TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 122)

Do something just for you.

I think I've started something. Something good. I've changed my way of thinking a bit and I think it will a good thing too. I've started doing something daily, just for myself. Not for anyone else, with me included in some round about way, for me and me alone. I know as Mom's and parents and caregivers sometimes our tasks outnumber the hours in the day, something needs cleaning, someone needs a ride, someone is banging on the bathroom door again...sigh. This is my goal though, I want to take at least 20 minutes just to myself and I'm going to use it to my advantage. In fact I already have twice this week, I am taking those wonderful 20 minutes and doing a little speed walking. I have discovered that I can walk 2 whole miles in those 20 minutes and as I warm up I intend to take a little more time and walk a little more. I also want to make sure I eat all three meals a day, something I'm not very good at. Something to do with hypoglycemia, I have zero appetite and I haven't been working and moving around enough to make sure to eat to keep my blood sugar even.
No...my motivation in all this isn't the fact that not very many of my pants fit, that's just silly! Although, the fact that my little boy with the Asperger's, uncouth as he is, has pointed at me laughing, "Look! Mom's pregnant" a few times may have been an influence. Perhaps. Never mind the motivation, I'll just take the "T.f.T." to heart and use it to my advantage! Here's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY, do something just for you today! ;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 121)

Mini Babybel Cheese!

I like cheese, I'm not afraid to admit it! We've all seen the commercials for these, with the lady handing out cheese and unwrapping smiles, they are cute! I try to eat as healthy as possible and cheese probably doesn't fall into that category at all, but besides eating healthy I have some hypoglycemic tendencies. That means in the afternoons, after running around all day...my blood sugar can get quite low. Normally I would have reached for a string cheese for a quick shot of protein to even me out, that was until I tried these Mini Babybel Cheeses! They are so good! I actually prefer the light original version and once I unwrapped the wax package and took a bite of the soft, smooth goodness, I was hooked! It's the perfect snack!
Thank you to the laughing cow for making such an awesome line of cheeses, next I want to try the 35 calorie wedge...yum! Need a quick snack and really like cheese? Try Mini Babybel Cheese, tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe...and I bet you will too! ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 120)

My childhood home...

 "Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to" ~ John Ed Pearce

How true is this quote? I know for me it rings true in all areas, as I think back to my upbringing. Simple were we in action and character, but love was never as issue. I had the opportunity to go back home a few months back and as I drove home these thoughts came to mind:

"I pondered things as I drove home this afternoon, alone with my thoughts and surrounded by the beauty of a rain-soaked landscape. (The kids entertained themselves with a DVD and headphones) It made me think of how where we are from weaves itself through the very fabric of our makeup. I'm made up of towering buttes and pink sand and sage, of endless blue and skies ablaze. I'm made up of dust devils and rain while the sun shines bright, of breath taking views and crisp starry nights. The rush of the Colorado River runs through my veins, the sun, the Lake, the breeze wraps 'round me to take. I've left and moved on, I've ran far away and still home you do make."

Click here to read all of it if you'd like. Home is where I was molded and shaped and tried my hardest to get away from too. As an adult you get the opportunity to step back and view things as they were, not as things were perceived. When  I lived there as a child (and as an adult a time or two) my point of view was warped, for I was standing to close to take it all in. Now that I've had the opportunity to live and learn and raise children of my own I can truly see, I had it really good despite never having a good place to fit in. All of it together mixed up and poured into the mold that is me...just a thought.0)

Over the rainbow...

Pretty rainbow dress for my niece

with a big, pretty bow in the back!

close-up of the adorable material!

As you can see, this has been the extent of my sewing for this week. While I still have 3 costumes to make and a couple of other projects, I was perfectly happy to work on such a pretty dress! My little niece Ainsley loves rainbows (click here to read about it) and I had some rainbow striped material in my stash. When I asked my sister what to get for Ainsley's upcoming birthday, she said, "How about a dress?" I know that in years past that they have had a bit of a hard time finding long-sleeved dresses for the winter (they actually have seasons where they live) so, I thought I'd make a long-sleeved one!
I bought a plain black shirt at Wal-Mart for 5 bucks and with the rainbow striped material and a coordinating I had, I got to work. I cut the shirt at empire-waste length and sewed the rainbow stripe into a skirt, taking care to match up the stripes. I then cut the coordinating material for a band at the bottom and for a sash at the top. The material itself wasn't quite long enough for a sash (with a really big bow) so, I cut another strip to fasten to the ends of the sash to lengthen it. I then attached the sash to the shirt and attached the skirt the shirt as well. I stitched up the ends of the sash and hemmed the bottom and pressed the whole thing. I also have a bit of embellishing to do the the top, but look at how cute this dress turned out!
What a perfect dress for my little niece Ainsley "Rainbow"! My daughter of course came home and announced she needed one just like it, I guess I'll just add it to the project pile! ;0)

What's for dinner?

I just made "The best vegetable soup ever, no kidding!" and as pompous and full of itself in title, in taste it was divine! This well titled and robust soup was a big hit with everyone, kids included! I mean a meal with vegetable in the title would make any kid run the other direction, right? I got great compliments such as, "This is the very best soup ever Mom!" and "It's almost as good as pie...almost." It's not often that I make a meal that the adults think is good and the kids too, it's almost unheard of! I got the inspiration from the TODAY show this morning and normally I don't listen to what they are cooking because it takes to much effort to make it gluten-free and well as dairy-free for my allergy ridden eater. Thankfully, this was not the case this morning! This soup not only delish, but it gets my GF approval...hands down! The verdict? If you want a great and delicious meal, that is full of flavor, vegetables, gluten-free, and kid approved try "The very best vegetable soup ever, no kidding!" ;0)

Psst...do you like to win stuff?

Well, of course you do! Check out my friend Jamie's blog for a chance to win some fabulous Bic markers! While you're there check out her great card/craft ideas as well, they're awesome! Sweet!! ;0)

TiP fOr TuEsDaY

As I'm sure everyone missed my TiP fOr TuEsDaY segment last week due to technical difficulties, be rest assure it is alive and well again today! SHAZAAM!! ;0) Honestly though, it has been difficult to get everything done and blog as well...I blame it on the time of year. What is it with Fall? I mean I LOVE Fall with a passion, but it seems no matter how hard I try to get everything done I would normally have to do and then the fun stuff too, I fail miserably. Take yesterday for instance, I washed 3 loads of laundry, I blogged, I picked up the house, I went to an appointment after shuttling everyone to and from school. I made dinner, I cleaned up after dinner, I went grocery shopping and put everyone to bed and when I looked at the clock it was 10 pm! Where on earth did the time go? Aww...it seems it was sucked into the vortex that is Fall!
Not only does it seems like there is not enough time, there truly isn't. The days are shorter in length and activities for school compile into piles not unlike the giant leaf piles we used to rake up in our backyard as kids. "I have a birthday party to go to...", "I need help with a project for school"..., "I need a ride to practice"...it truly is ongoing. Aside from overly involved kids, there is always all the fun things that associated with the season. Making Halloween costumes, decorating the house, baking up some  goodies, carving pumpkins, corn mazes, family fun...super fun and exciting is it all...or it would be more so if I wasn't so blasted tired, right? Here's a few tips for staying on top of it all and maintaining your sanity (sure....):
Make a list.
Be it an "on paper" type list or mental type, take a few minutes to list what you want to accomplished for the season.
Decorate the house, check.
Make Halloween costumes, check.
Bake up some goodies, check.
Toilet paper neighbors house, check, check!;0)
Of course, I'm kidding about the last one (or am I?...hmmmm...) but you get the picture!
Enlist some help.
The kids want to go visit the corn maze or local haunted house and your house is a wreck, so what do you do? Make them help clean it up. Set aside an hour before they want to go somewhere and do some intense cleaning and make the fun stuff the reward. You give a great lesson about being rewarded for your efforts and the house gets some attention as well. Win, win if you ask me!;0)
Be realistic.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to get everything accomplished, you can't. The key is to be okay with that. We as mothers and women sometimes put way too much pressure on ourselves to be "perfect" and "accomplished" and...and...I know there are times that I do as well. I want everyone to be happy and sometimes I end up making myself crazy in the process. Prioritize your list and make sure to include some fun stuff too and if you know you can't get it all done, then be okay with that too. If the kids are happy and the house is semi-clean and you had a little fun too, then folks, you've got it made I say!;0)
HELP! I'm being sucked into the vortex of Fall...but hey, the love of the season makes up for it and with my list, enlisted help, and realistic view, then by golly I'm set! Shazaam!! That's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY!;0)