Friday, April 29, 2011

Toilet Paper Rant

Super Toilet Paper Roll
Here it is.  I have not been on my blog in almost two weeks.  An event affected me greatly and then life just rolled right over me.  My husband brought up the fact that this is one of the ways I hold myself accountable, but I haven't been, have I?

So I know it is Thursday, and I should be featuring the site of the week.  The only site I have been on this week is for work, no one wants to hear about that.  I mean it is a fantastic site, but alas, it is boring.  So I decided to start up with toilet paper.

Toilet paper.  We only use one kind in our house.  Charmin Extra Soft. That has not changed in years.  What has changed is the size of the rolls.

So I now have to go to the store to buy more toilet paper even though I have a huge package at home. You see, I can't fit it in my toilet paper holder in the bathroom (it is the silver canister on the bottom) and it will not even fit in my roll. It does fit downstairs and in the kids bath, but today I had to just hold my toilet paper. Very weird to say the least.


I tried to start a price book. To compare prices on things I buy the most. But the toilet paper confused me. I mean I only buy one kind but there are sooooo many different variation on roll size. I looked it up on the web and it just amazed me. You don't know how much you are spending on toilet paper because you have no idea what you are buying. Today I went to Sam's and got family rolls. Now I have bought mega rolls, giant rolls, regular rolls, but never family rolls.

At this point I believe they keep changing this just to confuse us.


Now I have spent more time pondering the size of toilet paper rolls, and oddly enough most people may not care. (Honestly neither did I until I couldn't fit it on my dispenser). So why all this rambling over toilet paper?



Because I can! Happy Friday everyone!

MammaDar

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Whew.....what is today?

I had a big meeting first thing Monday, I had tried to do my menu planning on Sunday, and I had a good start until my husband and I talked and we decided to chuck what we have and have something different. At the beginning of the week we had one birthday, one of the other parents was sick over the weekend so we had extra kids we weren't counting on. It was just one of those time periods when a menu plan was probably key. We had a difficult week at work, I had two educational meetings for one of the kids and doctor appointments, just life's craziness showing it's ugly head. The sad part about it is that I can't even remember what we ate this week. One good thing that came out of my lack of planning was I got to take my ladies out to dinner last night. I am not really a spontanious person, but my husband suggested I take them out. They were shocked to say the least. It was nice. Tomorrow we are going to have a nice Easter dinner since we will not all be together on Sunday.

Happy Easter everyone. I will see you Monday with a new meal plan!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Wednesday - Whatever Wednesday

Ok today did not start off like I thought it would.  I killed my blender.  Yes an unfortunate household accident that involved a smoothie and an electrical short.  By the time I realized that a small current of electricity was going through my body it was too late, my blender was dead.  Lucky for me I had a handheld blender that came to the rescue.  Even though 2 cups of apple juice made friends with my counter, my children started their day with delicious smoothies.   

And then my day went on.......

I came home early from work to finish working from home......nope, my Internet was down.  (Internet was fine router was killed in the recent storm) After an hour of reconfiguring and restarting the network in our home was back up.  Then we move to my brand new phone.  The wonderful Evo 4g from sprint.  Can I tell you how many cuss words I used in a 30 minute period?  No since it was well into the hundreds I should probably keep that to myself.  I purchased the phone on Friday and now it has a mind of its own and we do NOT agree.  So I am waiting for my fabulous sprint representative to be at work tomorrow at noon to replace this malfunctioning piece of dung for one that actually works. 

My daughter informed me today that her friends' (twins) father passed away on Monday and she would like to go to his funeral tomorrow to support her friends.  Now coming from a 13 year old that is very mature.  We spent our evening shopping for clothing for her to wear tomorrow.  So even though my day started out with a shock and continued with everything electrical that I touched breaking, I should not complain.  There is a wonderful family that lost a wonderful man.  A great provider, a loving husband and an outstanding father.  My petty complaints have no room to be voiced when such a great tragedy has occurred. 

I am sitting here with my daughter looking over my shoulder as I type this (first time for everything) and I must admit that anything that I went through today pales in comparison.  I am thankful for each day I am given and each time I can check in on this blog.  Who knows what each day holds.  So live each day like it were your last. 

Love like you have never loved before.  Be kind to those who need it the most.  Put your own problems in perspective.

(A daisy, a gift from my husband and children last year)
MammaDar

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Tuesday - Gratitude, April 12, 2011

In early 2003 I lost a dear friend of mine.  She was a wonderful person and she was 47 years old and died of a heart attack.  She had a husband and two boys.  She was happy.  She worked way too much (that is where we met) but she enjoyed her time with her family and she really enjoyed her work.  Shortly after she died I started to re-evaluate my life.  In doing so I picked up a book called Simple Abundance.  It has an entry for each day.  You can start the book on any particular day and start reading about her journey.  She talks about gratitude, focus, self nurturing and various other topics.  Some of the essays really didn't fit me but it was ok for me, it gave me a starting point.  A few years later, I made my future husband a gratitude journal, so he could write things down that made him happy.  It turned out he really didn't use that, he loved the gift but it just wasn't the format he needed.  I have searched for several different formats.  I have decided that it is up to each person what works for them.  For my young daughter I found a diary for her ipad.  She can write whatever she wants and add pictures.  Sometimes she uses it as a diary, but most of the time she just put thing that makes her happy. 

I just purchased a package of ebooks.  In that collection was a book called Gratitude Journal.  You can print it out and write in there.  It is $5.99 but if you like this format it might be a good one for you.  If you like Ipad or Ipod you can get search for gratitude or you can just get a free journal on ipad or ipod.  You can go buy a calendar at the dollar store or even just use a cheap note pad. 

I do not think it matters what form you use to write down what you are thankful or grateful for, I just think it is important to record it.  We are working on our geneology right now.  My husband's grandmother passed away a while back, but a couple of years before she did he interviewed her and asked her all kinds of questions.  He is very grateful that he has those now.  So wouldn't it be great if later in life your children and grandchildren found the things that YOU were truely grateful for.  What a wonderful gift, for them to know a part of you!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Monday - Menu Plan Monday

Drum roll please.....just kidding.  You are not going to believe this.  I didn't cook at all this past week.  So the entire plan was scrapped.  Our kids were out of town and my hubby decided that we would take it easy this week.

This week, everyone is back so we will be eating at home this week.  On Monday we will be going to celebrate our oldest daughters birthday.

Monday:  Out to Dinner

Tuesday:  Tater Tot Casserole

Wedneday:  Eric Ripert's Carbonara / Salad

Thursday Paprika Chicken with Sour Cream Sauce

Friday:  Crockpot Blue Cheese and Steak Roll Ups / baked potato

Saturday:  Tuna Noodle Casserole

Sunday:  Shepherd's Pie

Breakfast Selections this week:
Cinamon Rolls
Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Asparagus, Candian Bacon and Cheese Fritata
Morning Rise and Dine Cups

Please visit all of these wonderful recipes.  Many are directing you to new blogs for you to enjoy. 
Run over to Orgjunkie.com for other great meal plans!

Saturday - Family Fun

I am late on my Saturday post because of all of the fun I had yesterday.  My husband and I took the top off the jeep and we went driving.  We took a trip up to Athens with a couple of friends and visited a nursery.  Thyme After Thyme was a great place tucked away in a small southern town right outside the University of Georgia.  We picked up a few things but the place was great.  If you have a second jump over to their site and enjoy the natural beauty.  We spent out day just driving around and enjoying nature.  He got a little sunburned  but we had a blast.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Friday - Taking Care of Me - April 8, 2011

Today is my first daughter's birthday.  She turned 13.  It is so odd to think that 13 years ago I was holding that precious girl in my arms.  She is not here with me today.  It is the first time that I have not seen her on her birthday.  But she is getting older and she chose to go out of town on her birthday.  She is having a great time in California and even though I miss her terribly I know this is what she wanted.  So my mother is visiting me.  She came down to help me catch up on some paperwork that I just couldn't handle on my own.  We have just ordered out for dinner and we are enjoying just talking and catching up.  My husband is hanging out with us and we are having a good time.  Sometimes just spending time with the ones you love can provide you with comfort. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Thursday - Featured Site of the Week - Pebble Tossers

I have been trying in vain to find volunteer opportunities in my community for my children.  I have been to volunteermatch.org and other sites.  But when it comes to finding opportunities for the kids they are slim.  I kept searching and came across an article on the internet on Field Trips with Sue.  This pointed me to Pebble Tossers.  Finally what I had been looking for.  Some of the things on there are suggestions but they have the contact info for each place.  You can search by cause or by organization.  You can "get matched" it will ask you questions and it will provide you with a large list of suitable activities.  It ranges from Casserole Maker, to Doggie Biscuit maker, to Vision Buddy Guides for field trips for the Blind.  I think I will have fun looking at this site with my kids.  It also lets you print out a planning guide for your group of family to help organize your project.  This is a WONDERFUL site.  I am so excited to explore it with my kids when they get home.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Wednesday - Whatever Wednesday - April 6, 2011

This weeks Whatever entry is my favorite Ipad/Ipod app.  I have been addicted to this little game for a while now.  We have six people in our house, so we have a large variety of apps on our devices.  My son introduced me to this little app and then he stopped playing it.  I then recruted a friend to play it with me.  We have now worked our way up in the levels.  It is a free app that is really fun to play.  I even have my mother in law playing it.  Check it out on Itunes.

Pocket Frogs

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Tuesday - Gratitude April 5, 2011

Today is Tuesday. I am in my comfy bed, lying next to my sleeping hubby. I have been waiting to hear from my ladies. They are on vacation with their dad. Every time they get on a plane I am a nervous wreck. Today was a particularly long flight, so I stayed at work a little longer today, tried to keep busy, just to keep my mind off the flight. My ladies just arrived and they are very excited. I am grateful that they made it safely. I am glad they have the opportunity to go some place new for spring break and that I get to have some mommy and daddy time so we can refresh and recharge so when all of our kids come home next week we can enjoy all the stories they all get to share about their trips!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Monday - Meal Plan Monday - April 4, 2011

This is spring break week.  Every week it is hard to plan in this house since one day you will have six people, the next day, two people and the following day, four people.  We have shared custody with both of our ex's so dinner planning and portions gets to be interesting.  This week we have no children in the house.  It is just the two of us.  So this week I have only one favorite (because my husband has requested it), otherwise I have taken to the net and I am going to try new things.  I am not posting a breakfast menu because generally my husband and I do not eat.  We are trying to go with fruit and yogurt and maybe a light muffin.

Monday - Herb-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Feta

Tuesday - Lady and Sons' Chicken in Wine Sauce / Green Bean Casserole

Wednesday - Crockpot Blue Cheese and Steak Roll Ups / Baked Potato

Thursday - Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

Friday - Sausage - Sweet Potato Bake (this one I am not sure of, my husband does not care for fruit and meat but I am going to try it) From Fix it and Forget it Lightly

I am not posting a plan for Saturday and Sunday because I might just take my husband out, who knows!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Friday - Taking time for me / Saturday Family Fun

Yes, yes I know it is Saturday and I am yet another day behind on my blog goals. This is what is supposed to be for me. Time I set aside each day and the past week I have been a day behind with any post I have put up.

It is hard to take time for me. I have mentioned before we are a blended family. One day I will have six people who eat dinner, the next day two, the next day four. It certainly gets hard to plan. Each week I try. This week it is only going to be two of us. All of the kids have spring break and they are not with us. So we have a week of work and hopefully relaxation at night.

I have really had to let the house go this week more so than usual. Now that is not saying I haven't done things. I just haven't done as much as I would have liked. I have done the laundry, just not put it up. I have cooked meals, but my kitchen just seems to be a bit behind on the cleaning. This week will be my catch up week. Obviously there will be less dishes and less laundry. Of course that means the chores they normally take care of will not be done. So it is kind of a catch 22 on the house aspect.

I am only doing one post for Friday and Saturday because my daughter is having a birthday this week. Because of spring break I do not have her this year. I have the option of seeing her, but she wanted to take a trip and not have to worry about getting back. So we spent extra time together last night and today. She had a friend over and they made a pie. So we had a little family fun early. It was nice because she was the only kid here and had the house to herself. Something that seldomly occurs.

I have noticed something today as I finally opened my google reader for the first time in two days. I am getting an average of 30-40 blog notices each day. I love to read all of the blogs I have found. I end up reading blogs more than I find time to devote to writing one. Maybe that is not such a bad thing. After all I am not a writer, and I have no idea if anyone reads this or not. So I guess my best things is just to figure out a time budget, so I can spend x amount of time either writing or reading. I get so many ideas from the blogs that I know they are helping me and my family.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Thursday - Site of the Week, part 2

I stumbled up on Google Health a few weeks ago.  I have still been exploring all of its features but it looks really interesting.  You can add healthy goals, share your information with your doctor, spouse or anyone else that you need to include.  I was worried about using it at first but since we use Google Apps for our email server I can trust that our information is safe.  If you are serious about getting healthy, check out this website.  You will be glad you did!





About Google Health (This is taken from their information page)



Better health comes from better information.
Organize, track, monitor, and act on your health information with Google Health.

Google believes you should have easy access to your own health information - anytime, anywhere. With a Google Health account, you can store, manage and share all of your health and wellness information in one central place. It’s available from Google at no charge. All you need is a username and password to get started.

We believe that your health information belongs to you, and you should decide how much you share and whom you share it with. We will never sell your data. We use sophisticated security techniques including encryption on connections and on our servers to help keep your information secure and private. And you are always in control of what you want to share and what you keep confidential. Check out our Privacy Policy to learn more.

Features

Manage your Health Information Online

Is your health information in disarray? Google Health can help by offering a single place to organize and store you health information online. Track your wellness metrics, gather and organize your medical records, or import your health data directly into your account from connected doctors, hospitals and retail pharmacies. You can even create multiple profiles for family members or others you care for.

Set Personal Health Goals

Do you want a better way to track your goals for weight, blood pressure, or other wellness metrics? Have you ever wanted to track your sleep patterns, record how much you walk during the day, or track your progress at the gym? Or are you trying to overcome a health problem or caring for someone who is? With Google Health you can set personalized goals online and monitor them regularly.

Track your Progress

Create custom trackers for things you want to monitor like daily like sleep, how much coffee you drink a day, or how many times you exercise a week. You can also take notes or keep a diary on your how you are doing with a particular medical condition or a personal goal you set.

Share your Health Information

Help better coordinate your care by sharing your health records with individuals in your care network - family members, friends and doctors. Share your wellness goals and progress notes with family and friends. You can stop sharing at any time and you will always be able to see who has access to your information. You can also print a wallet-sized version of your health profile to share with your doctor or family members in person.

Personalize your Health Needs with Content and Apps/Devices

Access content about health topics from trusted sources and Google search results. You can also connect to apps that are integrated with Google Health that will help you better manage your health needs using our partner directory