I admit I am one of those girls who finds something I like on a menu and sticks with it. Today I tried something new and that included a Reuben.
I am sure most of you know what a Reuben is, but for those who don't the Reuben sandwich is a sandwich made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian or sometimes Thousand Island dressing, on grilled or toasted rye bread so states the Wikipedia!
What did I think? I thought it was pretty darn good! I do love sauerkraut, so can you really good wrong when that is involved? A little salty, but a little lip smacking good. It is so funny how we can go to 10 different restaurants and I can guarantee my husband will order a hamburger, that has cheese and bacon, and I will order some sandwich, that has avocado and chicken. I guess it is that fear that if I order something else, it may be terrible, and now I just wasted money on a crappy meal. Well, today I tried something new and it taught me that there are SO many great flavors out there that are just waiting to be tasted!! I think this is going to be my favorite part of this year. Trying new foods!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Day 18 ~ Started a new challenge
Today we started this challenge as a family. I consider our family pretty close but thought this would be a fun challenge to tackle. Ours is slightly modified but here is how it is posted on Oprah: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Peter-Walshs-Stripped-Down-Family-Challenge/2
Rule 1: No Cell Phones or Texting
Technology allows us to keep in touch in 24 hours a day, but that doesn't guarantee meaningful connections. "That's the confusion," Peter says. "You could lock yourself in a room and send a thousand e-mails a day and 100,000 text messages, but you are not connected."
For one week, ban the use of cell phones, texting devices and PDAs in your home. The short texts you often receive from your kids may just turn into real conversations!
This is easy for us. My kids are too young for cell phones and I rarely use my cell phone. As for texting my husband and I are very slow so we avoid it all together.
Rule 2: No Electronics
How many times have you found your family watching the same show in different rooms? Can you even count the number of fights your children have over who gets to use the computer next? "[Shift the focus of the family, and particularly children, away from self-parenting, away from TV, away from passive entertainment," Peter says.
Give your family the gift of peace and quiet by banning all electronic devices for one week. Institute family game nights, nightly story time or a daily walk to the park. By the end of the week, your family will realize the greatest entertainment in life comes from spending time with one another.
I have to use the computer for work and my blog but swear to only use it for those instances. I also plan on saving it for night when the children are in bed and when my husband is working. Today was the first day of no TV and I was so nervous about it and whether I could stick to it. The truth is, when I am getting dinner ready it's normally the perfect time to put something on and have the children relax. Today they knew there would be no TV and it actually went really well, and I enjoyed not having a battle about it. We played with Lego's, blocks, went to the park (no rain today), read books and had a really good time today.
Rule 3: Prepare and Eat Healthy Meals Together
For families, no room in the home is more important than the kitchen. "The kitchen nourishes your family in so many ways," Peter says. "If your children are not receiving that nourishment—and not just the stuff into their mouths, but the stuff into their beings—if they are not getting that around the table, where are they being nourished?"
Stripping away the junk food and make healthy meals together is an instant way to reconnect. Try it for a week and you'll find that everyone in your family will feel better about themselves mind, body and soul.
The girls and I all sat around the table tonight and ate together and it was so nice. I normally cook healthy food but I admit I am normally standing, not sitting and enoying my time with them.
Rule 4: Clean and Organize the House
Your home should be your sanctuary, and clutter does nothing but create tension and unrest in families. "If you're not connected to your home, if you are not connected to where you live, if your home doesn't bring you peace and calm and focus and harmony, where are you getting that from?"
Still working on this one but I am really liking the office right now it is beautiful and clutter free!!
Rule 5: You Must Hug and Say "I Love You" to Each Family Member at Least Once a Day
With so many other distractions in your life, you may be neglecting to do the one thing your family needs even more than the latest video game system or designer dress. Everyone needs love and affection, and here's your chance to let your family know how you really feel about them.
This is not a problem. I think I must hug and kiss my husband and girls a 1,000 times a day. I love you is something I say all the time. I always want them to know that they are the loves of my life. We are all like that in this family.
Under this rule, moms and dads have a special assignment—have a date night! "One night once a month is worth a hundred weeks of vacation at the end of the year," Peter says. "Once a month, reconnect."
We love date night but we just never get to it. My hubby works a lot and it is hard to find a babysitter but this will definitely be something we shoot for this year.
Rule 6: Create 6 New Stripped Down Rules at the End of the Week
This week may have been difficult, but it's also been eye-opening. Look back at what worked and what didn't. Continue to build upon the positive things that came out of the challenge by creating six new rules as a group and follow them for years to come.
Looking forward to what we come up with at the end of the week!
Rule 1: No Cell Phones or Texting
Technology allows us to keep in touch in 24 hours a day, but that doesn't guarantee meaningful connections. "That's the confusion," Peter says. "You could lock yourself in a room and send a thousand e-mails a day and 100,000 text messages, but you are not connected."
For one week, ban the use of cell phones, texting devices and PDAs in your home. The short texts you often receive from your kids may just turn into real conversations!
This is easy for us. My kids are too young for cell phones and I rarely use my cell phone. As for texting my husband and I are very slow so we avoid it all together.
Rule 2: No Electronics
How many times have you found your family watching the same show in different rooms? Can you even count the number of fights your children have over who gets to use the computer next? "[Shift the focus of the family, and particularly children, away from self-parenting, away from TV, away from passive entertainment," Peter says.
Give your family the gift of peace and quiet by banning all electronic devices for one week. Institute family game nights, nightly story time or a daily walk to the park. By the end of the week, your family will realize the greatest entertainment in life comes from spending time with one another.
I have to use the computer for work and my blog but swear to only use it for those instances. I also plan on saving it for night when the children are in bed and when my husband is working. Today was the first day of no TV and I was so nervous about it and whether I could stick to it. The truth is, when I am getting dinner ready it's normally the perfect time to put something on and have the children relax. Today they knew there would be no TV and it actually went really well, and I enjoyed not having a battle about it. We played with Lego's, blocks, went to the park (no rain today), read books and had a really good time today.
Rule 3: Prepare and Eat Healthy Meals Together
For families, no room in the home is more important than the kitchen. "The kitchen nourishes your family in so many ways," Peter says. "If your children are not receiving that nourishment—and not just the stuff into their mouths, but the stuff into their beings—if they are not getting that around the table, where are they being nourished?"
Stripping away the junk food and make healthy meals together is an instant way to reconnect. Try it for a week and you'll find that everyone in your family will feel better about themselves mind, body and soul.
The girls and I all sat around the table tonight and ate together and it was so nice. I normally cook healthy food but I admit I am normally standing, not sitting and enoying my time with them.
Rule 4: Clean and Organize the House
Your home should be your sanctuary, and clutter does nothing but create tension and unrest in families. "If you're not connected to your home, if you are not connected to where you live, if your home doesn't bring you peace and calm and focus and harmony, where are you getting that from?"
Still working on this one but I am really liking the office right now it is beautiful and clutter free!!
Rule 5: You Must Hug and Say "I Love You" to Each Family Member at Least Once a Day
With so many other distractions in your life, you may be neglecting to do the one thing your family needs even more than the latest video game system or designer dress. Everyone needs love and affection, and here's your chance to let your family know how you really feel about them.
This is not a problem. I think I must hug and kiss my husband and girls a 1,000 times a day. I love you is something I say all the time. I always want them to know that they are the loves of my life. We are all like that in this family.
Under this rule, moms and dads have a special assignment—have a date night! "One night once a month is worth a hundred weeks of vacation at the end of the year," Peter says. "Once a month, reconnect."
We love date night but we just never get to it. My hubby works a lot and it is hard to find a babysitter but this will definitely be something we shoot for this year.
Rule 6: Create 6 New Stripped Down Rules at the End of the Week
This week may have been difficult, but it's also been eye-opening. Look back at what worked and what didn't. Continue to build upon the positive things that came out of the challenge by creating six new rules as a group and follow them for years to come.
Looking forward to what we come up with at the end of the week!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Day 17 ~ Recycling
Holy mother of goodness and grace! What did I get myself into? As I posted yesterday I started stripping down the house of clutter and this is a HUGE project.
I continued boxing up things, throwing things away, building a massive shred pile and organizing the home. This is definitely a process. I really didn't think my house was all that cluttered but the paper work is the one thing that is getting me. I feel like my head is going to explode. Needless to say I got a lot done today but I will continue on for the next week going through each room of the house.
Something new we did today was teach the girls how they can recycle. We also made a promise as a family that for the 2010 year we would give up paper and plastic bags at the grocery store and stick with our recycled bags.
The first thing we did was took the girls to the recycling area and showed them how you recycle cans. At the recycling centers where I grew up, you would take all your cans, put them in a giant bucket, and they would weigh them. Where I live now you load them into a machine and one by one they are counted and crushed, with a loud ROAR, CRASH, CRRRRRRR, you get the picture. The area also has a smell of stale beer and soda pop which for some reason makes me laugh. I often compare the experience to a rock concert. You leave with your ears ringing and with the faint smell of stale beer on your clothes.
My mother use to take me as a girl to recycle cans and we would go get a treat after with the cash back. It was a fun thing. That is what I wanted to do with my girls too! I want it to be something they will continue to do as they grow older. My view on recycling cans is you are getting payed to take care of the environment. I mean, I would do it for free, but heck, if you want to pay me for it then by all means. I don't understand why people wouldn't recycle.
Needless to say, the girls thought it was awesome and I am so glad because I expect my girls to teach their children someday! As for the recyclable bags, I love this idea. I plan on sticking to it!
I continued boxing up things, throwing things away, building a massive shred pile and organizing the home. This is definitely a process. I really didn't think my house was all that cluttered but the paper work is the one thing that is getting me. I feel like my head is going to explode. Needless to say I got a lot done today but I will continue on for the next week going through each room of the house.
Something new we did today was teach the girls how they can recycle. We also made a promise as a family that for the 2010 year we would give up paper and plastic bags at the grocery store and stick with our recycled bags.
The first thing we did was took the girls to the recycling area and showed them how you recycle cans. At the recycling centers where I grew up, you would take all your cans, put them in a giant bucket, and they would weigh them. Where I live now you load them into a machine and one by one they are counted and crushed, with a loud ROAR, CRASH, CRRRRRRR, you get the picture. The area also has a smell of stale beer and soda pop which for some reason makes me laugh. I often compare the experience to a rock concert. You leave with your ears ringing and with the faint smell of stale beer on your clothes.
My mother use to take me as a girl to recycle cans and we would go get a treat after with the cash back. It was a fun thing. That is what I wanted to do with my girls too! I want it to be something they will continue to do as they grow older. My view on recycling cans is you are getting payed to take care of the environment. I mean, I would do it for free, but heck, if you want to pay me for it then by all means. I don't understand why people wouldn't recycle.
Needless to say, the girls thought it was awesome and I am so glad because I expect my girls to teach their children someday! As for the recyclable bags, I love this idea. I plan on sticking to it!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Day 16 ~ Stripping Down
Today I made to attempt to begin the stripping down process. Get your mind out of the gutter. I am removing clutter!!
My neighbor across the street is the best! She is the most organized girl I know. She called me yesterday and asked if I had watched Oprah because they had the best episode on striping down your life. I answered with, "I am not stripping for anyone, I have had three children for Gods sake!" Well, she convinced me to watch it, and it was a pretty awesome idea. There were 6 different steps but the one I started with was stripping down my home.
I definitely have clutter in the home. I think enough clutter that is causes unnecessary stress. I am constantly picking up things, too many things! So that is what I started today. My wonderful friend came over and we began the strip down process. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy but by tomorrow night I think I will feel differently about my home. I posted a picture tonight of what we have to donate so far. I think tomorrow my picture will have twice as many items.
Today I starting stripping down, I can't wait to see what I will be able to get rid of tomorrow!
My neighbor across the street is the best! She is the most organized girl I know. She called me yesterday and asked if I had watched Oprah because they had the best episode on striping down your life. I answered with, "I am not stripping for anyone, I have had three children for Gods sake!" Well, she convinced me to watch it, and it was a pretty awesome idea. There were 6 different steps but the one I started with was stripping down my home.
I definitely have clutter in the home. I think enough clutter that is causes unnecessary stress. I am constantly picking up things, too many things! So that is what I started today. My wonderful friend came over and we began the strip down process. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy but by tomorrow night I think I will feel differently about my home. I posted a picture tonight of what we have to donate so far. I think tomorrow my picture will have twice as many items.
Today I starting stripping down, I can't wait to see what I will be able to get rid of tomorrow!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Day 15 ~ The Importance of Friendship
I am a firm believer in the importance of family, family love, and family loyalty. We spend most of our time together and my girls are great friends. What I focused on today was the importance of friendship for my eldest daughter.
I have always stressed to our girls to always have each others backs. That family will be there always, no matter what, but what I realized is that I also need to teach my girls the importance of friendships. I can honestly say that a lot of my friends I have today I have known most of my life. In fact, one of the closest people to me in life, I have known since 4th grade. I have been blessed with so many wonderful friends that have been there for me through good and bad times, and many of these friendships I developed as a child. My daughters are growing older and I realized they need that too. We all need our girlsfriends. I can’t imagine my life without mine.
Today we had my daughter’s best friend over from school. They are two peas in a pod. They laughed and smiled and hid out in Madelynn’s room just being girls. They discussed a club, rules and who would be invited, and they whispered and giggled all the way through. In that moment it was a flash back to age 7, and how your best friend was the coolest thing ever. How they understood you better than anyone else and how you enjoyed just hanging out together. They rode the bus home together, talked, played, had pizza, then finally said goodbye, and my daughter immediately asked when we can do this again. It is funny to think in 28 years they could be sitting and talking about the time they spent together as kids and what fun they had. I realized tonight how enjoyable it was having my daughter’s friend here, and that my little girl is growing up.
Today began my daughter’s lesson in the bonds girls can share, and the importance of friendship.
I have always stressed to our girls to always have each others backs. That family will be there always, no matter what, but what I realized is that I also need to teach my girls the importance of friendships. I can honestly say that a lot of my friends I have today I have known most of my life. In fact, one of the closest people to me in life, I have known since 4th grade. I have been blessed with so many wonderful friends that have been there for me through good and bad times, and many of these friendships I developed as a child. My daughters are growing older and I realized they need that too. We all need our girlsfriends. I can’t imagine my life without mine.
Today we had my daughter’s best friend over from school. They are two peas in a pod. They laughed and smiled and hid out in Madelynn’s room just being girls. They discussed a club, rules and who would be invited, and they whispered and giggled all the way through. In that moment it was a flash back to age 7, and how your best friend was the coolest thing ever. How they understood you better than anyone else and how you enjoyed just hanging out together. They rode the bus home together, talked, played, had pizza, then finally said goodbye, and my daughter immediately asked when we can do this again. It is funny to think in 28 years they could be sitting and talking about the time they spent together as kids and what fun they had. I realized tonight how enjoyable it was having my daughter’s friend here, and that my little girl is growing up.
Today began my daughter’s lesson in the bonds girls can share, and the importance of friendship.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 14 ~ Stop being so dang uptight!
Stop being so dang uptight! That is right, my husband and I have been known to be a little uptight on occasion.
My kids have been begging to go to McDonalds for what seems like forever. We used to go and play in the play area in town and they loved it, but we haven’t really been in two years. After my girls had the H1N1 virus last year I swore off any and all play areas that are indoors which is hard living in a area that gets a lot of rain. I guess you could say I turned into a mild germaphobe.
I also did not like fast food for the kids, but lately I have come to the conclusion that a hamburger now and again is not going to kill you and to be honest sometimes they are so good. My mother always says, everything in moderation, and I think she is right.
So tonight we decided to not be so dang uptight and surprised the kids by taking them to McDonalds for a happy meal and some play. I cannot tell you how excited they were. Tonight my youngest had her first happy meal and to be honest I think the thing they were most excited about was the toy in the bag. I think we all felt that way as a kid.
It is the little things in life that make our children happy. Taking them to McDonalds, a happy meal, dad and mom there, and a play area, that is all it took for pure joy to spread across their faces. Seeing true joy in my children’s faces put true joy in my heart. Yes, I had them wash their hands before they ate, and before we left, and they did take showers when they got home but little by little I will lighten up and it is going to be a process for me too. Tonight my husband and I tried something new, we stopped being so dang uptight and found out we had a pretty good time.
My kids have been begging to go to McDonalds for what seems like forever. We used to go and play in the play area in town and they loved it, but we haven’t really been in two years. After my girls had the H1N1 virus last year I swore off any and all play areas that are indoors which is hard living in a area that gets a lot of rain. I guess you could say I turned into a mild germaphobe.
I also did not like fast food for the kids, but lately I have come to the conclusion that a hamburger now and again is not going to kill you and to be honest sometimes they are so good. My mother always says, everything in moderation, and I think she is right.
So tonight we decided to not be so dang uptight and surprised the kids by taking them to McDonalds for a happy meal and some play. I cannot tell you how excited they were. Tonight my youngest had her first happy meal and to be honest I think the thing they were most excited about was the toy in the bag. I think we all felt that way as a kid. It is the little things in life that make our children happy. Taking them to McDonalds, a happy meal, dad and mom there, and a play area, that is all it took for pure joy to spread across their faces. Seeing true joy in my children’s faces put true joy in my heart. Yes, I had them wash their hands before they ate, and before we left, and they did take showers when they got home but little by little I will lighten up and it is going to be a process for me too. Tonight my husband and I tried something new, we stopped being so dang uptight and found out we had a pretty good time.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day 13 ~ Breaking the Night Owl
Tonight I thought I would try to relax for a change. No cleaning, no working, no nothing!! I would like to tell you this relaxation was going to take place at a spa or a tropical island, but with my budget it will be held at home. My new thing for the day is relaxation and for once an early bedtime.
So you ask, "What is the big deal about going to bed early?" For me it is HUGE. Most people know I am a bit of a night owl. I rarely go to bed before 12 am and often am awake until 2 am. I cannot tell you the last time I was in bed before 11:30 pm. My problem is I have difficultly falling asleep at night and unfortunately regardless of the time I go to sleep, I am always up by 7:00 am at the latest. My children are all very early riser, Hailey often wakes up around 5:30 just like her father, and they are happy about waking up. I wake up tired every morning with one eyed halfway open and the other shut. I would be bold enough to say I bear a slight resemblance to Popeye. When I told my Mom that I was planning on being in bed by 9:30 pm she laughed at me. That is how bad I am about getting in bed early and getting rest. She laughed!!
It is funny, my husband can fall asleep in a matter of seconds, his head hits the pillow and he is out. I admit I have even timed him on how fast he would say something and then be sleep. His record is 30 seconds. Of course I had to wake up to say, "Hey it just took you 30 seconds to start snoring!" You can imagine how much he appreciated that one.
My goal for tonight was to try to relax early enough that when I did go to bed, I would sleep. We will see how that one works out. My plan is simple:
A quick chick flick
Hot tea or a cold beer
A hot bath with bubbles of course
Relaxing music
Bed time by 9:30
Wish me luck, I may wake up with a smile on my face or clenched teeth. My new thing for today is learning to relax and get some overdue sleep!
So you ask, "What is the big deal about going to bed early?" For me it is HUGE. Most people know I am a bit of a night owl. I rarely go to bed before 12 am and often am awake until 2 am. I cannot tell you the last time I was in bed before 11:30 pm. My problem is I have difficultly falling asleep at night and unfortunately regardless of the time I go to sleep, I am always up by 7:00 am at the latest. My children are all very early riser, Hailey often wakes up around 5:30 just like her father, and they are happy about waking up. I wake up tired every morning with one eyed halfway open and the other shut. I would be bold enough to say I bear a slight resemblance to Popeye. When I told my Mom that I was planning on being in bed by 9:30 pm she laughed at me. That is how bad I am about getting in bed early and getting rest. She laughed!!
It is funny, my husband can fall asleep in a matter of seconds, his head hits the pillow and he is out. I admit I have even timed him on how fast he would say something and then be sleep. His record is 30 seconds. Of course I had to wake up to say, "Hey it just took you 30 seconds to start snoring!" You can imagine how much he appreciated that one.
My goal for tonight was to try to relax early enough that when I did go to bed, I would sleep. We will see how that one works out. My plan is simple:
A quick chick flick
Hot tea or a cold beer
A hot bath with bubbles of course
Relaxing music
Bed time by 9:30
Wish me luck, I may wake up with a smile on my face or clenched teeth. My new thing for today is learning to relax and get some overdue sleep!
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