'Tis the Season

'Tis the season that makes it impossible to keep up on a blog!  I figured I shall sit for a few moments and do a little catch up, of course there is a great chance that I won't make it far as I have a cranky, teething toddler today who needs me most.
So hard to believe we are only a little over a week away from Christmas.  We are almost ready!  We have already had Christmas with both sets of parents, so that just leaves giving out teacher gifts and doing our own little family Christmas.  I still need to get stocking stuffers for E and some for N, plus we need to find another toy to give E.  I can't wait for Christmas morning and all the craziness it will entail!  I think we have decided to go out to eat after Christmas Eve service, with it just being us this year it seems silly to have to go home and cook.  Hopefully we can find somewhere to eat!
If you haven't already heard I am selling Wildtree; Wildtree is a direct sales company that specialized in all natural gourmet culinary blends, infused Grapeseed oils, dressings, and sauces (plus much more).  I am really excited about the product and their freezer meal workshops.  So far I have had one freezer meal workshop as a representative.  It went really well and I am looking forward to the ones I have booked for January.  If you want to know more please email me or check out my webpage:  www.mywildtree.com/smajiros
D is doing well, she is having a little more girl drama at school than I would like.  We didn't have any last year, so I wasn't really prepared for it this year.  She did not get put in a class with any of her friends from last year, so she is still getting to know the girls in her class.  She looks forward to seeing her old friends outside during recess, however they aren't always willing to let her join them in whatever they are playing.  I am pretty sure D has done the same thing to others in other scenarios, so we keep reminding her that you have to be a good friend all the time, and sometimes you just have to walk away when others are not being very nice.  She is still doing gymnastics and is looking forward to skiing when we finally get some snow (it was 50 degrees yesterday!).
E is a busy toddler, she is a ball of energy and so much fun to be around.  She is a talker!  Everyone is amazed at the amount of words she knows and her ability to speak in sentences.  Her favorite things to say; thank you, I don't know, yep, snowman, milk please, Jingle Bells, Laney, Kitty, Elmo.
N is busy with work!  He is also training for a 5K and trying to shed some more weight.  He is still a vegetarian and is never even tempted by some of the meats the girls eat.

Merry Christmas to all!!

November Already!

Phew--where did the month of October go?  And it is already the 10th of November!  I have a feeling time is going to continue to fly by until the end of December.
We had a lot of fun in October; we were able to enjoy some great weather, watch the leaves change color overnight, and participate in lots of Halloween activities.  I think the whole family agrees that the Trunk or Treat weekend at our church was the best.  We did our first every family fun run and invited friends to come to the trunk or treat event with us; I think we all had a wonderful time and would like to make it a yearly tradition.  We are so very blessed to have some great friends here that we can enjoy these activities with.
I am feeling a little guilty that I haven't participated in the day of thankfulness on Facebook.  I hope that in posting pictures of my family and sharing with you all what we are up to you can see how very thankful and blessed we feel. 
This week I am most thankful for my family and friends.  The beginning of the week D had a sleep study and my parents were able to come into town and help out with E. Then I was fortunate enough to celebrate a friend's birthday on Thursday and a co-worker of N's birthday on Friday.  What a fun couple of nights that included Madonna, good food, wine (!), and even a little dancing.  We are going to need the whole weekend to recover!
Up next--Thanksgiving!  My in-laws will be here to celebrate with us.  We are looking for a place to eat if anyone has any restaurant suggestions!  And I am determined to get some shopping done soon!

Freezer Meal Workshop

A few weeks ago I went to a Wildtree Tasting Party and got excited about their products and their freezer bag workshops.  As you know, I love freezer cooking!  When the representative said it would take only an hour to put together 10 meals (more if you have a small family and can split the recipes), she had my full attention.
What is Wildtree?  Here is what is listed on their website: 

"Wildtree is an exciting direct-sales company whose all natural gourmet culinary blends, infused Grapeseed oils, dressings and sauces are sold through home Tasting parties.

Our Independent Representatives will show your guests how to make cooking everyday and gourmet food quicker, easier and more healthful for those who are short on time, and a fun, interesting adventure for those who wish to be more creative in the kitchen.

Wildtree's food line contains all natural, no preservatives, no msg, no food dyes, no food additives. Wildtree provides recipes for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, holiday meals, appetizers and other special occasions. Wildtree provides an excellent home based business opportunity for Independent Representatives who want to make part-time money or build a full-time career."  http://wildtree.com/Home/default.aspx

Who doesn't want to put together 10 meals in one hour and know the ingredients are all natural?!? 

So I booked my freezer workshop and started spreading the word, I got a lot of positive interest, which got me thinking maybe this is a company I could work for.  My partner in crime, MK, had a great idea to see if we could get some better meat prices if all of us ordered together.  There was 10 of us, so that is a lot of meat.  (I think it was 100 lbs!)  She called a bunch of butchers, visited them in person, and worked her magic.  We got great meat prices and the butcher cut it just how we needed it and packaged it in the sizes each of us would need! (chunks, strips, boneless)

To prep for the workshop you have to bag your protein and veggies and label the bags with the right number.  I would say this took less than an hour to do.  On the day of the workshop the representative brings your purchased bundle of oil and spices. (I will post a picture below)  And gives you the directions on what needs to be added to each bag.  She also gave us labels to stick to the bags with instructions.  We all quickly got to work and sure enough in about an hour with all had 10 plus meals.  We also were given some side suggestions for meals and the nutrional information.

Note to vegetarians:  The Wildtree rep can give you vegetarian options, I made a few of my meals vegetarian so Nathan would have lots of meals to enjoy too.

Here is what we made:

Garlic and Herb Pork Chops

Italian Chicken Tenders

Herb Crusted Tilapia

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Tenderloin

Opa! Greek Kabobs (I did half mine tofu, half chicken)

Greek Chicken Burgers

Shrimp Scampi (I did mine vegetarian-so the substitute was peppers and mushrooms)

Baked Chicken Scampi and rice (I made mine tofu)

Fajitas (I used Portebella mushrooms instead of steak)

Taco Night (I used lentils, everyone else used ground turkey)

 

Here is the postivie, you have a lot of spices and oils to make even more meals!  So the upfront cost does not seem as bad.

 

work station

Spices and oil

meals all done

What you get in the bundle, this was after I made the meals, so you can see a lot is left.

 

 

Update on life...

It has been a very busy fall.  This time of year seems to be a whirlwind when you have a child in school.  I thought I better do a little update on what everyone is up to.
D-She is enjoying 1st grade and is the new challenges that 1st grade brings.  She is participating in a gymnastics class once a week and starts a walking club on Monday.  We are trying hard to fit an hour in of physical activity for her, as well continuing to adjust her diet.  We are meeting with a nutritionist in a few weeks.  She had to have an x-ray which found enlarged adenoids (her tonsils are fine), she is going to have a sleep study in November to see if they are affecting the quality of sleep she is getting.  We are so very lucky that she has been a very healthy child, so we will take this bump in the road as it comes.
E-is a very busy toddler.  She is beginning to string words together which is fun to hear.  She is finally getting some more teeth, we are up to 8 now!  We still don't know how long she will be with us, so we just take it one day at a time.
N-is busy with work and some house projects.  He has also adjusted some things in his diet and is seeing results.  He has started the couch to 5K program again and hopes to run a 5K this winter.
Me-I am keeping busy with the girls, MOPS, Moms Club, and volunteering at school.  I am still running and going to start a new program this coming week to help me add distance.  (right BFF?)  I am looking forward to a freezer cooking party I am having Wednesday....and will try to blog about that next week!

Brrrr...time for some soup!

We had a bowl full of tomatoes from our garden to use up and N already made some sauce, he thought of making salsa, but after a few chilly days I convinced him to make his Tomato Basil Soup.  He created the recipe after we fell in love with a similar soup at a restaurant in NY. 
Here is the recipe, enjoy!

2 – 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes, or substitute one can of crushed tomatoes for one can of diced for a chunkier texture

1 – Can Tomato Paste

1 – Can Tomato Paste with Italian Herbs

5 – 28ozs Cans Water

3 – Tablespoons Dried Basil Leaves

1 – Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

¼ - Cup Sugar  (add more to your own liking, I usually need more in mine)

1 – Teaspoon Salt

½-¾ – Lbs Grated Swiss Cheeses (Thick Strands)

 

Place all of the ingredients (not including the cheese) in a large pot and bring to a boil. 

• Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer uncovered and hold for 3 hours
• Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes
• Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir
• Prior to serving heat the soup to a near boiling
• Remove the pot from heat and serve
• Top with remaining cheese to ones bowl as needed/wanted
• Top with Oyster Crackers or Saltines to taste

Yields: ~ 1gallon of soup

We have had great success freezing and reheating as well.
 

Finding my own workspace...

Since the girls have the office, I needed to reclaim some workspace upstairs. This meant uncovering the desk which was buried among stacks of papers that need filing. I need to bins and such, but for now I can at least get my Cricut off the card table!

Bigger only means messier!

One word to describe out closet-unorganized! I have spent two days trying to get my side in order, two days! N's side isn't too bad so I skipped doing his side.
I so wish this was our forever house as the closet is a great size and it would be wonderful to have built ins and better lighting, mirrors, etc. Someday I will have my dream closet!

My DREAM!

The REALITY!

Before:  My side is on left, I was too embarrassed to take a more close up one!

After: I moved a dresser and added the tall table for my jewelry

looking from other end of room

another shot

what a mess!

much better!



thanks pinterest!

Trying out some new recipes

Because I am avoiding cleaning my bedroom I decided to try out some new recipes.
The first one was a new egg salad:
http://www.theyummylife.com/Egg_Salad
After reading through the recipe I didn't end up usingit  other than for the idea to use yogurt.  I can always use the extra protein!  I put mostly yogurt and only a little mayo....I then added my normal ingredients; mustard, salt, pepper, and sweet relish.  I did a taste test and decided it needed some celery salt as well.  The new taste is something I will have to get use to, but I will make it this way again.
The second one was a Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie:
http://watching-what-i-eat.blogspot.com/2012/04/banana-oat-breakfast-cookies.html
I have seen several of these types of recipes pinned on pinterest so I thought I would give it a try.  I did not have raisins, so I left those out. D is in need of some snacks that are packed with some fiber but  not full of sugar.  They certainly made my house smell yummy while baking! I think they taste ok--hoping D thinks they are great.

Back to School-1st grade edition

D headed back to school this morning; a big 1st grader!  She was so excited to get going she was up extra early and ready to go.  It was so nice to see all the kids so excited at the bus stop, it was as if they had never had a break from school.  They all barely gave us a second glance as they raced towards the bus.  I held it together this year, probably because she was so excited.  I did get that weird feeling in my belly this afternoon, I miss her and hate that I don't know what is going on at school.
Unlike last September I am not coming home to an empty quiet house, baby E is still with us so she will keep me busy while D is at school.  I am trying to transition her to one nap so we can go to story time, MOMs Club and MOPS without her losing it.  I have started waking her up after about 45 minutes in the morning, I will decrease the time the rest of this week and see how it goes.

D's lunch cart

Fruit to choose from (also fresh fruit in fridge)

Drinks

Fun item!  Now that I am down to one child at home I will make some homemade stuff for this drawer as well.

Clothes picked out for the week:  this worked well last year.

Cleaning!

I am always on the lookout for homemade cleaner and new ways to get my house spotless, even if it only stays that way for an hour! Today I need to get the majority of my house cleaned as my parents will be here tomorrow. While E slept I was able to get the rest of D's clothes organized and put away (they were all over our guest bed) and the girls bathroom cleaned. I use vinegar to clean most everything, so the bathroom got a good vinegar bath. I started on the wood floors next, I usually steam them but every few cleanings I scrub them on my hands and knees. When I do this I use either just vinegar and water or a mixture I found and pinned on Pinterest. Today I decided to try to use coffee filters instead of a rag, they worked great! They picked up the hair instead of making it stick to the floor more like the rag does. I have used the filters to clean my countertops and as dust rags, not sure why it took me this long to try on the floor. So there you go my tip of the day. Oh and color wonder markers for a certain babe that likes to draw! Now back to cleaning....sigh....

High Hopes on this last week of Summer!

I started out with lots of energy this morning that has slowly fizzled.
My list for the week:
Toddler Proof the playroom -- done
Make a lunch cart for D -- done
Finish organizing D's clothes -- still a mess!
Buy sneakers for D -- sigh
Clean for my parents visit -- ongoing
Get D's hair trimmed -- scheduled for tonight

Our Fun to-do list:
Swim!!
Playdate
Library
Park

I signed up for the Warrior Dash? What the bleep was I thinking?

Because I love and miss my friends in NY, N and I have signed up to to the Warrior Dash in PA next August with them. And because we may truly be crazy we may also do the one in MI for practice. So now to begin training, I am not sure where to start! We belong to a nice gym, however personal training is an added fee and one we really don't have the money for. They do have lots of great equipment available, so I just need to figure out what to do and how much. I may fork over the money for at least a few sessions to get an idea. N and I have also discussed taking the TRX class together. I plan on scoping out some sledding hills next week to get some hill running experience. If anyone else has training tips please let me know!
I finally went over 100 miles on my Nike app! I have been using it on the majority of my runs, I realize my average is 2 miles...hopefully by winter my average will be higher. I still have my 10k goal for the fall!

Let the countdown begin...

My baby will be in 1st grade in three weeks! We got her teacher letter and supply list a few weeks ago, so we have picked up some things here and there. Grandma ordered her a new backpack, she hasn't had a new one since she was 2 when I found a Pottery Barn one on eBay with her name on it. It has survived 3 years of preschool and kindergarten. It is still in great shape, even after being dragged on and off the bus and having to be washed a million times last year. We let her pick out a new lunch box at the PB outlet this weekend, her Thirty-one lunch tote has seen better days! Surprisingly she chose a yellow and aqua bag, even though she got a pink backpack and swore they needed to match just a few days ago. Girls!
I have begun to go through her clothes and see what I need to purchase. A lot of her clothes were purchased and worn for the last two years, so they are too small or worn out. It is very difficult to find clothes for her, so I will probably spend the next few months buying things here and there versus going out and buying it all at once. I am hoping to hit a few resale shops and go from there. I am also hoping it stays warm until at least mid October as she has a ton of dresses she can wear until it gets cold.

Some school supplies!

Working on cleaning up her room, starting with her books.

Using the guest room to go through all her clothes--good thing my parents aren't coming for another couple of weeks!

What to do on a rainy Friday? Make my pantry look better of course!

It has been 2 years (why haven't you visited??)!

We have been in Michigan for over 2 years now, it has gone by so fast!  We are enjoying our time here and no we don't know for how much longer we will be here.  ;0)  We have to stay here long enough to settle whatever will happen with baby E, and given the Michigan system that could be awhile.  We just take things one day at a time around here!
Now on to, why haven't you (yes, you!) visited?  We have a large house with plenty of room, so we would love more visitors!  So far we have only had our families visit and a few friends (thank you!).  We have a guest bedroom with a queen sized bed, plus a play room that fits our blow up queen sized mattress.  We have a huge master bedroom, so Delaney can always stay in there and that frees up another bed (full size).  So who is ready to book a weekend or week with us!
Still need convincing?  We have a huge indoor outlet mall just down the street:  http://greatlakescrossingoutlets-px.rtrk.com/?cpgn=reachlocal_GreatLakesCrossingOutlets
We have an Ikea within a 45 minute drive!  We have lakes, casinos, parks, sporting events, concerts, etc.  And of course you get to see our faces for a few days!

Olympic Spirit!

We are counting down the hours till the opening ceremony! D is excited to watch gymnastics and swimming over the next two weeks.
We spent the afternoon making some Olympic inspired crafts!

Summer Lovin' or maybe not....

I really try very hard to not complain too much about the joys and obstacles of motherhood, but feel I have to just rant a little.  Since the end of the school year it has been an up and down battle in our household with D, mostly later in the day around bedtime.  It is frustrating and tiresome and I am ready for it to end.  We have been a little too lazy with the bedtime routine and I think that has killed us.  She gets overtired and then it is all downhill from there.  We have never struggled with this time of day, I think because I have always been very scheduled with bedtime, catch them before they are tired and get them in bed!  She has always been a great sleeper, so even putting her to bed at 7, she is still never up till around 7 the next morning.  The tantrums seem to happen mostly on N's night to put her to bed and I am not sure why.  I don't want to blame him, but I think he doesn't come off overly enthusiastic about the bedtime routine and she feeds off of that.  We chatted last night and agreed that we needed to push up bedtime and both stick to it.

I also think she misses the school schedule, so I created an hourly schedule for her this morning that we will start tomorrow.  She was excited to get it off the printer and read it.  Hopefully this will help with boredom and also with bedtime.

If anyone else has suggestions please post them!

Back to Summer Lovin' (hopefully!)

Am I the only one that makes a bigger mess when cleaning?!?

I think I like to torture myself!

Pinterest--bathroom organization

I found a pin on pinterest that put a second shower rod on the back wall of the shower to hang up bath toys, shampoo, etc. Since having a baby in the house again we needed something to keep the shampoo and soap out of her reach and store the tub toys.
I got the rod and used some cheap plastic Easter baskets until I find something else, preferable long and narrow. Any suggestions?
Next up is painting this bathroom, but we are limited in color choices since there are colored tiles (green and Maroon) in the shower. D does not want it painted green again.... Any thoughts?

Toys and shampoo thrown on the floor so E doesn't get all of them.

Shower curtain rod and baskets.

A Little Summer Catch Up

It is so hard to believe it is already the middle of July, but thankfully we still have lots of summer left to enjoy!
It has been so hot and humid here in Michigan, this is pretty typical so I won't complain.  :)  We have enjoyed lots of pool time at our local gym.  The girls both really enjoy the water, so it is a fun time for all.  We would like to spend more time at the park, but the heat has kept us from this.
We had a fantastic trip to Chicago and Wisconsin.  I wish we had more time in Chicago!  We can't wait to go back.  D really loved the American Girl store, we set up an appointment for her to get Lanie's hair done and ears pierced.  We also set up a personal shopper (this is free and I highly recommend!) for her, this made decision making so much easier and check out was a breeze.  E was tired and cranky the whole time we were at the store, so that part wasn't much fun for N and I.  Our stay in Wisconsin was fun, but probably not something we would do again.  We enjoyed the water park-indoor and out-but really didn't feel like there was enough there to warrant another visit in the future.
D is visiting my parents in New York this week.  She is having a great time visiting old friends, eating out, and getting spoiled rotten.  We are looking forward to her return on Monday.  In the meantime E and I are staying busy around the house.
We are all hoping to go to NY in a couple of weeks, so mark your calendars!

We got lucky and were able to meet up with our NY friends that were in Chicago too!  Thank you Facebook for making us realize we would both be there that day!

D enjoying the diving board at our gym pool!

N coming down the slide at the waterpark.

D with her old doll and new doll!  Our personal shopper is in the background.