(A)Typical Tuesday~priddymomma

SURPRISE!  I get to be first this week!  Tori has some sick kiddos, so either you’ll hear from her later this week or you’ll have to contain yourselves until next week.  I’m sure you all know how it is. 

This week, we’re covering A Day in the Life.  It was an interesting day I took notes on.  I had planned to tell you all that my days aren’t normally like this and that they aren’t usually this hectic…but maybe they are.  What is NOT the usual, however, is my injury.  You see, I unwisely decided a bench in the middle of the mall at 11:30 p.m. was the perfect place for a Broadway Dance number.  It turns out that it is not.  I stepped down from said dance number and abruptly rolled my ankle.  Talk about your show-stopper!  Total drag, as I was on a date with the hubby at the time.  I’m recovering though.  Thank-you for your concern.  I’m an idiot.  I know.  Anyway, we were out late on a Monday night, so I got up late on Tuesday and had to deal with an injury.  All-in-all, I was fairly miserable.  Fun fun. 

Without further ado, here it is! 

Tuesday April 9^th, 2013

6 a.m.-Wake up after five hours of sleep.  Pee.

Injured so just remained in bed.  Hubby was nice enough to bring me food and drink.  Hubby leaves for work.  Read until Cheerio Champ wakes up

8 a.m.-Spent 1 hour in room with Cheerio Champ.  Playing, reading, and tossing around Spanish vocabulary

Got him set up to get ready and started on chores

9 a.m.-Got Princess Cheerio up and nursed.  One hour behind normal schedule.

Eat a few bites of leftovers from fridge while assembling breakfast for the kids

8:30 a.m. -Breakfast-granola, yogurt, and fruit for Cheerio Champ

Yogurt, fruit, and cheerios for Princess Cheerio

Princess Cheerio spits food in my face.

10 a.m.-Changed Princess Cheerio-poop gets on a block.  Don’t ask.

Cheerio Champ’s reading a chapter book nicely.

Cheerio Champ wants to be tickled.  Tickling occurs.  Princess Cheerio very upset she is being left out.  Princess Cheerio gets tickled.  The pattern continues until injured ankle is tapped and I am DONE.

Clean poop block

Cheerio Champ wants to sweep up stray cheerios

Take board book from Princess Cheerio.  Books are not food.

Put away dishes in drainer

Wash highchair tray and drainer of dishes and wipe down table and highchair.

Start laundry.

Sweep up cheerios Cheerio Champ no longer cares about

Give Princess Cheerio the baby doll Cheerio Champ took from her

Take Furby away from Cheerio Champ for the day for screaming the same nonsense over and over in my face. 

Thank Cheerio Champ for giving Princess Cheerio her baby doll back.  Watch kids pass doll back and forth for a while.

Cheerio Champ is upset about the cheerios he didn’t get to finish sweeping up.

Try to sneak a cupcake in the kitchen while the kids are playing

Everybody has a cupcake.

Clean up cupcake mess. 

Kids extra whiney.  Both are tired and both got shots yesterday at the doctor’s office and are not feeling their best.

Realize I need to pay power bill today.  Can’t immediately find power bill.  Find it in the bathroom…

On way back to computer desk, stub toe and jar injured ankle.  Cursing follows.  Small amount of tears.  Now fury.  Realize Cheerio Champ saw entire episode.  Now need to address behavior issue as he is kicking things and screaming a colorful word.

Fill water bottle and finally put away cereal from this morning. 

Limp to computer desk, only to have to look for the power bill again.  CHEERIO CHAMP is trying to eat it after taking it from Princess Cheerio, who was also trying to eat it. 

Princess Cheerio wants me to read Goodnight Moon and I tell her just a minute.  She begins slamming book against gate and falls and cries.  

Comfort her and read the damn book.  Cheerio Champ interrupts to tell me George Washington’s birthday (February twenty-two!). 

Put her down, only to have her slam book and cry again.  Now Cheerio Champ wants to read Goodnight Moon.  Tug-of-war.

Scold Cheerio Champ for talking meanly to Princess Cheerio.  Scold Princess Cheerio for playing with the vent.

Watch Princess Cheerio booty bump the door and giggle.  I giggle, not her.  She’s very serious about this booty bumping. 

Watch Princess Cheerio booty bump baby gate.  Tell Cheerio Champ not to booty bump baby gate.

Finally get soggy power bill paid online.

Tell Cheerio Champ to quit chewing on Goodnight Moon.  Tell him to put it back on bookshelf as he took it in his room to chew on it where I couldn’t see him.

Tell Cheerio Champ not to touch a birthday present for a friend.

Kids are yelling.

Kids are making rude noises. 

Headache.  Ankle is swelling more.

Getting set up for nap time.  Tell Cheerio Champ to leave baby gate alone.

Get Cheerio Champ set up with some presidents information he can look through (as per request).  

Pee.

Take book Princess Cheerio is eating.

Turn on lullaby music.

Come to find that I didn’t actually add laundry to the washer.  Trying again.

Ankle throbs and I almost fall.  Cheerio Champ laughs at me.

12:30 p.m.-change Princess Cheerio (finally dressed in day clothes) and nurse down for nap.

1:45 p.m.-Quiet time for Cheerio Champ

Elect not to exercise or homeschool…or do much of anything due to swelling in ankle.  Curl up in bed.

Hear Cheerio Champ in hysterics.  Rush in to find he has a new hopefully-not-hobby:  stuffing toys in his nose.  Toy comes out.  Lecture…and life goes on.

2:30 p.m.-change Princess Cheerio and curl up in bed again

2:45 p.m.-hubby calls.  Hobble my ass to phone in dining room.  Coming home early.

Finally get to shower and wash baby food off my arm from this morning

3:10 p.m.- hubby is home

3:20 p.m.- hubby changes Princess Cheerio and puts her in highchair while I assemble lunch

3:30 p.m.-late lunch for kids and no lunch for me.  Didn’t feel like standing any longer.

Hubby is nice enough to clean up after lunch 

Find out my brother and his girlfriend aren’t coming over after all.  Relieved in a way because my ankle aches, but sad we don’t have plans

Kids play/scream/beat me up while hubby makes egg sandwiches for dinner

5:30 p.m.- dinner.  I get some veggies and fruit to go with sandwiches.

I need desperately to lay down, so hubby is kind enough to allow me to.  He finishes dinner with the kids, cleans up, and bathes Princess Cheerio.  

I wake up to Princess Cheerio screaming in the bath tub.  I have napped for fifteen minutes.  Wooo!  I feel better for it though.

Hubby takes care of after bath routine with Princess Cheerio and reads her a story.  I play with Cheerio Champ a bit.  He tries to bite me during tickles.  

Nursing Princess Cheerio while hubby showers Cheerio Champ and reads to him and puts him to bed.

8 p.m.-Bedtime for Princess Cheerio.

Hubby is studying Tai Chi via DVD.  I collapse in a heap and drowse/read for twenty minutes before looking for a snack. 

Remember that there are wet clothes in the washer and throw them in the dryer.  Fold massive basket of laundry.

Play Mario Party 8 with hubby.

Feed cats.  Check on kids.  Brush teeth.

10 p.m.-bed.

10:30 p.m.-pee.

11:00 p.m.-pee again.

Can you relate?  What is a day like for you?  Any topic requests?  Comment or email us at thecaseofthemissingcheerios@gmail.com.  We’d love to hear from you!  Look for Leslie’s post on Saturday!

Personal Goals for April ~ Tori

Today I'm going to share with you some of my personal goals I have set for myself for the month of April 2013.
This is going to be a simple post for me because I am a list person. I make grocery lists, goal lists, chore lists, etc. Even if I lose them and have to start over lists help keep me grounded, and I already have my goal list made out for the month of April.

Keep Exercising

I have been working out every day. I can't always get to all the routines I want to work through because when your a mom things happen. BUT...I have been making sure to exercise daily. I usually do so in the morning when everyone is asleep, but there are the occasional times my ruckus will wake up the kiddos and I either need to find a workout routine they can join me in (like yoga), or wait until everyone is in bed. This is part of a long-term goal in my weight loss mission, but exercising helps me feel so much better. I've been on this journey before, but I admit I've gotten lazy and given up time after time. I'm going to keep with it though because I am more determined this time around.

Keep Eating Healthy Foods

This has been the most hardest goal for me. I am a huge fan of chocolate. I'm talking BIG. When there is chocolate in the house I am suddenly an addict and I must get my chocolate fix. BUT, I have been doing my best to restrain myself. NOT to say I haven't slipped now and again because let's face it, as much as you guys think so, I'm not perfect. LOL (joke there, I'm really not that self-centered in real life I promise).

Anyway I have been watching portions, I've been watching what types of foods I eat, been watching calories, etc. It's hard for me because I love food. I love to cook, I love to eat, and I grew up with a high metabolism. I was able to eat any and everything without gaining weight, until the last five years or so.

I find that I have actually started craving certain vegetables and fruits since I've incorporated them more into my eating plan. I actually reached for an apple over a fudge round the other day! I almost had a heart attack myself. Even though I'm sure I'm going to fall off the healthy eating wagon now and again I'm determined to stick to this. I'm hoping I don't fall off, but I don't want to set myself up for disappointment either. I'm going to do my best to meet this goal, and so far so good. Gotta keep at it.

Take More Pictures

Even though I don't have as nice a camera as listed above (I do wish, however), I do have a camera. I take pictures, but not as much as I should I admit. I'm a lazy photographer. I love taking pictures so why I neglect my camera is a mystery. I'm going to work on that. While I don't share pics of my kids online I want to have more pictures of them. I take pictures of them often, but I need to more often. These years are too short for my liking. My oldest is five and while I love seeing how he has grown it makes me sad. Time is flying! I always get too caught up in life and forget to just be STILL. I rush around here and there, getting chores done, running errands, planning, and I don't take as much time as I would like to just ENJOY! And I want to document these wonderful times because they go quickly. If it's my kids making silly faces, us coloring, a flower with a bumblebee perched atop it, a tree blooming, I want to photograph it to keep for my memories. There's too much beauty in the world not to.

Spend More Quality Family Time / Relax and Enjoy

We always spend time together as a family. I play with my kids daily, we have lessons, activities, etc. But it's still not as much time as I'd like. No matter how much I urge it to take a vacation, Life comes knocking on my door followed by it's good friend Chores. But it's time to do more activities together. Hubby has been working quite a bit lately. It's been rough on everyone, but mostly the kids. The other day he was off and we were packing. The kids were being good and coloring quietly. We decided to take a break and color with them. It was all so reserved which is usually nice, but we were thinking when the last time we actually had some loud crazy fun. It was time to get our sillies out! So we all bundled up (as we had a snowstorm), and took the kids outside for awhile. We had a crazy insane snowball fight, and it was a blast! We all chased each other (even my 2 year old got in on the action), and just let loose. It was awesome, even the part when I got blasted square in the face with a giant ball of snow and it filled my nostrils (It was even crazy hilarious to me). There was so much crazy laughter, stress forgotten for the time being, and it was just some plain ole' quality family time. It was much needed, and we came back in and enjoyed some hot chocolate while all snuggled on the couch. Life gets so hectic that it's easy to rush through things, or be focused on one thing when your suppose to be having family time. Sometimes we gotta just relax and enjoy.

Organize Our Household

We are moving in a few short days, and upon our packing journey I realized a sad fact: I am not as organized as I thought I was. Seriously I need to get better with this, I'm a MOM! We are suppose to be organized with everything in it's rightful place! But I'll let you in on a little secret, I don't. SHHH!!! No wonder why I always have a cluttered closet in my house somewhere! So during my spring cleaning journey, and in the month of April, I will be eliminating tons of stuff while organizing keeps. There are so many ideas on Pinterest on how to organize. Pins I've pinned, and it's time to make good use of them. I have a lot organized, but I need to organize BETTER. I want to have NO cluttered closets, and I want every object to have it's rightful place. It may sound like a fantasy land, but it can happen. I'm bound and determined. LOL

So these are some of my major personal goals for the month of April. I have an entire list, but these are the main ones I'll be working on. Stay tuned for Priddymomma's post on Thursday and Leslie's on Saturday! I'm eager to hear their goals myself! :)

What are some of your goals for the upcoming month?

Kid Loved Recipes ~ Tori

This week we are going to be sharing some recipes that our kiddos love. Every kid has different tastes, likes, dislikes, etc. But maybe you will rediscover an old favorite, or find a new one! :)

Homemade Pizza

My kids love homemade pizza. And it is actually inexpensive. You don't have to spend a fortune, and you can tweak it how you like it. Your creating your own masterpiece. My kids are big into cheese so they love sharp cheddar, colby, and mozzarella. It doesn't take long to bake, and it's much healthier than the stuff you buy frozen or out, and so much cheaper. You control the amount of cheese and sauce.

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets from Skinnytaste

Credit for this recipe: skinnytaste.com

I found this recipe on a blog almost a year ago. I made it and the kids went crazy over it. It's now one of their favorites. You only need some boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bites, parmesan cheese, seasoned breading, and a few other items. The complete recipe is here. I've tweaked the breading a few times to mix it up a bit, but they always love it.

Mac & Cheese & Corn Casserole

Because my kids are fanatics of cheese and corn I decided to mix the two. 

• 1 (8-oz.) package elbow macaroni
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 can of corn (depending on how much you want to add)
• 1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 

Directions::

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Keep warm.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta, 1 cup shredded cheese, and corn.
3. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish; top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
4. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tilapia baked with Roasted Veggies

As simple as the title. Gorton's has some of the best tilapia, but it's something that my kids really love. Plus it's healthy so it's a win win.