Mr. Hankey? Is that you?

So...my goal for the year is to try to find new, maybe unconventional ways to reduce our household waste and save money as well.  After going through three boxes of Kleenex's from my horrific allergies and thinking about the fact that I basically just threw away ten bucks of paper I used as a snot receptacle, I realized that something needed to change.  I was going to buy some beautiful organic cotton hankies I found on Etsy, but then realizing we were on a ZERO spending policy (we want to buy a house and need the down payment, posts to follow...) I tried to think of other creative solutions.  Voila, it came to me...I had like 20 bandanas I always wear in my hair.  I have successfully culled a few from the herd and will be blowing my snot into them on a regular basis!  What do you do to reduce your waste?

First post in...a LONG time...

So...I'm feeling like I need a place to vent again...revamping my health and eating, kiddo is 18 months old...have a new, stressful job...new outlook on life...stay tuned.

Leave of absence...

If any of you have read my last post, then this is a followup!

Since not spending 23 hours a day on the computer in my chair, I have been eating super healthy and have dropped 6.5 lbs in two weeks!  How have I been doing it?

Breakfast:
2 egg white omelet with spinach, roasted red peppers, and feta or parmesan cheese
Black coffee with splenda

Snack:
Celery or carrots with homemade hummus

Lunch:
Protein smoothie

Snack:
Celery or carrots with peanut butter

Dinner:
Huge plate of salad or veggies
Lean protein

Drink:
Lots of water and green tea

Work out:
Walks, Jillian Michaels, various circuit training

I feel great!!!  I have so much energy!  I am so much happier!

I have been taking the time to play my guitar, read to the Yeti, and paint the fingies.  Although I miss the blogging community, I needed to do this for myself.  I shall return!

Blogcaine

When I first got the bright idea to start blogging two months ago, I was a virgin.  I knew nothing about the blogging community.  I very quickly became wrapped up in following the advice of fellow bloggers to grow my blog - link ups, commenting, following, daily posting.  I found myself checking my blog feed more than Facebook - spending hours researching blog stuff, finding new blogs to follow, and copying buttons.  

Last week, I posted that I was getting a little depressed and needed to pull my head out of my ass.  Well, goddamn it, I have been.  Yesterday, I didn't turn my computer on ONCE and what got accomplished?

I ran errands, taxes got done, guitar got played, the Yeti got read to, the nails got painted, it put the lotion on it's skin, got paperwork done, exercised, and made healthy food.  I was still full of energy, in an amazingly good mood, and ready to start a new day when night time rolled around.  

So, dear readers, while I will still be posting several times a week as I find it very therapeutic, I realized that I needed to get my fat ass out of the big brown sleeping pill and DO STUFF!  I think I was becoming a part of that chair - my ass was growing roots.

That is all...

My 10 biggest fears...

Sometimes, when I get a little low on writing ideas, I like to swing on over to Mama Kat's for some fun writing prompts.  This week, the '10 biggest fears' prompt inspired me...

1.  That Snarles Barkley's cat hair tumbleweeds will meld into a clone of said mini-panda and continue to reproduce more cat hair.

Snarles Barkley fiercely guarding the dog treats, ammo, and wrist rocket.

2.  That someday, while blow drying my hair and doing the upside down volume adding hair flip, I will smash my head on the sink in our bathroom phone booth, and suffer irreparable brain damage.  Ahhh the cost of beauty.

3.  That the Yeti has a perfect storm of genetics - genius brains, good looks, and an insatiable craving for trouble.  Look out world, it's a category 5 brewing.  We don't have a college fund started, we have a bail fund.

4.  That my mother will visit unexpectedly before I have a chance to clean (see item #1).

5.  That one of these days I will open my cupboard and the neatly organized stash of Tupperware will avalanche down on me, trapping me for hours until Red comes home, at which point I will be suffocated with my stiff hand clutched upwards toward the ceiling.

6.  That my mother is right, that public toilet seats really do transmit a variety of incurable, terminal diseases that will be contracted through nine layers of TP while hovering precariously.

7.  That I will trust a fart too much.

8.  That someday the Flying Monkey scene from The Wizard of Oz will be on every channel, the batteries in the remote will die right after the Yeti falls asleep in my arms, and I will know that getting up to shut off the TV will only wake him up.   I watched that movie ONCE when I was 6 and they still scare the ever living flying monkey poop out of me.

9.  That Snarles Barkely will puke in the exact spot that Red puts his feet when he gets out of bed in the morning and I will have to clean human and cat messes up at approximately 4:30 am.

10.  That I will step in the jet fuel from an AIDs infested pedestrian's snot rocket in sandals.

Test Kitchen Tuesday: Hodgson Mills European Herb and Cheese Bread

A few weeks ago, I had emailed Hodgson Mill requesting some coupons.  They were very generous and sent a STACK of coupons for free products to me.  So last week, when our friend came over for dinner, I thought I would take the coupons to the grocery store and see what products I could incorporate into dinner.

Unfortunately, the selection of Hodgson Mill products was very limited at our small grocery store, but I picked out their Italian Herb and Cheese Bread to go with lasagna and Caesar salad.  Please note:  I have NEVER made self rising bread before.

Just because this is a 'mix', it still needs to rise, be kneaded, etc - this is NOT a quick bread.

I made the bread EXACTLY as the directions said and it came out delicious.  The boys ate the entire loaf themselves, I got two slices.  Making this has certainly inspired me to make more bread (also, Red informed me that I was no longer allowed to NOT make bread for him).  I must admit, that as intimidated as I was by bread baking, it really is very easy.  Aside from the rise times, it really takes very little time, and I would like to think that from now on, on Sundays, I am going to make two loaves of bread, rather than buy them.

Things they don't teach you in parenting classes...

1.  Snap education 101:  Trying to connect the 33 snaps and get them properly aligned on a screaming infant's PJ's at 3:00 am is like Helen Keller trying to solve a Rubik's Cube.

2.  Breastfeeding:  No matter how great they make it sound, there are just some mothers and babies that aren't cut out for it.  Sorry hippies.

3.  Showers:  Don't expect one daily anymore.

4.  Things that make a baby cry: mommy sitting down for dinner, mommy taking a shower (see item 3), mommy putting her head on a pillow, mommy sneezing while putting sleeping baby in it's crib

5a.  Things that a baby will sleep though: chainsaws, a helicopter landing, loud music
5b.  Things that will wake a baby up: cricket farts, the cat walking by, see also item 4

6.  The day after you clip baby claws fingernails, they still look like they will be able to climb trees the next day.

7.  No one can prepare you for the fire hose that baby boys produce.  No one.  Always have a cover on that thing or wear a rain coat.  I have had pee dripping from the ceiling.

8.  Baby puke is like garlic.  You get it on your skin and the smell can't be washed out.

9.  You need a 4 year engineering degree to put together most baby items (swings, bouncy seats, cribs).  And a beer.  And extra tools so you can throw at least one.

10.  It never fails that the instant you have gotten the baby rocked to sleep after hours of crying, you realize that you have to piss like Seabiscuit at the Kentucky Derby.  Maybe invest in catheters.