?
That could be me. At any moment, God could choose to take Greg. And what would I do? Here I am, also pregnant with my fifth. My life would be over.
If you're reading this, please say a prayer for my friend. She has also just learned that a sibling has cancer. Pray for her family. Pray for her heart. Pray for strength. Pray for her children. Pray for her new baby.
Our lives, our dreams, could be uprooted at any time. Let's appreciate the ones we love. Let's stop looking at their shortcomings. Let's look at how blessed we are to have them. Let's tell them how much we love them. What would we do without them?
I haven't spoken to any of my old CBC friends in a couple of years. I felt like for a while I could relate to one in particular. She had gotten married young and started having a bunch of kids like me. She was one of my favorite people back in my freshman and sophomore year of college. ALWAYS full of energy, she was one of those girls that had you laughing all the time, mostly at something goofy or daring she was willing to do. And she had a heart of gold. (I know she still does.) I had the priviledge of being in her wedding during the winter of my sophomore year. Last I knew, she was pregnant with her third baby. Time had gotten away from me, and it had been a while since we'd caught up.
Until yesterday.
Good old Facebook! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to glance through her photos and see what she's been up to. I saw that she had a fourth child, and...maybe...is she pregnant again? Yes! Wonderful. What I realized next took my breath away. Her husband, the man of her dreams that she married at only 19, passed away this fall (I later learned it was a motorcycle accident).
Months away from having their fifth child, she was alone.
My heart hurt for her. I cannot imagine.
There was a video clip from his memorial service in which she addressed family and friends, urging them to live life to the fullest and to honor God. Could I stand there and say the same things after such a tragedy?
That could be me. At any moment, God could choose to take Greg. And what would I do? Here I am, also pregnant with my fifth. My life would be over.
If you're reading this, please say a prayer for my friend. She has also just learned that a sibling has cancer. Pray for her family. Pray for her heart. Pray for strength. Pray for her children. Pray for her new baby.
Our lives, our dreams, could be uprooted at any time. Let's appreciate the ones we love. Let's stop looking at their shortcomings. Let's look at how blessed we are to have them. Let's tell them how much we love them. What would we do without them?
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