It Comes Full Circle

I thought about my dad today while getting Jensen ready for preschool.

I remember my dad saying in an exaggerated manner when we were looking for our shoes, "Doh, doh, doh, where can they be? Let's look on the ceiling!" He was mocking us with the voice of a dopey Bugs Bunny character. I never thought that was very nice. I was trying hard to find those shoes!

This morning, I asked both of my kids to grab me the gray socks sitting on the edge of the table, which is at Jensen's shoulder level. Both of them looked all around the socks. Below the table. Around the table. On the other side of the table. But not in front of them.

I finally understood why my father mocked us. It's hard to hold back.

Children really don't know how to look for things. I don't know why. Someone explain the developmental reason

As I was driving him to preschool, it was foggy. Two memories smashed together. Riding in the front seat with Dad as he drove through the fog. I was worried about the fact that he couldn't see very far in front of him. That memory is mixed with another time when I sat in the front seat with him as we drove through the night to Colorado. I remember it being 5 a.m. and I felt like I needed to stay awake to keep him company. I was seven.

Being a parent reminds me of so many moments with my parents. I'm grateful that most moments are positive. Being a parent also helps me understand the not-so-proud moments and forgive. I'm fortunate and very thankful that I don't have much to forgive.

How Often Should I Be Exercising?

You're going to have to excuse me as I'm blogging while still on an exercise high. The question that has been haunting me, "How often should I work out?"

Last week I decided that going to Curves on Monday, Wednesday, Friday would work for me. I seemed to be on a roll and then my husband was really sick on Friday and I decided not to leave.  And Saturday, well......as I have discovered: Sitting on one's butt leads to more sitting on one's butt. 

Today I went to Curves and it was amazing how good it felt to challenge my muscles, to sweat and to move. And it reminded me why it's important to establish a routine and really try to stick to it. There are several benefits as I have discovered, one of them being: Movement leads to more movement.

I'm looking forward to moving this week!

Note: I have received a six-month membership to Grayslake Curves in exchange for blogging about my experience weekly.

Blogging in a Cloud

Do you ever feel disconnected from your blog?

Or you're writing, but you're not sure what it has to do with anything?

Or like you're blogging in a cloud, far away from someone, something?

Or feel like you're missing the point?

Sometimes I feel like I'm having a monologue or singing a solo. Only sometimes people join me and we sing a few lines together.

That's how I've been feeling. I'm pulled in a lot of directions as I ponder and explore what's next. It's an open road. But there are preparations to make as well as complete daily life tasks.

So I feel disconnected. And I am looking forward to my blog evolving and at the very least--getting a facelift!

And I think I'm going to end this rambling post now.

A Few Links for My Friends

Mark, you've mastered brownies. Your cousin made these Homemade Mallowmores and I want them. (and please forget that I want to lose weight and avoid sugar-induced highs/lows)

Christine, I know your 18 month old is having tantrums and I thought of you when I saw this post: Why Wait Until Two When You Can Be Terrible Today.  And I guess you might as well read the Toddler Ten Commandments. I need to put them on my fridge as Anna is almost there!

Mary, I know you just had a baby and this post is for you and your spouse. Like everything else surrounding your life with a newborn, postpartum sex gets better with time. Slowly But Surely. Blue Milk's post was supportive as well (My Year Without Sex). And check out this post (Supplemental Feeding Techniques) about alternatives to bottles. My son was syringe-fed by wonderful Bonnie. Sorry, I'm overflowing with advice and links. You have enough to manage on two hours of sleep.

Breastfeeding friends, I found Covering Up is a Feminist Issue to be thought-provoking.

Charity, check out these moose pictures (The Moose That Came to Visit) Did you see any moose when you lived in Alaska (besides that one the boys were carving up)?

Value of Menu Planning

Planning what you and your family is going to eat each week is helpful for many reasons. You save money, time and brain power. It can also help you and your family eat healthier. Why I think menu planning is helpful:

• If I make a menu and then a shopping list, I am more likely to buy only what I need.
• When determining what to make for lunch or supper, I don't waste energy by keeping the refrigerator door open while I gaze at the milk, cheese, eggs and half-wilted veggies.
• OK, I'm kinda joking about the last one, but it's nice knowing what options are available for supper -- saving time and brain power in the evening. 
• If there's a menu, both adults can cook lunch or supper (assuming there's two adults in your household)
• We eat out less or avoid drive-thrus since making a meal doesn't seem as overwhelming.
• How much do you spend every time you walk into a grocery story? I spend a minimum of $20, even if I have three things on my list. I probably average $50 a trip and much more when I make a big trip every other week. If I only have to buy milk and lettuce, I'm more likely to spend less in a month on groceries.
• I can plan all meals and snacks, making it less likely that I'll grab an unhealthy snack.
• I have just enough food, which reduces waste.

There are several options for planning a menu. I most often resort to the type of menu plan in the picture on the left. It isn't sexy and it's not time consuming

I use a piece of paper. The left is for lunch and the right for supper. If you mostly eat leftovers for lunch, then you could plan for two weeks -- week one on the left and week two on the right.

I get out my recipe cards and a favorite recipe book for inspiration. I put the cards in a pile on top of the fridge and document page numbers from the recipe book on my menu. When making the menu on the left, I was mostly using the recipes in the Curves Weight Management Book.

My format is easy. Once I write the menu, I determine what ingredients are needed and write a grocery list. It's amazing how short the list can be.

Notice that only Tuesday lunch is leftovers. I didn't plan to eat leftovers for supper, which isn't realistic. I cook for six and as I get one or two containers of leftovers, we usually eat them for supper.

Another, more detailed plan is what I am considering using to make sure I follow the Curves Weight Management plan. It documents all meals and snacks. If I review it every night, I can make sure I have meat unthawed and eggs boiled. Choosing snacks seems to be a challenge and making sure I eat enough protein for breakfast was hard too. So I'll try the detailed plan and let you know what I think.

What menu planning tools to you use? Leave links or blog about it and post here.

Note: I have received a six-month membership to Grayslake Curves in exchange for blogging about my experience weekly.