I just made the most amazing smoothie by throwing a bunch of random stuff in the Vita-Mix. The only problem is I'll never be able to replicate it!! Well, I'll try; here goes. I threw in some...
~ frozen fruit: pineapple, mango, peaches, and the last few blueberries in the bag
~ then I added some delicious practically-fresh-squeezed OJ
~ and a splash of coconut milk
~ Oh, almost forgot- I started out by blending up about half a dozen dates. You have to blend them up first or you get date chunks throughout the smoothie. (Which I like, but the kids have a fit.) The dates are the sweetener, better than sugar or honey.
Then I used the Vita Mix plunger to jam it down while I blended it all up into almost a soft sherbet consistency. It was the BEST EVER.
I think I'm going for seconds...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Organizing
The beginning of the year is an important milestone in my efforts to keep my papers in order. I've been filing by the month for several years now, so when the new year rolls around I have to clear out the old files to make way for the new. I LOVE filing this way. Here's how it works. All of my bills, statements, receipts, and other business-y paperwork goes in one folder for each month. I do NOT separate out the water bill from the phone bill from the grocery receipts, which saves a ton of work. I pay what needs to be paid, enter it all in my computerized check register, and plop it all in one folder instead of spending 20 minutes filing everything individually. IT WORKS. When I need a receipt to make a return, for instance, I am able to find it easily. When I need to refer back to a bill, I can find those pretty easily, too. It's no harder to look up a bill in my files by the date than by the company.
I do have two exceptions to everything-in-one-folder. The first is credit card receipts and bills. I have one folder for my cards and one folder for DH's cards. Those seem to be the one item where I might need to access more than one month at a time, so it's easier to keep those separate. I try to match receipts to bills and keep track of my spending somewhat (in theory) so I don't want them all mixed up with non-credit card receipts. The idea is to match each month's receipts with the bills as they come in, but I found myself sitting down with a huge folder of unmatched MESS today. I quickly got them in order, though, and matched the receipts to bills for the entire year in about an hour. (I'm so proud of myself for getting that job done; just had to brag.)
The second exception is medical paperwork. Statements from the insurance company, doctor bills, prescription receipts, and so forth.
To finish everything off, I have a second drawer for long term files. That's paperwork from companies that I might need to refer to over time filed in a more traditional manner. Insurance policies, information on car repairs, correspondence from our homeowner's association, initial contracts with phone companies, that type of thing.
So that's my filing system in a nutshell. It's worked for me for a lot of years now and it's saved a boatload of time. I also really like that I clear out my main file drawer once a year so it doesn't get overly full. I keep a small file box in a corner of the room with last year's files; when I need to clear that out the now-two-year-old files go in a storage bag and up to the attic, then last year's go in so it's constantly rotating. Works for me!!
I do have two exceptions to everything-in-one-folder. The first is credit card receipts and bills. I have one folder for my cards and one folder for DH's cards. Those seem to be the one item where I might need to access more than one month at a time, so it's easier to keep those separate. I try to match receipts to bills and keep track of my spending somewhat (in theory) so I don't want them all mixed up with non-credit card receipts. The idea is to match each month's receipts with the bills as they come in, but I found myself sitting down with a huge folder of unmatched MESS today. I quickly got them in order, though, and matched the receipts to bills for the entire year in about an hour. (I'm so proud of myself for getting that job done; just had to brag.)
The second exception is medical paperwork. Statements from the insurance company, doctor bills, prescription receipts, and so forth.
To finish everything off, I have a second drawer for long term files. That's paperwork from companies that I might need to refer to over time filed in a more traditional manner. Insurance policies, information on car repairs, correspondence from our homeowner's association, initial contracts with phone companies, that type of thing.
So that's my filing system in a nutshell. It's worked for me for a lot of years now and it's saved a boatload of time. I also really like that I clear out my main file drawer once a year so it doesn't get overly full. I keep a small file box in a corner of the room with last year's files; when I need to clear that out the now-two-year-old files go in a storage bag and up to the attic, then last year's go in so it's constantly rotating. Works for me!!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Oh, Hello
Hi: You still out there? I'm still here, although I've been neglecting my poor blog lately. I've been distracted. You see, I'm married to this really fascinating, sexy, intelligent, charming man and we got to spend a lot of time together when he was off in December. It's been like a renewal to get to spend all that time together, a rediscovery. I've been like the girl in high school who ditches her friends when she hooks up with her new boyfriend, only we've been married for over 22 years now. (Sorry, friends- I still love you all, he's just kept me really, really busy.) ;)
I'm 'fessing up. I'm in love with my husband and can't get enough of him, and it's been reciprocal on his part. I'm a lucky girl.
I'm 'fessing up. I'm in love with my husband and can't get enough of him, and it's been reciprocal on his part. I'm a lucky girl.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Resolutely
Happy 2011! I've been busy cocooning and that's extended to my on-line activities lately, but now DH is back to work, The Eldest started classes again tonight, we've already had a Junior Girl Scout meeting, and life is back in full swing. It is a new year and along with that I've made some resolutions. I've never been a big resolution maker in the past but setting goals is always a good thing to do so I'll give it a go. Here they are, in no particular order:
Around the House:
~ wash one to two loads of clothes every day (this means wash, dry, fold, and put away)
~ keep up with the bills
~ keep up with entering receipts in our money management program
Parenting:
~ implement fair and effective consequences and try not to yell; I will be Zen Mommy
~ make Sunday Family Bike Rides a habit for all of us
Personal:
~ continue my (almost) daily walks
~ ride my bike more often
~ find a way to get back to my goal weight while maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet
~ strength training!!! (This has been a resolution for ages now but I never seem to get around to it.)
And my all time favorite:
~ Remember to write 2011 instead of 2010!!
Around the House:
~ wash one to two loads of clothes every day (this means wash, dry, fold, and put away)
~ keep up with the bills
~ keep up with entering receipts in our money management program
Parenting:
~ implement fair and effective consequences and try not to yell; I will be Zen Mommy
~ make Sunday Family Bike Rides a habit for all of us
Personal:
~ continue my (almost) daily walks
~ ride my bike more often
~ find a way to get back to my goal weight while maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet
~ strength training!!! (This has been a resolution for ages now but I never seem to get around to it.)
And my all time favorite:
~ Remember to write 2011 instead of 2010!!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas Eve
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
It's Christmas Eve, and I feel like I'm over the worst of the stressfulness the holidays bring. The shopping is done, the menus are set, it's only a matter of execution and enjoyment at this point. We're having our big meal today for lunch, a tradition from my family, then for dinner we'll have pierogies, a tradition from DH's family. Tomorrow we've started our own Christmas brunch tradition, then it's leftovers for the rest of the day. Last year we had an outdoor fire in our fire pit and had hot chocolate and s'mores after dark on Christmas Day; I think we'll continue that this year as well if the weather is OK for it. We also exchange "family presents" today, then Santa comes tonight and those presents are opened tomorrow morning.
What are your holiday traditions? How does your family celebrate?
It's Christmas Eve, and I feel like I'm over the worst of the stressfulness the holidays bring. The shopping is done, the menus are set, it's only a matter of execution and enjoyment at this point. We're having our big meal today for lunch, a tradition from my family, then for dinner we'll have pierogies, a tradition from DH's family. Tomorrow we've started our own Christmas brunch tradition, then it's leftovers for the rest of the day. Last year we had an outdoor fire in our fire pit and had hot chocolate and s'mores after dark on Christmas Day; I think we'll continue that this year as well if the weather is OK for it. We also exchange "family presents" today, then Santa comes tonight and those presents are opened tomorrow morning.
What are your holiday traditions? How does your family celebrate?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
And As If Camping Weren't Enough...
After we got home from camping I had the rest of the day on Sunday to unpack, then on Monday I went on a marathon Christmas shopping spree, then Monday night and Tuesday I had to pack for DISNEY WORLD (and Universal Studios). Suffice to say we didn't leave until late Tuesday night; we got into our hotel around midnight. We were very impressed with our suite when we got to it. It was a spacious two bedroom with a full kitchen for a very reasonable off season price. Our only complaint was with the dampness, which I don't think is anything anyone could help. A/C units will pull dampness out of the air but it was COLLLLDDD the whole time we were there so we had the heat on. There was a lot of condensation on the windows; anything I left by the window in our bedroom would be wet when I picked it up. Blech.
But on to the fun stuff! We were there to meet with my aunt, uncle, cousins, cousin-in-laws, and the mini-cousins. Two of the minis are close in age to The Wild Child and Martha, Jr., and the mini-est cousin is a little guy at just the right age to.... pull the fire alarm at the restaurant we had brunch at on our last day. Oh, yes, he did! (He's two; they do stuff like that at that age.) His poor dad was mortified; the rest of us veteran parents told him not to sweat it. He'll be laughing about it in a few years! Mini-est was full of it, too. The Wild Child recognized a kindred spirit and had a lot of fun running around with him in spite of the age difference. We went to the Magic Kingdom with everyone on Friday and it was wonderful. I love connecting with my relatives and doing something fun like that together makes it even better. That's one of the advantages of living in Florida- everyone with kids eventually heads to Disney World, and when they do we can meet them there. We've had more family reunions there than you can shake a stick at, and we've loved them all.
We also took a day by ourselves on Thursday to head to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. It was interesting but so crowded, even though it was still technically the off season. That section of the park is so new that it's still packing in the crowds, and BOY, it was crowded. The rest of the park was a lot less densely packed with people so they were all there, like us, to see that one section. I must say they've done a nice job with it. The butter beer was yummy. (I didn't drink an entire glass by myself; I shared with DH.) It was like a root beer topped with a butterscotch flavored whipped cream. There were lines to get in the shops, too, but the kids HAD to have wands so we waited to get into Olivander's. When we actually got in we realized why there was such a wait- they had a little show in the first part of the shop with a guy dressed up as Olivander. It was only a few minutes long but we all got a big kick out of it. Once the show is over they herd you into the larger section of the shop, which is also packed, so you can pick out your wand. That's even a lot of fun since they have several different ones. You can get one like the characters used (The Eldest liked Hermione's) or you can get one based on a date of your choosing. Martha, Jr. chose one based on her birthday. The Wild Child lost his already, of course.
After spending time with my uncle and his family we drove over to see my in-laws for two more days. After all the running around and packing and theme parking and fun and activity it was relaxing to be at their house. We were only going to stay one night but once I got settled in I didn't feel up to rushing again, and we were enjoying their company, so we stayed the extra day. We had to head back home late yesterday though since our kitty is boarding at the vet's and he has to be picked up by today at the latest.
So now we're back home, and I have 3 days to get ready for Christmas. Yipes!!!
But on to the fun stuff! We were there to meet with my aunt, uncle, cousins, cousin-in-laws, and the mini-cousins. Two of the minis are close in age to The Wild Child and Martha, Jr., and the mini-est cousin is a little guy at just the right age to.... pull the fire alarm at the restaurant we had brunch at on our last day. Oh, yes, he did! (He's two; they do stuff like that at that age.) His poor dad was mortified; the rest of us veteran parents told him not to sweat it. He'll be laughing about it in a few years! Mini-est was full of it, too. The Wild Child recognized a kindred spirit and had a lot of fun running around with him in spite of the age difference. We went to the Magic Kingdom with everyone on Friday and it was wonderful. I love connecting with my relatives and doing something fun like that together makes it even better. That's one of the advantages of living in Florida- everyone with kids eventually heads to Disney World, and when they do we can meet them there. We've had more family reunions there than you can shake a stick at, and we've loved them all.
We also took a day by ourselves on Thursday to head to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. It was interesting but so crowded, even though it was still technically the off season. That section of the park is so new that it's still packing in the crowds, and BOY, it was crowded. The rest of the park was a lot less densely packed with people so they were all there, like us, to see that one section. I must say they've done a nice job with it. The butter beer was yummy. (I didn't drink an entire glass by myself; I shared with DH.) It was like a root beer topped with a butterscotch flavored whipped cream. There were lines to get in the shops, too, but the kids HAD to have wands so we waited to get into Olivander's. When we actually got in we realized why there was such a wait- they had a little show in the first part of the shop with a guy dressed up as Olivander. It was only a few minutes long but we all got a big kick out of it. Once the show is over they herd you into the larger section of the shop, which is also packed, so you can pick out your wand. That's even a lot of fun since they have several different ones. You can get one like the characters used (The Eldest liked Hermione's) or you can get one based on a date of your choosing. Martha, Jr. chose one based on her birthday. The Wild Child lost his already, of course.
After spending time with my uncle and his family we drove over to see my in-laws for two more days. After all the running around and packing and theme parking and fun and activity it was relaxing to be at their house. We were only going to stay one night but once I got settled in I didn't feel up to rushing again, and we were enjoying their company, so we stayed the extra day. We had to head back home late yesterday though since our kitty is boarding at the vet's and he has to be picked up by today at the latest.
So now we're back home, and I have 3 days to get ready for Christmas. Yipes!!!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Camping
The Middle Child, aka Martha Stewart, Jr., and I went camping with the Girl Scouts this weekend along with 4 other girls and one mom from her troop... and a whole bunch of other troops from our area. We went to one of my favorite places, a Girl Scout camp located upstate a ways. I'm told it's "luxury camping" since we were in cabins and we had showers with hot water, power, and refrigerators. We didn't have heaters, though, and in those non-insulated cabins it was pretty chilly in the middle of the night! We were lucky, though; the temp only dropped into the 50's while we were there. It's supposed to get down into the 30's tonight! Yowsers! I think I would've been bundling us up and driving HOME if it had gotten that cold. I can handle 50's, though. My sleeping bag is pretty cozy, plus I had a fleece liner and doubled up sheet to round it out, then I had on my flannel jammies, socks, and my leg warmers. (Left over from the 80's, but very handy.) I was positively toasty.... until I had to get up and go pee at 4:00 a.m. That was brutal.
Daylight started out cold but warmed up. We spent Saturday morning, through lunch and into early afternoon, participating in structured activities with the whole group. (There were around 100 of us there.) They gave us the rest of the time to do as we pleased, which was perfect. We went back to our cabins, relaxed for a little while, then got started with cooking dinner. For previous Camporees our meals were catered, but they decided not to go that route this time. It was a lot more work in terms of advance planning, but only because I haven't camp-cooked with my girls before. Once we got down to actually cooking, it was fun. We kept it simple for most of the girls with hot dogs on a stick. I don't eat hot dogs so I took leftover chili from home, but I was able to make some boil-in-bag rice over the fire to go with it. I also had a popcorn popper and the girls had fun making several batches. (The last batch burned, probably because we didn't clean the popper out properly before hand. The other batches were perfect.)
The cooking and clean up becomes an activity in and of itself when you're making food over an open fire. The girls got to help every step of the way, from lighting the fire starters to cleaning up using the 3 bucket system and their dunk bags. I think they learned a lot while we were there, in addition to all the fun. They made friends with the older girls in the two other troops at our campsite, too. All in all, it was a great weekend. Give me a week or two of recovery time and I'll be ready to go again!
Daylight started out cold but warmed up. We spent Saturday morning, through lunch and into early afternoon, participating in structured activities with the whole group. (There were around 100 of us there.) They gave us the rest of the time to do as we pleased, which was perfect. We went back to our cabins, relaxed for a little while, then got started with cooking dinner. For previous Camporees our meals were catered, but they decided not to go that route this time. It was a lot more work in terms of advance planning, but only because I haven't camp-cooked with my girls before. Once we got down to actually cooking, it was fun. We kept it simple for most of the girls with hot dogs on a stick. I don't eat hot dogs so I took leftover chili from home, but I was able to make some boil-in-bag rice over the fire to go with it. I also had a popcorn popper and the girls had fun making several batches. (The last batch burned, probably because we didn't clean the popper out properly before hand. The other batches were perfect.)
The cooking and clean up becomes an activity in and of itself when you're making food over an open fire. The girls got to help every step of the way, from lighting the fire starters to cleaning up using the 3 bucket system and their dunk bags. I think they learned a lot while we were there, in addition to all the fun. They made friends with the older girls in the two other troops at our campsite, too. All in all, it was a great weekend. Give me a week or two of recovery time and I'll be ready to go again!
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