Little Miss Planner

miss me?

2011-10-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I blogged but I had a good reason... on top of work, family, garden, life, I've also been growing a little human inside me! This week I'll be 24 weeks or 6 months along. Time has flown by and well, my blog has fallen to the wayside. Not to fret anymore, I'll be starting up blogging once again.

On to more important things... like what's for dinner?

Sunday: Butternut Squash Soup with chicken in Peanut Sauce
Monday: Turkey Meatloaf with summer squash and roasted potato
Taco Tuesday: Shredded Chicken Tacos
Wednesday: Mac Casserole with Procuitto
Thursday: Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini ala Pioneer Woman
Friday: BBQ Baby Back Ribs Slow Cooker
Saturday: Out to eat

So much to share so I'll be blogging quite a bit in the upcoming weeks. Things to come are the annual Halloween Party, Fall decor, menus, new recipes, and much much more!

Hooray for Thursday!

2011-04-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I've never been more happy as I was last night to know that the dreadful day I was having was about to end. The day got worse, I broke the shopping cart on our store, Sandbox Lane, added more stuff to the back-end that took FOREVER, cut ANOTHER finger (I now have 3 cuts on my right hand) and burned something in the kitchen. Worst day ever!

Today all I can think about is how great the weekend will be. There's an Ikea trip, pilates, swim class, family, and even a massage for me! I want to do a little more gardening too. (I know, I'm addicted). I HAVE to sheet mulch an area where we had a crazy amount of crab grass on and decide what I really want to plant there. This area is a wide open spot. Hopefully this weekend I can take some photos of it and even of the pretty trellis we put up. Sadly, I have to go Home Depot or a garden center to get more thingies for my water drip system (like my use of technical words? thingies: noun: means it's a little do-dad that connects to the hose to release water). I sadly because I cannot bear to go into one of those stores without carrying out plants or trees.

Are you addicted to any hobby?

It isn't funny anymore...

2011-04-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today I really just want to go back to bed an hide since it's that bad. Let's review, shall we?

Wake up late
Body sore from workout yesterday and the Kupcake is wiggling around in my arms. OUCH
Get her breakfast ready (waffles and blueberry yogurt). Waffles went down fine, it was the yogurt that made a major mess...uggh
Sink full of dishes so guess i'm the lucky one who gets to clean those
Did I mention I forgot to make her lunch? Yup, rice is cooking on the stove now. (just before i left i realized it was done... just burned a few little pieces... oh well)
Hubby is ready to go for the day so it's my turn, look at that, i have 10 minutes to get ready. Wait, i was suppose to leave 10 minutes AGO!.
Brush my teeth and face at same time. get dressed and attempt to put make up (takes less than a minute now) and rush into kitchen, make my coffee mug up and toss breakfast in my handbag (breakfast is greek yogurt with banana and blueberries - no it wasn't my daughter's I made a small batch for me to take with).
Kiss hubby and Kupcake goodbye and open the door to find the sprinklers on, great! I really wanted to get wet before I get in my car.
Get in car to realize I'm out of gas. When I say out I mean OUT! I coasted straight to the gas station and think if it wasn't downhill I would have been screwed. Well, coasted is a strong word since our bridge exit is being worked on so TRAFFIC where there shouldn't be traffic. yea.
Proceed to get gas, went to a 76 gas station and paid $76! ~~insert tear~~ oh, you know that coffee mug I made up? well, it's on the countertop at home so i buy some coffee while my car is sucking my savings account away.
Drive was okay except for the bus I got stuck behind and the car that swerved THIS CLOSE to my car. Oh, and my transponder to get into our parking garage? It's somewhere in the back seat, the Kupcake was fussy so I tossed it at her yesterday. (tossed = handed it to her) Had to pull over to find it and managed to almost get hit by another car.
Moving on... out of the car and walking into work, realizing how FREAKING chilly it is. walk fast, almost trip and manage not only spill a little bit of coffee on me. go me.
Work? well, my computer crashed last Friday. It reverted a report back a few days, I sent it out this morning with old data and didn't realize it. Got reamed for mistake.

I think that sums up the fantastic morning I'm NOT having. I know I probably didn't get it all but you get the point. Can the rest of the day get any better?

P.S. Just heard my boss make a major mistake... is it wrong that it actually made me feel better? HAHA

Happy for the new week...

2011-04-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend! It was just perfect (aside from the Groupon/Dominos issue Saturday night that got fixed Sunday morning via Groupon). It was filled with lots of swim class, family time, shopping, gardening, some inventory, a little cooking, and a whole lotta laughter. We finally added a trellis for our grapes this year and super excited to watch it grow. Must take some photos this week of it. We also planted more strawberries and got a few more plants (cucumbers, snap peas, and more cucumbers). I have NO CLUE where I'm going to put them but I will find a place. I always do. I harvested about 5 lbs of lettuce and bot choy. It was just screaming for me to snap up and can't wait to start harvesting the celery too! All in all, it was a great weekend.

Let's plan dinner shall we?

Sunday: Homemade Meat Lovers Pizza (italian sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto, oh my!)
Monday: Chicken Satay (Trader Joe's) with wild rice and asparagus
Tuesday: Marinated Chicken (in a balsamic glaze) over salad
Wednesday: Veggie Frittata*
Thursday: Sloppy Turkey Joe's and kale chips (hubby's new favorite)
Friday:Homemade Beans in the slow cooker*
Saturday: Out to eat

* denotes meals in the slow cooker/ new recipe list

Let's see, whats on the weekly to-do list?

Fix irrigation on the hill
Sheet mulch the crab grass.
Add cover to the blueberries and strawberries (evil birds!)
workout 5 times (run 10 miles)
Ikea trip (YAY YAY YAY!!!)
Work on Easter stuff
Relax

This week is shaping up to a great week. The weather is looking up and I'm finally back in the routine of working out. I even went to spin class today! :)

Any fun plans for the week?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Crazy hair = crazy girl

Backyard gardening... photos...

2011-04-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Finally photos of the garden...

I love this photo, you really get an idea of how very LONG the garden is now and then at the end is the Kupcake on her swing.

Squash plants (crook neck and zucchini)

Kale that is ready to harvest and tomato plants

corn and sunflowers (soooo need to weed)

Ripe strawberries

brussels sprouts, lettuce, swiss chard, and in the back near the fence thing, bush beans

Our shade garden: Cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli

What's not photographed is: watermelon, cantelope, bot choy, celery, carrots, garlic, and our tabletop lettuce container garden.

Today I had the most fantastic salad with lettuce and bot choy from the garden. The flavors were amazing! Hopefully tonight I can finally spray the plants with a homemade pesticide (made up of garlic, onion and dishsoap).

Have you started up your garden yet?

Feeling content

2011-04-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

That is the best way to describe the weekend! Last week's weather was uber hot but the weekend was just pleasant as can be! Warm but not hot, just right. Our little Kupcake had her first swim lesson and she did so good! It was so cute to see all the little kids in the water and what was even better was to see all the dads in the water too with their children! I played paparazzi and took a ton of photos. In the afternoon we did an Earth Day Festival promoting green living for babies. It was wonderful talking to a lot of parents and grand parents about it and teaching them alternatives. Sunday, we went on a walk and had a play date with some of our friends and it was so much fun to watch the kids play with each other. I think the Kupcake taught the other momma what needs to be child proofed in their home! HAHA! It was a quiet evening with the hubby out of town so dinner consisted of frozen burritos. YUM! Let's see what we'll eat for the rest of the week:

Sunday: frozen burritos
Monday: cereal
Tuesday: fried rice with veggies
Wednesday: Ribs* (will post recipe this week! ☺) and kale chips*
Thursday: chicken tacos
Friday: terriyaki salmon salad
Saturday: ???

**denotes slow cooker and new recipe

What's on the agenda for this week?

Photos of the garden. Going to do this this week, i promise! I've been bad but now that everything is blooming and I figured out how to upload photos via bluetooth from my camera, I will make this a priority this week.
Work out 5 times. (one down already! YEA)
Put away laundry. I have a few loads sicking in baskets.
Clean my room. I don't know how it gets messy but it does.
Finish weeding
Work on online store and put some sales up
Spray garden with homemade pest control (organic)
Turn in paperwork for Earth Day Festivals coming up
Plant blueberry bushes the hubby bought for the Kupcake. She LOVES blueberries like no tomorrow!
Do the 30day shred DVD at least twice this week. (I need a kick start)

Seems like a lot of stuff but it isn't. In fact, I'm looking forward to everything on this list!

What are you excited this week will bring?

Huffing and Puffing along...

2011-03-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend was another good one. There was a big running/walking event in our neck of the woods. The hubby did the 10k and walked with us on the 5k. My lungs aren't back to normal yet but it felt good to get out there. We also had a few brunch dates with our friends. It was so fun to see the kids together and spend some quality time with other new parents. The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxed. Did a lot of inventory and restocking among other things. Let's just move on to dinner:

Sunday: Turkey Panini's and roasted artichoke hearts and potatoes
Monday: Baby back Ribs* and sweet potato fries
Tuesday: Taco Pizza
Wednesday: Chicken Satay* and veggies
Thursday: Pasta Casserole
Friday: Fish or something...
Saturday: take out

*denotes Crockpot or new meal

This week is a busy busy one. We have alot of stuff to do to get ready for a Earth Day Festival we'll be at.

It's a little crazy how fast this month went. Can you believe next week is going to April?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

I did not buy the bib for her...

Booked...

2011-03-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Finally... I convinced the hubby that we need to get away before the Kupcake's first birthday and figured out this was the perfect opportunity to head up north to Portland and Seattle (YEA!!!!! I LOVE THIS TOWN). We are flying to Portland, spending a few days there, taking the train to Seattle (been there, loved that) and spend another few days before flying back home. So excited!

Goal now is start pricelining rooms and checking LivingSocial and Groupon on find any cool deals daily.

We've been to Seattle a bunch of times and I've been to Portland for two days and really only saw the Japanese Garden there. Any suggestions on things to do in Portland? Thanks!

I'm alive!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

I had/have the worst cold/flu/bronchitis/yuckiness in decades last week and am finally feeling more like myself (still a bit sick though). Away from the drug induced haze I was living in, I tossed all blogging, working, socializing, living, out the window for sleep and a tissue. By the weekend I was actually talking like a normal human without hacking up a lung or two and dragged the family out to Santa Barbara for some zoo action and bonding time. It was oodles of fun but when we got home, I crashed once again. On Sunday, I woke feeling like I needed something filling (since I was barely eating, throat hurt to much to even think about swallowing). I made Banana Flax seed Waffles, Strawberry Blueberry syrup and a few sausage links. Oh boy was it yummy. It poured cats and dogs and we proceeded to be holed up all day chasing the precocious little girl around and trying to eat the house by baking and cooking. I made a few different types of cookies (Kitchen Sink and Double Chocolate Cranberry), a batch of Ham and Corn Chowder, and even some veggies for the rugrat. It was good. By the end of the night we finished cleaning the house (something that didn't get done all week), did laundry, and even dinner planned. Let's see what we'll be chowing down on:

Monday: Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche
Tuesday: Sausage Pizza with salad
Wednesday: Chicken Satay with swiss chard quinoa
Thursday: Ham and Swiss Paninis
Friday: Fish
Saturday: Burritos
Sunday: Soup --undecided what kind

Nice and easy dinners, nothing fancy over here. This week I'll be recovering as fast as I can so I can do the race this weekend. At the moment, running isn't an option since I'm on two different types of inhalers. I just hope I can finish.

As for what do I have to do this week?

Photos of the garden (seriously... i'm sure you sick of me talking about this and not showing you)
redesign blog (yup, it's finally time for this)
rest

Yup, I'm busy! I'll be back to blogging on schedule. I hate getting sick and I think what was worse than before is being sick with my daughter. Poor girl was one big snot ball. This morning I'm happy to report she was able to breathe without me suctioning her nose ever 15 minutes!

Have you gotten hit by this year's cold?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Fun filled weekend in the backyard

2011-03-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

I had the most perfect weekend any dirt loving girl could have. On Saturday morning, thanks to forgetting what Pilates class I signed up for I was early and got a chance to go buy plants. I spend the afternoon repotting and seeding, and planting lots of different things like: cabbage, purple king beans, broccoli, corn, squash, zucchini, strawberries, cantaloupe, and watermelon. I cleaned and tilled and got dirt all over myself and it was just pure bliss. on Sunday, we took advantage of OSH's no tax sale and bought more dirt, solar lights, irrigation kit, grass seed, and other fun goodies. It was PARADISE! Nothing is better than the smell of fresh dirt! After lunch, my friend and I spend the afternoon putting in the irrigation system, planting lots of sunflowers, garlic, and cauliflower. Everything is sprouting and blossoming I really need to take some photos to share. It is just so nice that we have that extra hour now of light. Now if only I can get the Kupcake's schedule back to normal! :)

Now onto this week's dinner menu:

Sunday: Take out-didn't feeling like cooking
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (with crockpot chicken*) -- Happy ╥ Day!
Tuesday: Leftover chicken & garlic lemon pasta
Wedensday: Cuban Sandwiches & spring salad
Thursday: Shepard's Pie* -- Happy St. Patty's day!!
Friday: Grilled Salmon & veggies
Saturday: eat out...

*falls into my new meal and slow cooker meal of the week

Looking forward to this week's meals. What is on the weekly to do list?

Run! RUN LOTS! 12 days away till my next 5k race.
Start working on Kupcake's first birthday decorations... will talk more about it later.
Clean up the website
Finish cleaning our room (seriously, you'd think that I'd want to keep my own private space nice and clean.)
Get everything ready for a garage sale this weekend
Finish irrigation system
lay rock border for shade garden

Yup, that's about it. This week should be a good one. I still have to get used to the new time change. The alarm went off just a little too early for me today! Need to acclimate myself!

How is your week shaping up? Doing anything fun?

Day 13....

2011-03-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

No garden photos. Maybe tmw. Did zero food prep and just relaxed. Felt nice. This fulfills my Post of the day requirement!

G'night!

Sent from my iPhone

Perfect day

2011-03-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

Pilates and strawberries
More Itty bitty teeth
Seeds and dirt
Shopping and naps
Paninis and dvr
Cuddling and sleep

Taking a moment...

2011-03-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Living in Southern California, I grew up with the notion that an earthquake could hit anytime. We were taught about getting under our desks and even had a homemade earthquake bag I made in my sock drawer (I don't even know if my mom knew it was there). Still, when they hit, it's traumatic and throws you for a loop, even if it's just for 10 minutes after. My hubby lived through the Northridge earthquake in '94 and his house had extensive damage. His school was condemned and they moved locations and went to doing half days the rest of the year to accommodate. I lived in a town that at one point was the earthquake capital of the world and Sony even made a commercial about it. Still, when you live with them and hear about them hitting somewhere else and the devastation it causes, you have to take a moment and say a prayer for all those people and hope the damage isn't that bad.

To my friends in Japan, know that we are thinking and praying for you and your families. We hope you are all okay and the damage to your homes are unsubstantial.

Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe

2011-03-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

You know sometimes you just need that sweet fix and don't know what to make? What about kitchen sink cookies! I made a few nights ago because I needed something like I needed a million bucks. I had to have something yummy but didn't know what to make. I started pulling out a bunch of things from the pantry and fridge and ended up with these!

Kitchen Sink Cookies

makes 1.5 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour (I used rice/whole wheat flour mix)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 dates chopped up
2 tbsp coconut
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/6 cup chocolate (I have a bar of baking chocolate so I just cut off some)
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven for 375°
Toss everything together
Bake for 10 minutes

The nice thing about these cookies is that 2-3 of them does the trick and the rest can go in the cookie jar!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Mardi Gras: Slow Cooker Jambalaya and Bread Pudding Recipe

2011-03-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

In our house, today is the day where we let loose and savor things we might give up for lent. This year, I decided to make some Jambalaya for dinner and Bread Pudding for dessert to really get in the mood! Now I don't have all day slaving over the stove so I tossed dinner in the slow cooker and the dessert into a pan for the oven when I get home!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya
serves 4
Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
2 sausages (I used sweet pork italian sausage)
1 cup of celery
1/2 cup onion
1.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1.5 cups water
Cajun seasoning (to taste)
Cayenne pepper (to taste)
Seasoning salt (to taste)
Oregano (to taste)
Thyme (to taste)
Parsley (to taste)
1 tsp garlic
1 cup of tomatoes diced
1 cup wild rice

Directions:

Cut up chicken and sausage. Toss chicken into pot and pan sear sausage, then add into pot.
Cut up tomatoes, celery and onion and garlic and toss into pot
Add 1 cup of broth and 1.5 cups of waters save the 1/2 cup broth for rice
Add seasonings
Turn on 8-10 hours on low
In the afternoon, make the rice with water and add the 1/2 cup of broth for flavoring. When finished, add into pot.

It was sooo good! Usually Jambalaya has shrimp but the hubby isn't a fan so I cooked some on the side for me. Definitely going to make this again!

Bread Pudding

serves 2

Ingredients:

2 french rolls
1 tbsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1 Egg
1/4 Vanilla fat free coffee creamer
1/8 cup Splenda
1 tbsp Raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Chop up rolls into 1 inch squares
In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients
Spray dish with Cooking spray and toss in rolls and pour the mix on top
Cook for 45 minutes (until golden)

Serve Warm... Oh soo good!

The good and the bad...

2011-03-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

That is the best way to explain the weekend. Saturday was amazing while Sunday... not so much. First thing in the morning the hubby threw out his back and became immobile for the rest of the day. Taking care of the kupcake is one thing, taking care of a person how is at least 8 inches taller than me is another. Then to top it off I had to take today off so I could ~~be his servant~~ help him. He's feeling much better and fingers crossed that by Wednesday he'll be able to wait on me. ☺

Now since I'm so tired from cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening (of course I'd toss some of that in), I'm just going to get down to this week's menu:

Sunday: Easy Quesadillas
Monday: Turkey Burgers
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Jambalaya* (Happy Mardi Gras Y'all!!)
Wednesday: Fish and Chips
Thursday: Turkey and Artichoke Paninis
Friday: Mahi Mahi
Saturday: Eat out?!

*falls into my new meal and slow cooker meal of the week

Now, what's on the agenda for this week?

Gym Gym GYM!!! Go at least 3 times.
Pilates classes (2 -get certified to go up a level)
Put away clothes
Clean room
Finish getting the shade garden ready
Plan a side dish for get-together on Saturday afternoon
Set up the teddy bear's physical
Go to bed before 11pm

Yup, that's me in a nut shell. Now, I'm utterly beat. Until tomorrow, peace!

Waffle Mania

2011-03-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

Ever since this bad boy came into our house we've griddling like there's no tomorrow. We got a Cuisinart® Griddler® because we just die over panini's and this seemed like the best one out there. When I found out that you can buy waffle plates that attach I was all over it and ordered them quickly. When they all came, it was like our kitchen appliance cabinet was complete and filling a void. The first day we made them, I didn't have a clue what I was doing and didn't do the best job, but the second day, I knocked it out of the park. This weekend I decided to change things up and made some amazing Blueberry Banana flax seed Waffles with strawberry sauce. Even the Kupcake loved them. Here's what we did:

Blueberry Banana Flax Seed Waffles
with Strawberry Sauce

Makes 12 waffles

Ingredients:

1 cup of regular flour
1/2 cup of rice flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 egg
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup blueberries
2 teaspoons of flax seed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sauce:

2 cups of cut up strawberries
1 teaspoon of Splenda (to sweeten up)
1 splash of Balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Turn waffle iron on to highest setting
Mix dry ingredients together (this include flax seed)
Separate egg and mix in yolk, almond milk, extract, blueberries
Mash in Banana
In a Separate bowl, mix egg white till fluffy and fold in last.
Spray waffle iron with Pam and pour mixture in waffle and cook for appropriate amount of time (I cook ours for 3.5 minutes).
While they are cooking, heat up sauce pan and toss in all sauce ingredients. Let mix simmer and mash up strawberries in there. If you want it a little more runny, add just a splash of water.
Serve up and eat!

Nutritional information for waffles and sauce (1 waffle and dollip of sauce is one serving):

Enjoy!!!

Today was filled with...

2011-03-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

Little giggles and big smiles
Perfect weather
Pilates classes
In & Out grilled cheese
Family and a big bird chair
Hedgehogs and foxes
Dirt and blueberries
Crock pot dinner
Apple crisp and movies

Just another Saturday in Little Miss Planner's life.

The backyard... the evolution of our suburban homestead.

2011-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

I always loved to garden since I was little girl. During spring break in junior high and high school, my parents would buy me 6 packs of flowers to plant in the front yard. I never thought about planting anything else. That is what my mom did. When I moved on my own, I never thought about it again. It wasn't until we moved to our home did I toy with the idea of growing a vegetable garden. Our backyard has been revolving since the year we moved in. First it was just simple as adding some flowers. Then we took the leap and with a good friend who knew a lot about all this stuff, he helped us add a retaining wall to start a small garden back in 2009.

Then I got bored and needed to expand. I talked my friend into helping again and we added onto that:

Two years past (didn't do much last year since I was growing a baby instead!) and I decided that I wanted to do more and we added yet again...

In total now, the garden is about 30 feet long and two tiers to grow whatever we like. Thank you Southern California for a good grow zone!!!

Then while we were borrowing a friend's chainsaw, we decided to cut down a tree (the one on the far right on this photo):

Planted a concord grapes, hung a swing for the Kupcake, laid pepples over the dirt (nothing grew here because of the tree roots) and turned the remaining area into our grilling area. (Note our mini compost bin to the right of the covered grill. I asked for a heavy duty one for mother's day! ☺)

With all that, we done, we still have a container garden. We decided to keep all the herbs together (except for basil since that is going to scattered all over the garden) near the door.

It's come such a long way sometimes I forget how little we started. Right now, in the garden we have quite a few things growing:

Brussels Sprouts
Artichokes
4 kinds of Tomatoes (heirloom - 2 types, cherry, and grape)
Celery
Sweet Onions
Lettuce
Spinach
Kale
Swiss Chard
Strawberries
Bok Choy
Carrots
Garlic
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Broccoli
2 types of Grapes (Concord and Thompson)
Apple Tree
Orange Tree
Plum Tree

This weekend we are going to add a few more blueberry bushes and perhaps toy with planting the corn too. I want to make one more run to Home Depot to see if I can find a date tree. I'm just in love with dates now. We are also going to start a shade garden for the Cabbage family plants and hopefully I can get that up and running too.

What are you growing anything this year?

mmmm.... peanut butter!

2011-03-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

If you know me, I have a fascination for all things peanut buttery. It's the cat's pajamas and to say I love love love it is a vast understatement. When I heard it was National Peanut Butter Month (YEA!!!) I decided I will celebrate weekly by making forms of peanuty goodness at least once a week. This week I made Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal cookies. OMG it was delish! I had about a trillion of them (okay, I had two but would have had more but they fill you up). I knew once I tasted them I had to share the recipe.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup of regular flour
1/2 cup of brown rice flour
2 cups of oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup (or one small container) of apple sauce
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of splenda
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Topping

2 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's Organic non salted peanut butter)
2 teaspoons of natural honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°
Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl
Mix wet ingredients together in small bowl until fluffy, then add into big bowl and mix together.
Spray pan with Pam and spoon out cookie mix. Push down each cookie so it's flat and not rounded.
Bake for 10 minutes.
While cookies are baking, mix and mash all the topping ingredients together.
After Baking, take out and let cool on rack.
After they are cool, spoon the topping mix on top.
Eat!

They are just too good to be true. I made about 36 of them. You can always use regular flour instead of the mix of flours I used. I've been toying with healthifying recipes I find hence the apple sauce instead of oil and Splenda instead of regular sugar. If you use regular sugar, use 1 cup.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hello March!!!

2011-03-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

So did anyone notice that we are in the third month of 2011? Where did the time go?! I think this month I'll tackle another goal on my list, blog for two months straight. I have a feeling it's going to be rough at times and there will be posts coming from my phone at 11:59pm but what can you do?!

It's weird to think that Summer is around the corner and Spring is knocking on the door. I'm happy that it's here and we can start enjoying more time outside. This means more gardening, more outdoor dinners, more walks, more outside. It isn't like we don't have weather the rest of the nation is basically jealous of, it's the fact we'll have more sun in the day. I'm looking forward to it all.

What are you looking forward to this month?

Nothing but Blue Skies....

2011-02-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

We had a big downpour on Friday but on Saturday, the storm that was suppose to dump snow in our backyard decided to head north and instead we got beautiful blue skies. We were completely bummed but what can you do, I guess we'll just have to make a trip up to the mountains to see snow this year. Aside from that, the weekend was just simply wonderful. We got more plants (a few more tomato plants and two blueberry bushes). I am thinking of trying to find a fig or date tree this week too, yummmmmm! I've started to get better about working out again which is nice. I'm finally not all talk, I'm also action. I can still feel my abs from my morning of pilates on Saturday. Sunday I fixed that nagging feeling and did some reorganization in the kitchen. I think I will finish up cleaning out the pantry tonight and I can breathe again. :)

Now, what's for dinner this week?

Sunday: Chicken Satay in peanut sauce and Garlic Sesame Broccoli
Monday: Blood Orange Tofu* (inspired by Iowa Girl Eats) with stir fry Bok Choy & Carrots
Tuesday: Trader Joe's Pizza and backyard Salad (Hooray we have Lettuce!!!)
Wednesday: Taco Salad
Thursday: Chicken and Rice Casserole (crockpot style)*
Friday: Mahi Mahi Tacos
Saturday: Pulled Pork Nachos

*is part of the new recipe and crockpot meal item on the yearly to-do list

So excited for this week's meals. I think we will officially start doing one vegetarian meal a week now this way we won't get tired of the same proteins since there are only 3 types (bird, fish, pork) we eat. I'm also excited to finally start a little harvesting, granted it's only just lettuce but still. This week is a busy one, filled with gym trips and pilates classes. Let's see what's in store:

Go to the gym 3 times
Go to Pilates twice
Finish organizing pantry
plant blueberry plants
Create a new waffle recipe... will blog more about it this week
Really post about the garden
Get side garden set up for cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage.
Find a fig or date tree and buy it

What an exciting week coming up and to top it off, it's March tomorrow! What are you looking forward to this week?

My heart is bursting...

2011-02-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

...because my heart if full. Happy Valentine's day everyone! I'm a sucker for this holiday! My first valentine's with the hubby (before he got upgraded to hubby status) I got 30 heart shaped balloons and placed them in his condo and on the end of each one, I wrote a reason I loved him. This year, I didn't do any grand gesture, just made dinner (it's a casserole, pop in oven and woolah) and going to have a relaxing night in. I know, we are just WILD aren't we! I did however help the kupcake make a few valentines for her grandparents and one of her buddies (that I delievered late last night). This morning I decked her out in a festive top and just gave her the biggest cuddles I could! I love my little girl!

Moving on, how was everyone's weekend? We worked on the garden more and even planted a few more goodies! Late last night we planned dinner and I even prepped some stuff, been a while since I did that! So what are we eating?

Monday: Macaroni Casserole with Garlic bread (Hubby choose this one)
Tuesday: Burger Pizza
Wednesday: Butternut squash soup with popcorn chicken
Thursday: Hawaiian Pork* with roasted corn
Friday - Sunday : Out of town

*is part of the new recipe and crockpot meal item on the yearly to-do list

This week is filled with comfort foods. I'm so excited. I think it's just what the doctor ordered too since it's going to be a little chilly in our neck of the woods. In other news, I'm quite excited for our trip out of town. We are going to New Mexico to visit my relatives and can't wait, I hope there will be lots of home-cooked meals there too. :) DROOL!

Onto the weekly to-do list:

Run at LEAST 5 miles before we leave. Is that too much to ask? I think not!
Do the workout video at least twice.
Pack
Make kupcake meals and freeze to take with. Always easier and better than buying baby food
Update the blog with garden updates with PHOTOS!!! finally took some, now just need to do this.
Update inventory on the store
Figure out a way to keep the cat out of the garden.

That's my week. Fun filled and exciting huh!

What is your favorite part of Valentine's day?

Little Miss Klutz

2011-02-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

That's what I should rename the blog for today. If I was in the audience watching my life today, I'd be on the floor laughing my head off (and probably covered in bubble gum and pop corn because you know that's what on the floor when you think of audience, right?). Life was all well and good when the day started. The kupcake slept through the entire night in her crib and awake at 630. She ate her blueberry oatmeal nice and early and we even got a chance to have a good morning. No rushing at all. I was ready to be out the door by 8 when I went to pick up my lunch bag and wham, hit my travel mug and my coffee went SPLAT. 16 ounces of sweet goodness otherwise known as Decaf Hazelnut Coffee. A million F bombs filled my head but none came flying out. I just sighed and started to clean it up all the while the sweet smell permeated the room and the hubby got wind of it. He moaned and hawed how it stunk (he hates hazelnut, what a weirdo!). I cleaned it up and with some 7th Generation spray and now the house smelled like herbs. After the fiasco, I made another cup of delights and ran to work.

On the way in, I was caught behind every slow poke out there. I somehow managed to get to off the freeway without losing my cool and while stuck at the light, I decided to take a sip of my coffee, BURNT my tongue. EEK! Moving on, once I got into the office, and got situated, I went off to warm up my oatmeal (I made a big batch Sunday night for the work week). What did I do this time? I put it into long and it bubbled over and made a big mess. Oh, I think somewhere I even dripped almond milk all over the counter tops too. I'm shocked that I made it to my desk without walking into someone with it.

I'm a bit fearful for the rest of the day. Who knows how I'll survive without making a complete mess. I'm even afraid for the stairwell, knowing me I'll trip on the last step. With all this said, I'm still in a good mood. I think I'm still relishing on the kupcake sleeping through the night all by herself.

Ever have one of those mornings where you feel like you are just one big hazard sign?

Cold...

2011-02-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

...it is not here. I spent the weekend in a tank top and shorts. The joys of living in southern California where chilly is 60. (not it was not 60, it was closer to 80 here) The weekend was a good one. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. There was some gardening (YEA, the dirt is ready to start planting in), a swing was hung for the kupcake, and an overnight trip was taken to the happiest place on Earth. We even watched a football game, got in some pilates, took a long walk with my friend and her munchkin, made taco salad, and folded some clothes. It was everything we wanted it to be, it was a perfect weekend. Now because it was so perfect, there is always something that tends to drop off the radar and that was food prep. I was so relaxed we didn't even plan our dinners until LATE (okay 730).

So what's for dinner?

Monday: Sloppy Joes (turkey style)
Tuesday: Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole *
Wednesday: Sushi with Friends
Thursday: Asain Style Pork Wraps*
Friday: Spaghetti
Saturday: Eat out
Sunday: Chicken Fingers and Butternut Squash Soup

* works for the things to do list (slow cooker and new recipe)

I'm looking foward to this week's meals but afraid I don't get lazy and just ask the hubby "can't we just pick something up?!" I did that last week, I felt guilty afterward but when you are tired, you are tired.

What's on the weekly to do list?

Workout (more than just pilates)
Plant broccoli, bok choy, and garlic
Get top shelf of garden ready to plant (buy more dirt)
Ebay some items
Pick up a few things at the grocery store
Clean media room and guest room
toss dead plants (every year we get this lofty idea that big plants would look great in the house, then we buy them and kill them. I have two dead plant corpses in the media room now. very sad)

Looking forward to yet another week. It's funny, I don't dread Monday's like I used to. Now I just think of them as telescope to the the weekend. Hope you are all having a great Monday so far!

How do you find inspiration for your meals? Do you plan them in advance?

Good bye January, HELLO FEBRUARY!!!

2011-01-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! Where did the month go? Seriously, I could have sworn it was just New Year's. I have to say I'm in a rather chipper mood today. I don't know if it's because it's chilly-willy outside or that my backyard is one step closer to being everything we want it to be. The addition to the garden isn't quite there yet but holy moly is the the new BBQ area pretty groovy! I can't wait to show you all our hard work but until then, you'll just have to take our word for it. I think we have about 3 more hours of shovel duty until I can show the "fruits" of our labor! :)

I have to admit something, I didn't do the best job planning dinner this week. I feel as if it's a bit redundant for some reason. Oh well, let's see what we are eating:

Mon: Slow Cooked Chicken*
Tues: Burger Pizza*
Wed: Spaghetti*
Thur: Chicken Stir Fry
Fri: Pulled pork sandwiches
Sat: Eating out
Sun: Taco Salad and the SUPERBOWL

* works for the things to do list (slow cooker and new recipe)

Yup... that's it. Nothing fancy. For food prep, I didn't do any. I just made dinner (Turkey Meatloaf and my goodness was it DA BOMB! BEST EVER!!!!) I just wasn't enthused. I did my usual shopping at Trader Joe's and wasn't... inspired. Usually browsing through the produce section gets me excited but not this time. I think the only thing different I bought was sweet potato slices for the kupcake to eat this week. I think next weekend I'll need to run by one of the farmer's markets in our area and hope to find something different. I need variety! Come on spring veggies, start growing!!!

Onto this week's to do list:

EBay a few things
Start making a pile for garage sale.
Clean media room
Finish moving dirt for the garden
Repot front pot
Relax
RUN... i need to RUN RUN RUN!

In other news, I'm become obsessed with my new skillet. I'm in absolute love with it. I even want to toss all my frying pans away and just run off with this one. I'm currently toying with cleaning out the pans (they are good but do I need them all?) we have and just owning a few key pieces. Still undecided. Is that wrong? Do I really need frying pans when I have such an amazing skillet? What do you think?

Photo Source

Joss and Main... sweet deals on kitchen and other household items

2011-01-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

You know all those supercool, in the know websites that have bargain deals? A new one just popped up and want to share it with you. It's called Joss and Main. They have some fantastic deals on cookware and household things. If you join now, you get $15 credit for your first purchase (when you spend $50)! There are great deals like this sauce pan for $40.95!!! (It's on sale for 55$ from $135, use your $15 credit)

Now, go Join!!!

Coffee on a Monday Morning...

2011-01-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

There isn't anything better, wouldn't you agree? After the weekend, I totally felt like coming to work was going to be my vacation since we were so busy but I am S W A M P E D. Not only did we terrorize the backyard by adding onto the garden and chopping down a tree (when I say we, I mean the hubby and our good friend, I was supervising from the inside with the kupcake). We also cleaned to high heaven (still need to do a little more, yuck). I am happy to report though we did a lot with the 48 hours we had. Even food prepping tired me out, I chopped, sauteed, boiled, and packaged quite a few things for this week's dinners. So what are we eating this week?

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie
Monday: leftovers (i'm on my own)
Tuesday: Chicken and Broccoli Pie with Orzo & Swiss Chard
Wednesday: French Dip Sandwiches with Quinoa & Kale, Turnip Fries
Thursday: N'awlins Stuffed Bell Peppers with Collard Greens
Friday: Chicken Tortilla Soup*
Saturday: Eat out!

*completes the yearly to do list (crock pot and new recipe)

I'm so excited to try a bunch of new recipes and new foods. Almost everything we are eating comes from new recipes. The only things I need to do this week is the au jus for the French Dip Sandwiches and Thursday's dinner. This entire menu was inspired by the box of produce we got.

On to list of things to do this week:

Finish building extention on the garden
Work and Finalize plans for Trellis
Complete BBQ ground area (will go into this later)
Plant more
Clean bathrooms (Lame)
Repot two planters
bake
Run during my lunch breaks
Hang Swing

I think the backyard is going to keep us busy for the next week and am excited to show you everything we've done so far (it entails a chainsaws!).

How was your weekend?

Color seeping in

2011-01-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

In your wardrobe that is. When do you add more color? In winter, I tend to fall into shades of dark purples, navy blues, greys, all shades of brown, camel, black and ivory. I love me some dark blends but with the sun just shining through the windows I feel like I need a break. Now that January is almost over I was wondering when should I start adding in that splash of lemon yellow or a burst of berry. Or do I all out and just jump into spring with lots of color.

Now if I won the lotto, I'd totally go all out and buy a brand new wardrobe like these off to the side. I'm not, so this will just be my inspirations. For now, I will be just be shopping for a few key tops and some scarves to add that splash I'm in need of.

What is the one type of clothing you always must buy for springtime?

springtime by lilmissplanner featuring steve madden shoes

Trying to stay hip... CSN Preview...

2011-01-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

We've always tried to live a hip existence. I think I use clothing, travel, and decor to mask my unhip-ness and inner geek. Having a kid, kinda kept me off the map on what is trending now and what is cool. With the house, I knew I needed some help with modern décor. In the middle of flipping through websites and trying to find splashes o' fun while not spending a boat load for a gazelle (was it a gazelle Joey bought and if you get that reference you are hip!) that will look tacky in 3 months, I received a great opportunity to help me out. CSN stores is literally wonder to be hold. They have everything under the sun and gave me a chance to do a review on one of their stores that feature items for just what I was looking for.

Looking at all our options from vases, figurines, fireplace accessories, and everything else under the sun, we decided that adding some accent pillows will give our room that pop it needs to keep us looking and feeling a little hip. Not to crazy but just enough to say we can be whimsical too? No? yes? Just right?!

I can't wait for them to arrive and see how it looks. I have a feeling all this will do is make me want to spruce up the room more and poor hubby will have yet another project on his hands.

Thanks CSN for the opportunity to preach about your awesomeness!

This blogger received a promo code and did not receive financial compensation.

A Farmer's Market at my front door...

2011-01-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Groupon offered one for a company called Farm Fresh to you. I was really intrigued by co-op farms and this was similar to that and was orgainic too so when it came along I had to try it out. I bought the Groupon and quickly signed up to get a box of veggies. Little did I know I would get so much!

In the box, I received:

2 Red Bell Peppers
1 Bunch of Broccoli
1 Bunch of Mixed Chard
1 Bunch of Mixed Kale
1 lb of Purple Top Turnips
1 Bunch of Nantes Carrots
1 Bunch of Bunched Collard
1 Butternut Squash
1 lb of Mixed Baby Lettuce
1 lb of Klamath Pearl Potato
1 lb of Yellow Onion

I'm so excited to cook up some great meals with all this yummy food. If you are interested, you should definitely try it out! Here is a promo code for $5.00 off your first order: 6164. You can cancel after your first order.

Now I'm off to start planning next week's meals with all this goodness!

Square foot gardening.

2011-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

A few friends of mine asked me where to start if you've never really grew anything before. I always love to tell them about square foot gardening. I think it's a great stepping stone to growing without going big or broke.

Square Foot Gardening is the practice of planning small but intensively planted gardens.
The original square-foot-gardening method used an open-bottomed box to contain a finite amount of soil, which was divided with a grid into sections. To encourage variety of different crops over time, each square would be planted with a different kind of plant, the number of plants per square depending on an individual plant's size. A single tomato plant might take a full square, as might herbs such as oregano, basil or mint, while most strawberry plants could be planted four per square, with up to sixteen radishes per square. Tall or climbing plants such as maize or pole beans might be planted in a northern row (south in the southern hemisphere) so as not to shade other plants, and supported with lattice or netting.
The logic behind using smaller beds is that they are easily adapted, and the gardener can easily reach the entire area, without stepping on and compacting the soil.

--Thank you Wikipiedia

Photo Source

Basically all you need is a spot to grow (can be in the ground or raised with wood or cinder blocks for the sides), soil, string (to make your squares), nails/screws (to hold down the string) seeds and a means to water the garden. It really is that easy. The more it grows, the more you will learn, like how to get rid of bugs that eat your plants (tip: Plant Marigolds all throughout the garden, it helps keep the bugs away).

Next up, container gardening...

Living Social Amazon Deal

2011-01-19T05:48:00.000-08:00

I was checking out the daily deals and found a great one for Amazon that I had to share with you!!!

For 10, get a 20$ gift certificate to Amazon!

If you haven't heard of LivingSocial, I highly suggest you go check it out now! It's just like Groupon but have to admit the deals seem to be a lot better there! Enjoy!

2011 Garden start up...

2011-01-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

This year we are doing this right, we are going to be remembering dates, remembering how to water, remembering to pick our veggies and just remembering to garden and not let it turn to weed. In order to get motivated I drew up a mockup of what our main section of our garden will look like.

We are going to try corn once again and crossing our fingers we can get our artichoke plant to grow. It hasn't grown in two years, and it's only 8 inches tall. Last weekend we started planting and hopefully this weekend we can finish it all off so we can have the bottom section completely ready to go once the seedlings are ready for the outside.

We will also be working on some type of watering system for the entire hill but we'll talk about that later. For now, dreaming of a summer filled with abundant veggies.

Just another manic monday....

2011-01-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

You know you hear about those people who have just the crummiest of the crummy days and it falls on a Monday? Well, I'm living it right now. It really started just after midnight. Our little kupcake is teething and woke up in sheer pain. She didn't want anything else other than for me to hold her. Cute, but not when you are extremely exhausted. That was from 330-430. Moving on, woke up and low and behold, I broke out... eh. Then, I lost my wallet. No CLUE where it is. Didn't fix lunch so had to grab a frozen meal from the fridge. Next, the shoes I wore, I totally forgot how UN-FREAKING-COMFORTABLE they are. Moving on to getting to work. I was walking from the parking structure with my groceries for the week (multigrain cheerios, oranges, apples, bananas, almond milk) and my bag breaks. The ONE time I use a brown bag instead of the reusable bags. Of course. Then, when I finally arrive at my office, my computer is showing the blue screen of death. Seriously, this was all before 815. Luckily my computer rebooted fine but still. Oh, and it's suppose to be 84 today. It looks so beautiful outside and I will be stuck all day inside. Nice. YEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPP!

Enough about today, how was everyone's weekend? Our was just glorious! The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. We were busy but we also had time to relax. It was wonderful. I finally got some gardening down and am just super excited about that. YEA!

Now, let's plan our meals shall we?

Sunday: Sushi Night
Monday: Turkey Burgers (didn't have them last week) -- on the Grill outside, can you hello 80+ weather
Tuesday: Fish Tacos
Wednesday: Cuban Sandwiches
Thursday: Artichoke Lemon & Chicken Pasta *
Friday: BBQ turkey Meatballs (slow cooker)*
Saturday: Eat out / Order in

Sides will be consisting of Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Brussels Spouts, Caesar salad, Corn, veggie slaw, and black beans. YUMM
Desserts will be apples with Peanut Butter... (i so love this combo), Frozen Yogurt, Fruit Smoothies.

The little kupcake is eating lentil and chickpeas and whatever she grabs off our plates. :)

The weekly to-do list:

Work out
Work on garden
Repot flowers for the front porch
Put away little girl clothes
Catch up on reading
Reorganize recipes into new binder
Clean the floors
Baby proof...someone is crawling.

Did you ever have a morning where you wish you could just start over again?

Sandbox Lane

2011-01-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to announce Sandbox Lane is finally open. When I was pregnant, we searched high and low for eco-friendly baby products like cloth diapers, feeding supplies, clothing, and toys. Most of the shops were online and it was expensive. When KLM arrived we decided it was time to fill the void we found and made Sandbox Lane.

Learning to sow...again.

2011-01-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

2009 was an awesome year learning how to garden. 2010 we stalled because I was growing a little kupcake of my very own and didn't have time to garden. 2011, we are back and we are going to do it bigger and better.

Here is what we have in store for Little Miss Planner's Garden:

Building a cold frame
Extending the garden
Building a real trellis for the grapes (fingers crossed we get some grapes this year)
Adding two more dwarf fruit trees
Build a better watering system

As far as what we are planting and hope to produce:

Onions
Carrots
Leeks
Artichokes
Cucumbers
Squash crock neck and Pattypan
Brussels Sprouts
Beans
Butter Lettuce
Cabbage
Bok Choi
Beets
Chilis
Oranges (already producing)
Plums (new)
Grapes
Apricots
Raspberries (already producing but hard to get to)
Sunflowers (multiple varieties)
Corn
Eggplant
Cherry and Grape Tomatoes
Big Tomatoes
Chives
Garlic

We start the big renovation of the garden next weekend so I'll get some photos up before then.

If you had a garden, what would you grow?

14 hours to go...

2011-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

So is it wrong that I'm just waiting for midnight so I can have some type of sugar? It's funny how MANY things have it. Example, the hubby pulled out his box of wheat thins and it sounded soooooooo good, (perhaps with a little bit of swiss cheese -YUM) and before I devoured it I read the ingredients... SUGAR. Really?! Uggh. I'm looking forward to the little things like coffee, or even gum for that matter. I just can not friggin wait.

This weekend is going to be a good one. Let's see what is in store for us:

Two pilates classes back to back (they are 30 min each)
Dinner Sushi date with our family friends and their kiddo
Home Depot Garden Center (seriously, this store is paradise to me)
Cleaning the backyard up for next weekend's big job
Baking with three of my nieces
Make your own pizza night and a movie
Hazelnut Coffee with Hazelnut sugar free sweetener and a splash of almond milk
Target for misc goodies
Trader Joe's and Maddy's Market (it's our local organic store... local as in the veggies and fruits come from local farms) for groceries (random note: I rarely... I mean RARELY go to regular grocery stores now...)
Food Prep and menu planning for the week

It's going to be high seventies here so I'm busting some shorts and flip flops too and just enjoying the weekend. I cannot WAIT!

How are you going to spend your weekend?

Half way there...

2011-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Trying to get through this sugar-less week has been easy and hard. Oh boy, what I would give to make cupcakes right now, or even macaroons. Seriously, I never made macaroons before and there is no need for cupcakes in our house but I'm just dying to bake. I think I'm finally having withdrawals. On the plus, I'm half way there to winning. Granted it's just a measly car wash but I'm in it for the bragging rights.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

34 hours down... 86 to go!

2011-01-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

No sugar that is. I must say I've been pretty nice. Last night was my first real craving. It was dessert time and didn't feel like making a fruit smoothie so I sat in the media room folding clothes and was really jonesing for something, then it dawned on me, PEANUT BUTTER! Why didn't I think of this before? I skipped down the hallway and checked the ingredients... just peanuts! HOORAY!!! I pulled out an apple, chopped it up and slathered peanut butter all over it and omg, OMG OMG OMG... it was good! I probably ate about 10 tablespoons of it but who's counting. The hubby saw me come back in the room and asked what I had. The conversation went something like this:

Hubby: What are you eating?
Me: Dessert!
Hubby: HA! I win!
Me: No you don't! I'm not eating sugar. ~smirk~
Hubby: Peanut butter has sugar.
Me: NOPE, not ours. It's OHHH natural! ~dancing in my seat~
Hubby: Well..hmmm.
Me: MMM MMM MMM
Hubby: I'm going for a run! ~walks outs in a huff and comes back in a few minutes later~
Hubby: Okay, I'm going. ~kisses me~ Eww, you smell like peanut butter!
Me: I know, right?! YUM! ~big smile~

Awww... sweet victory! I know it's only one day down but still, I'm happy I made it through day one. It will be interesting how quickly I will finish off this bottle of the good stuff and move onto bottle numero dos. Tonight, I think I will have some bug snacks... celery with peanut butter and raisins. :P

Have you ever given up sweet treats? If so, how long did you last?

Let the withdraw begin...

2011-01-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

I made a bet with the hubby about giving up processed sugar for 5 days. He didn't think I could do it (part of me does too) and I now I am sitting here, going on nine hours without. Granted 7 of those hours I was asleep but lets not talk particulars here. You see, the last 3 weeks I've been off the sweets wagon and living the high life like I was at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Now there isn't anything wrong with a little sugar but seriously, I must have been consuming a lb a day. So, what did I give up? Anything with the words like sugar or syrup in the ingredients. In an effort to be ready for this week (Monday - Friday) I bought lots of fruits and veggies, plain greek yogurt, and cottage cheese for snacking. What's at stake? A executive car wash. I'm talking about the fancy one that even cleans the dash and makes it smell nice. Last car wash I had was ions ago. I do keep the inside clean and once in a while I run it through the car wash after I get gas. It looks clean with all the rain we've gotten but still, my baby needs a little TLC. I will give daily updates on how I do.

Now, let's move on. It's Monday so you know what that means: MEAL PLANNING DAY. Yesterday while at Target, I was browsing the dollar section I found a little dry erase board. What a perfect little thing to keep us on track. We have a saying at the planner household, "if it's written down then we must follow through." I tossed it in the cart and took it home. It helped out a lot when I was prepping meals for the week. So what are we eating?

Monday: Hawaiian Pork Nachos (we didn't make this last week)*
Tuesday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Turkey & Mushroom Sauce
Wednesday: Chicken Tikka Marsala with Garlic Naan (naan came from Trader Joe's)
Thursday: Prosciutto wrapped Turkey Burgers
Friday: French Dip Sandwiches (with pork meat)*
Saturday: Sushi with friends!

*acts as part of yearly to do list, slow cooker and new meals.

Desserts this week will be fruit slurpees. All fruit, no sugar. :) YUM!

So what did I prep last night?

Boiled the chicken and now marinating in the Tikka Marsala sauce we bought
Slow Cooked the pork for Monday and Friday's meals
Made the Turkey and Mushroom Sauce
Made Minestrone soup for a side dish for this week's meals.
Made a week's worth of Banana/Apple/Walnut/Raison Oatmeal
Made the turkey burger patties

This time around, I had less dishes dirty since I figured out a good pattern to only get the same ones dirty so I was cleaning along the way. I'm really enjoying my meal prep time now. I feel more relaxed during the week and have more time to enjoy playing with kupcake.

Moving on to this week's to-do list:

Work out 3 times during my lunch break (must bring running gear and shower gear to work)
Finish cleaning my room. Yup, it's dirty and it needs a good deep cleaning.
Figure out vacation plans for Memorial day. I'm DYING to plan another trip.
Fix the vacuum. I broke it... how? I have long hair and if you do too you'll understand.
Finish cleaning the garage. Hubby did a terrific job this weekend and now all that's left is the shelves.
Put away little girl clothes.

That's about it. How is your week shaping up to being?

Sugar shock...

2011-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

That's me... I told myself this morning I would be good, apparently humanity had other things in mind. A coworker just stopped my desk with treats. To be specific, a tray of beautiful cupcakes her husband's coworker's daughter (you follow?) bakes as a side business while putting herself through college. Now, I was ready to say no, until A: I noticed they were cupcakes (my weakness) and 2: there was a peanut butter and chocolate one. DROOL! It's not even noon and I already ate some of it, hence the sugar shock I am feeling.

Now in my sugar induced coma, I can barely think straight. When this happens, I try to remember my weekly to do list. It's pretty sad I haven't done much other than put away little girl clothes. Tonight I will go running. Or at least attempt to go running. My gut feeling is that I will probably just run down the block and than walk back. LAME. I will follow it up with some sit ups because well, I said I would. I need to do something especially with this yummy cupcake looking at me.

In other news, did you know it's Thursday? This week kinda flew by. I wasn't ready for it to be over if that makes sense. Luckily the hubby had a business dinner yesterday so last night's dinner got pushed to tonight. YEA!!! Tonight's dinner consists of heating up the oven and sticking casserole in it. I love this whole new food prep thing I got going.

How is your week shaping up?

WHERE'S MY SNOW???!

2011-01-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and in my haze, opened my phone to see the latest Facebook ramblings. Funny how almost all of them were from my friends who still live in my home town, all the same thing... SNOW!!! Now they barely got 2-3 inches but that was still enough to close down the town. No school, no work, nothing. If there was any moment in my life where I wanted to live there, right now was this moment. Oh how I didn't want to go to work today! I stumbled to the window and said a little prayer, in hopes that there'd be snow outside our home but when I pulled the blinds back I got was wet wet wet earth. No snow, just more rain. Something I really like but today it wasn't cutting it. I wanted my snow day.

Now let's get this party started. Are you ready for a new week? I am. I spent the better part of my evening yesterday menu planning/prepping for the family. For the adults and for the little kupcake. Let's see what is for dinner this week:

Monday: Roasted Chicken with potatoes and artichoke hearts (*new menu item)
Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup with popcorn chicken
Wednesday: Macaroni Casserole with Turkey meat sauce
Thursday: BBQ chicken pizza (using leftover chicken from Monday)
Friday: Hawaiian shredded pork nachos (*crock pot meal)
Saturday: Dinner out

*items for yearly to do list challenge

Breakfast and lunch for the week were prepped too:

Breakfast: Oatmeal. Mine has Apple, Banana, Blueberry, Walnuts, Raisins, Almond Milk and a hint of brown sugar and Cinnamon. YUMMM!!!!
Lunch: Balsamic Vinegar Chicken salad.

The kupcake will be eating apples, apples with blueberry, and of course lots and lots of milk! Exciting huh?

By the time I was done, the kitchen was a MESS! I'm surprised the Governor didn't issue it a DISASTER AREA! I made my breakfasts and the chicken for my lunches, made the butternut squash soup, steamed a bag of apples, got the chicken prepped for Monday's dinner, made Wednesday's dinner so it will just pop into the oven when it's time and packaged everything up. Phew! It was a lot of work but so happy it is over with.

Now onto my to-do list:

Get the website up. I tried migrating stuff over last week but broke something. Fingers crossed we can open up the store this week and I can finally share it with you!
Run/Walk 10 miles (must bring running gear to work this week)
Do two hundred various types of sit ups
Put away little girl clothes
Take down last of the Christmas Decorations and pack it all up
Sushi dinner with friends
Create a chore list. See... I totally plan everything out. Only way to live I say!
Get back on track with food. I ate at least 15 pieces a candy everyday for the past 2 weeks. I am all for moderation, two pieces a day to combat cravings, but seriously, I dove in and never looked back.

So that's our life here at the planner household.

I'm looking forward to moving again. I feel like a total sloth! What are you looking forward to this week?

Things to do before 2012

2011-01-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

Wow... that year went by fast!!! Time to do my Things to do List for 2012:

Pay my car off
Re-Organize back closet for inventory space
Get the garden up and going again
Launch our online store
Go to Hawaii - Big Island
Blog 2 Months Straight
Cook 1 new meal I haven't cook before every week for one quarter
Cook 1 slow cooker recipe every week for one quarter
Take a vacation to a destination I've never been to
Stay at a Disneyland hotel
Go to Baby and Kids ABC Expo
Clean out my closet
Go to New Mexico
Log 500 miles running/walking
Go to the Zoo

What's on your list?

How did I do on my yearly to do list?

2010-12-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

1. Pay half my car off by 12/31/10 Pushing this to Q1 2011
2. Finish remodeling the media room DONE!!!3. Get the garden up and going again DONE!!!
4. Design a nursery DONE!!!
5. Teach the puppies some manners DONE!!!!
6. Do one half marathon (SB 1/2 Marathon) DONE!!!
7. Re-Organize (currently doing) DONE!!!
8. Go to Hawaii October 2010 -Kauai!!!!
9. Do one big craft project each month (currently doing) Was great until kupcake came along and wanted to play all day long.
10. Get Back in shape by 12/31/10 DONE!!!
11. Get up to date with all vacation albums DONE!!!
12. Find a yoga class I can go to DONE!!!
13. Reorganize and redo back guest room Done!!!
14. Cook 4 nights a week for 1 month straight DONE!!!
15. Take a vacation to a destination I've never been to (going to Philly for Vday)DONE!!!
16. Work out 5 times a week for 3 months straight Next year...

Not to shabby I must say. What a great year it was! Can't wait for what 2011 has to bring!

Row row row your boat...

2010-12-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

That's how we all felt today. Southern California is getting quite a doozy of a rainstorm. If it doesn't let up soon, we'll all have to bow down the hatches and start paddling to and from the house. I guess we need the rain and really I don't mind it. I think my only complaint is that I really was looking forward to taking my daughter for walks but I guess that will have to wait till later this week.

In other news, I am all done with my Christmas shopping. Thank heaven for amazon's app and prime shipping! HOORAY!!! I have about 4 more presents to wrap and then completely done. Now onto more important things... DINNER PLANNING!!!

Monday - In & Out (grilled cheese of course... no beef for me!!!) YUMMM!!!
Tuesday - Shredded Pork and Potato Soup -Must share this recipe with you because it is the BOMB!!
Wednesday - Homemade Turkey Meatball sandwiches
Thursday - Chicken Fried Rice
Friday - Italian Christmas Dinner with family (it's tradition and it's DIVINE!!!)
Saturday - Ham and all the fixings... YUMM!!!
Sunday - Dinner at the club...perhaps?

Soo looking forward to tomorrow's meal. I made the soup tonight so while the kupcake was passed out. The shredded pork will be done in the crockpot. Isn't the crockpot the best appliance ever?!

In other news, my weekly to-do list:

Finish kupcake's felt sushi/toys
Mail the last of our christmas cards. I have them addressed but not in the mail box... bad me
Tidy up the house
Finish the store front main page
Clean the inside of my car, it's never been this dirty, it's a bit pathetic.
walk 10 miles
Find my Love Actually DVD. It wasn't in the case and it isn't like it walked off. One of the best Christmas movies made.
Enjoy this week off with my little girl.

Hope you have a great Christmas week!

Cake balls...

2010-12-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

You know the hundred cake balls I talked about early on in the week? Well, our HUGE cookie swap turned into only 7 of us so I only had to really do 42 or so, 1/2 dozen a person. I ended up making some candy boxes for the hubby to take to work and wrapped mine up all nice and purrty. :) As hard as it was to make and decorate, I had fun with it and boy did the chocolate ones turn out good! YUMM!

I also typed up the recipe so I can hand out to at the swap. Just in case you lost yours, here you go!

Who needs sleep?

2010-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I didn't get to sit down and relax until I fell asleep. I felt like I was going non stop, between the inventory I did, dinner, cleaning the great room (living and dining areas) and kitchen, mopping the floors, folding little clothes, folding my own, and playing. It was a good night at the planner house hold but feel like I'm already a little behind my to do list. Tonight is another dinner (at least it's easy stir fry and the rangoons will be quick to make), baking cakes for the cake balls and balling them out, I hope I can even sneak in a small walk since it will be nice and crisp out (Yea, storm is coming!!!!). Fingers crossed I get to bed before midnight again.

In other news, 17 days left 'til we ring in the new year. Where did this year go? It's funny, I literally spent 50% of year pregnant, and the other 50% being a mom. It's really has been my favorite year so far in my life. I'm really excited to see what next year brings. How will you remember 2010 and what are you looking forward to 2011?

It hurts so good...

2010-12-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

At least that is what I'm telling myself. Another half marathon done. COMPLETED... and boy am I exhausted. It was Summer. BLAZING HEAT and my legs felt like heavy. It wasn't my finest hour but whatever, I have a new medal so that's all I care about.

Oh and this heat I'm talking about? Sorry, it's December and although I do live in SoCal, I WANT sweaters and scarves. I want sweatshirts and fuzzy warm boots. I want fires in the fireplace and excuses to make hot chocolate. I WANT WINTER GOSH DARN IT! (Seriously, I need to lay off of decaf coffee, look at all the cap letters already)

Moving on...I decided I am definitely going to train for 13.1 in LA next month. I can't have another showing like this one. Next one I want to finish in under 2:50 so I really need to start running again. I just have to get my @ss out there. This week though, I will take it easy and rest since my knee is about to blow up.

Let's plan dinner shall we?

Mon: Shredded Chicken Tacos and Salad
Tues: Tofu Stir Fry with Baked Crab Rangoons
Wed: Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Thur: Nacho Supreme with Shredded Pork (reminds me of Kauai...yum)
Fri: Turkey Meatloaf and Potatos and Gravy
Sat: Dinner Out
Sun: Fish Night

YUM YUM!!! I made the chicken and shredded it last night. It's sitting in the frig COVERED with seasonings like paprika, chili powder, pepper, among other things. DELISH! (there I go again...all caps)

On the misc things to do list for the week, my life will go something like this:

Make 100 vanilla and chocolate cake balls for cookie exchange (i know it isn't a cookie but who cares)
Put away about a million pieces of little girl clothes
Finish updating the store's inventory list and get CC working for it
Walk 5 miles
Make felt sushi for our kupcake's first christmas present
mail out the last of our holiday cards
Finish christmas shopping (online of course)

So there you have it... A preview of my week to come. How is your week looking?

Train for a half marathon in 6 days!

2010-12-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

That's what I'm doing. Did I run last week. NO! I even had my workout gear WITH ME but did I go? NOPE! Could I have gone at night after kupcake is sleeping? YES! Did I? NOPE! Did I have support and people at home encouraging me to go run? YUP! Did it help? Made me feel worse.

So, because my lazy tush didn't run. I decided to do a crash course training schedule. It isn't like I'm asking myself to run to Bali and back. Just to the school down the street or to the park around the bend. I'm pathetic!

Little Miss Planner's Half Ass Attempt to train for a Half Marathon

Mon: Run 2 miles

Tue: Run 3 miles

Wed: Run 3 miles

Thur: Run 2 miles

Fri: Run 2 miles

Sat: 2 Pilates Classes

Sun: Run 13.1 miles

Pretty Sad isn't it! Basically if I run 12 miles (less than a half) and do two Pilates classes I will be ready for this race. Well, probably not but at least I won't die out there near the strawberry fields.

On a lighter note, I found out something quite interesting. I decided to check out Weight Watchers again (online of course) and noticed that things changes since I last logged on. New style of counting points and how points are calculated. A little harder to figure out so hopefully that will get me going through the rest of the month. And I lost a few more lbs, how that happened is beyond me since I had some See's Candy last yesterday. Okay, I have 4 pieces. Stop looking at me! :)

Now onto meals for the week. My dad has been staying with us during the weekdays to help watch our little rugrat and in order to have control of everything, I have to plan ahead. Time to introduce to you our meals for the week:

Sun: Sloppy Turkey Joes (SOOO GOOD!)
Mon: Chicken Satay & Peanut Sauce with steamed sesame veggies
Tue: Crock pot of Beans and chili with homemade Tortillas
Wed: Tofu Stir Fry
Thur: Grilled Panini's with broiled brussels sprouts
Fri: Order out!

Cannot tell you enough how excited I am for each meal. YUM! Somewhere in there I have to make cookies (8 dozen) for work. Phew!

How's everyone's week looking like? Hopefully less busy than mine!

Things you've been meaning to do...

2010-11-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

I have a list the size of my arm of things I've been meaning to do. On top of that list is run. I know I am always saying I'm going to run, but truthfully, I never seem to get my tush out there and pound the pavement. Case in point, running gear in my car and I can go during my lunch break but will i? Well, maybe today since I am writing about it and I'd feel guilty if I don't. Still, It irks me that I'm not running. ESPECIALLY since I have a 1/2 marathon (yes another one) in 12 days.

So this post is for me to come clean. Here is a run down of things I've been meaning to do:

Run. A lot!
Lose 10 lbs. I'm so not a person to look at the scale but seriously, I have two boxes of clothes that I really want to wear and while I love to shop, the lack of paychecks the past 6 weeks (due to maternity leave) kinda hindered that desire. Yes, I hit my prepregnancy weight (hit it end of September) but I guess things just aren't the same and need to tone and tighten up. Funny thing is I don't remember being that tight before the kupcake came along. Goal is to lose it by 1/1/11. Back on WW I go.
Talk to my friends. One of them literally is DOWN THE STREET and do I talk to her? Nope, not for the past week. Must make a better effort there.
Pull out the holiday decorations.
Clean the floors, oy, they are diiirrrrttttyyy! Good thing kupcake isn't too mobile yet. Yes, she rolls around and scoots a little here and there, but right now she's more focused on this whole standing up and trying to walk thing. (She's only 5 months old!) I figure I have at least till Christmas till I have to worry about keeping clean floors.
Find a nanny (will shoot off the questionaire today...promise)
Finish doing inventory and get the store up and running (oh, we are opening a store, will talk more about that later).
Probably more things but right now, I'm just drowning in these main things.

So, what do you do with the things you've been meaning to do?

Paying for medals...

2010-11-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

So I did it, up and signed up for two more races. Basically I am imagining myself with two shiny new medals to add to my collection. One is a 10k on Thanksgiving so I won't feel too guilty for eating an extra piece of pumpkin pie and the other is the Santa To the Sea Half Marathon on December 12. Have I ran since my last half? Not really, but I blame this nasty cold I caught, THANKS HUBBY! I go back to work next week (tear tear) and figured if I have to go back I might as well run during my lunch break so I don't feel horrible leaving my beautiful little daughter at home.

I need to find a race for either New Year's or just after the holidays so I don't fall victim to the evils of holiday cookies that get made in our household. (Can't you just see it now, me filling up the containers to send to my brothers all other the country, "one for you, one for me --CHOMP") I say evil yet somehow I am already drooling over the thought of them!

How are you going to try to stay in shape during the holidays?

How to Make a Bathroom More Cozy... CSN Preview

2010-11-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

We have a water baby on our hands. Bath time is one of the highlights of our little one's day. With that being said, our guest bathroom where all the fun happens is basic. It isn't fun sitting on the cold tile while our little fish splashes in the water. Every night you could hear the hubby talk about how we needed to spruce it up and add some bathroom furniture in there. CSN Stores gave us an opportunity to do another review and we thought this would be perfect to get some new bathroom furniture or accessories like a rug and perhaps some accessories that matched to make it more comfortable.

Searching high and low on the CSN Bathroom store, it was so hard to pick something because there were so many choices. Did we want to go kid like with gold fish and princess gear? Or did we want to more modern? After lots of debate we decided to this Avanti Cobblestone Rug. It was a nice complementary design with our toffee colored tiles and granite counter top.

I'm so excited for it come and see how it looks. I know we've never been let down with this company!

Thank you again CSN for giving us the opportunity to check out your different stores!

This blogger received a promo code and did not receive financial compensation.

Into the sea I ran

2010-11-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

I have no clue how I did it but I did. I woke up with less than three hours of sleep, drove over an hour walked over a mile to the starting line and ran. It was a like a flash flood of people storming down the streets and paths and boy was it pretty. So I wasn't in the front, I was more of the small stream of people towards the back. I told myself, ok run for 30 minutes and then we can walk and run a little. I hit mile two feeling good so I said I'll walk at 3. Three came and figured I'd rest at four, and that came and on I went and pushed through mile after mile. I blame the scenery for making it so easy! The Santa barbara 1/2 marathon started in a beautiful residential area then we turned onto bike paths that followed a steam. We ran over small bridges, underneath tall trees, and next to wilderness. On mile 9 not only did hit the wall I hit the hill. 170 ft in 1/4 mile. Ouch!!! A man in his bike saw I was struggling and offered me a water bottle and even though I declined he told me it was ok and to take it. So I did and man, that water had some healing powers because after a minute or so of downing it I got my energy back! On mile 11, we made the final big turn towards the ocean and you could see the islands and the brilliant blue ocean. The last water station gave us the best news, it was all down hill from here. I pushed and pushed and found myself doing something I didn't think would happen, beating my mental time I wanted to come in. I figured I wanted to finish in 3:15 because the lack of training and the fact I gave birth 19 weeks ago. 3:15 was good, it meant I tried hard and didn't pansy out. If i came in before that I'd be thrilled. I crossed through the finish line at 2:56! Yea!!! I may not be a fast runner but I'm ok with that.

The teenager placed the medal around my neck and moments later it started to drizzle lightly on us. It was so surreal and beautiful. Nowadays, my life evolves around a 15lb little girl and at this moment it evolved around me. I felt so empowered and alive. The pain in my knees and hips felt good, it was the type of pain that reminded you that you accomplished something. I like that type of pain!

So now, a day later and still a little sore, I feel eager to get back out there. I'm throwing down the gauntlet and going to do another one next month. I decided I am going to do one a month until I can't find one, hurt myself, or other.

14th half marathon is now in the books, time to find where 15 will be!

Sent from my iPhone

Hours to go....

2010-11-05T23:58:00.001-07:00

I'm laying in bed, butterflies in my tummy and all I can think about is the pain I will create within my body. I'm wondering when it will hit, mile 4, 6, 8? Will my knees hold up? And the hip? How much will I walk? Did I pack everything? Will I hear my alarm? What time will I cross that finish line? Will I be ok?

My mind is racing and I feel so nervous and excited. I can't wait to feel the weight of the medal around my neck. I can't believe this will be my 14th half marathon! Ok... Must go to sleep now and hope I can at least sleep a bit before the race!

Sent from my iPhone

What was I thinking?

2010-11-03T14:36:00.001-07:00

I only have three days till my next half marathon. I am sooo not ready! I was doing so well with training until my knees starting hurting and then I kinda just... Well, stopped training. I've been going to boot camp, Pilates, yoga and walks with my other mommy friends, but still is it enough? I don't think so!

This week I decided to push myself running as a last minute ditch effort. I have to admit this feeling is familiar. I can recall a "few" half marathons that I barely trained for. I guess I just have to remember how to move one foot in front of another and just push myself to the end.

On the weight-loss front, I finally hit pregnancy weight a few weeks ago. It felt so nice to button my jeans and finally put away my prego clothes. Ive gotten lazy and stopped paying attention to what i ate and the weight stopped coming off. Problem is that my regular clothes still feel tight so I figure I have 10 more lbs to go. Uggh! New goal is to hit that by Christmas (hopefully sooner).

With fall hitting, do you feel less motivated to work out? I for one can't tell the difference here, it 95 out and November 3rd. If you live in cooler climates, can you send some of it our way? I miss fall!

Go vote!

2010-11-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Mommy and I voted, did you?

Boo!

2010-10-23T22:48:00.001-07:00

Miss me? We've been so busy in the planner household I've gotten so bad about blogging but I now that we are figuring out how to balance life I will be back to our old blogging routine. In the meantime, to drum up some holiday spirit, here's our little pumpkin! Happy Halloween!

Two months ago...

2010-08-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

My daughter was born. We were surrounded my family and held our new addition with loving arms. She napped all swaddled up was just adorable. Today, she naps spread out on us and is still just a doll! Time is just flying by and loving every minute I have spent with my little darling!

Training for the SB Half Marathon Week 1 of 12

2010-08-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

If I have to train for some silly race I thought was a good idea back in April, I'm going to make you read about my agony!!!

SUN Stretch and Strengthen: DONE
MON 3m: DONE
TUE 2m or cross: Did Zumba and went on a walk with 1.5 mile walk with friends
WED 3m + S: Did Yoga, Pilates and even snuck in the 3 mile walk/run
THR rest: DONE
FRI 30 min cross: Leasure stroll to relax my body
SAT 4m: Didn't get a chance to go... to busy with the family.

How do I feel?

It felt good to finally go running again. I missed being on the road and even missed the soreness of it all.

Anything to note? Spent the weekend in Laughlin with my family so didn't get to go on my long run. Also this heat is making it hard to really get out there. BOOO!

HUH? What does it all mean?
m = mile
cross = cross training

Training guide care of source

CSN Review... my beautiful new tablescape...

2010-08-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

My new table runner finally came from CSN Stores: Dining Room Store. It is amazing and am kicking myself I never took a photo of it to show you (I'm totally blaming being a new mom on that one). From ordering to receiving it, it was here within 6 business days, and that is with the normal shipping. What can I say, I am in love with CSN Stores. I already have 5 things I am going to order next week that I need/want.

Thanks again CSN for the opportunity to review your services.

This blogger received a promo code and did not receive financial compensation.

Last week's progress

2010-08-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

So I'm here to own up to what I did or didn't do. Overall I am very happy with how it went.

Mon: Walk to the store - 2 miles
Tues: 5k walk and Zumba in the evening
Wed: Postpartum Yoga in the daytime with my little one and Pilates in the evening
Thur: 2.25 walk
Fri: too hot to do anything
Sat: Pilates
Sun: Training begins!

This week, my training schedule looks like this:

SUN Stretch and Strengthen
MON 3m
TUE Zumba and possibly a walk in the morning with my friend and her new son
WED 3m +Yoga + Pilates
THR rest:
FRI 30 min cross:
SAT 4m:

Uggh... Today I did the three miles and boy was it hot (I only ran less than a mile of it though). I have to wake up earlier to really get out there and move. Not looking forward to Wednesday since it is such a busy day, might move my 3m to Thursday, we'll see. Also, my 4m run is when we'll be visiting with family in hellish hot Nevada heat. Granted I will be cool in the gym running or at least attempting to run. :) Any case, that's how it is all going. I will now be doing posts on how it went on Sundays to recap. Wish me luck this week!

Just a few days to go before it all begins...

2010-08-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

The countdown clock has been officially been placed on the blog for my first half marathon post pregnancy. I have to admit I am a little intimidated for my first run/jog/walk next week. In order to make sure I can be prepared I have quite a bit of exercise planned for this week.

Mon: Walk to the store - 2 miles
Tues: 5k walk and Zumba in the evening
Wed: Postpartum Yoga in the daytime with my little one and Pilates in the evening
Thur: 5k walk
Fri: 5k walk/job and 30day shred dvd
Sat: Pilates
Sun: Training begins!

So yes, I'm trying to prepare myself the best I can without killing myself. Sounds like a lot but everything is within reason. Also I'm still ahead of the plan to hit my pre-pregnancy weight by Mid Sept. It'd be nice to hit it before but not holding my breath. This whole thing is going to be interesting to say the least. I already set up weekly updates so you can all yell/praise me depending on how much I do during the program. I can't believe I signed up for a half, much less toying with the idea of doing two in two weeks. I only signed up for one just in case. Guess we'll see how it goes. :)

P.S. Why of WHY does it have to get hot when I am starting to train?

How I spend my day....

2010-08-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

Instead of telling you how I spend my
day, I decided to better show you! Playing with my little kupcake!

Sprucing up the place... CSN Preview

2010-08-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Being home you find yourself staring at everything thinking what needs to be done. This has been my life the last two months. Now with a newborn I find myself in the living room more often than not, staring at our dining room furniture. While I love our set, it desperately needs some help with accessorises. When the lovely people at CSN offered to help me out, I gladly jumped at the chance to get something for the area. I decided what I needed was a table runner. I spent hours looking at all the options they had and finally decided upon this one:

link

It's chic and not to over the top for our dining space. It might just be the thing to tie everything together for the space. I'm very excited for it to come and can't wait to see how it looks on our table!

This whole motherhood thing...

2010-08-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Shhhh... don't tell anyone but I actually found a minute today to blog... DURING THE DAY! KLM is passed out in her glider (I think I tired her out during playtime) and cloth diaper laundry is already going. To me, this puts me ahead of schedule and I figured lets finally hit up the blog. I can't even tell you how amazing this summer has been. For starters it feels like it's lasted a lifetime for me and anything that happened before June feels like a distant memory. When I was one leave before she came, I went from going stir crazy to being super busy with my pg friends who were due this summer with me. Now that she is here, I'm consumed with her. You think to yourself taking care of a little baby who sleeps alot will afford you time to yourself but you are SOOOO wrong. We thought that and boy were we off in that train of thought. It wasn't till this week that it's gotten a "little" easier. Apparently I'm blessed with a very happy and healthy baby who loves to be held or touched in some form or another, AKA you can't put her down. I can't complain because I love holding her but it is a pain to get anything done. Usually nothing gets done. Today is probably a fluke how easy its been to get to nap somewhere not in my arms.

The other thing people don't tell you is how much work breastfeeding is. Yup, I'm blowing the lid off this one. It is work and you live your life in three hour increments (if you're even that lucky) waiting till she's hungry again. I won't even talk about the problems that come it like engorment other than to say, OUCH! But with how hard it is, it is just as good. I love bf-ing! I love it because it is KLM time. I love looking into her little jewel eyes and knowing I'm doing my best to give her the best. I love knowing what I eat is what she eats. I love our connection that no one else has right now. Even during the hardest times of bf-ing, it's been worth it.

Now lets talk about cloth diapering... I'm sure my friends thought I was a freak to even consider it but it's been so easy. Much easier than everyone thinks. Sure you have to spray down diapers but I read that you should even be doing that with regular diapers. Washing them isn't hard at all and I love tossing the liners on the clotheline we have while the inserts dry in the dryer. Oh, any leakage? NONE! She had leakage with the disposables but not her cloth, and BOY does she look cute in them! Totally worth it. I think if you have a washer and dryer than you should at least consider it. It isn't for everyone but should always be an option.

Sleeping...well, our daughter crashes around 10pm and is out till 8-9am. Yes she wakes up to eat and diaper change but that's it. Yes, I'm blessed!

Overall, this whole motherhood thing has been amazing. I can't believe it'll be six weeks this Friday. Life really moves pretty fast, I'm just glad I can stop and look around right now to enjoy it!

Feet...

2010-07-31T22:20:00.001-07:00

These little feet have gone 14 miles this week. Granted, they haven't
left the stroller, but still. So here I am, training for the 12 week
program that starts in two weeks. I know, weird right?! I figured I
might as well teach my legs to walk again more than just down the
hall. To be honest, doing this is the smartest thing I could have
done. After 2 miles my legs ached last week. Everyday i went out in
the afternoon to break up my day and get some sun. Today we did four
and I was spent after. Not to mention the killer sunburn I got. EeeeeKk!
I'm still walking right now and will start the running process with
the actual program but it's a start.

I've also started operation get my body back. I've started the 30
day shred DVD but well, haven't done it everyday. I will try to do it
at least a few times this week. I'm also going back to Pilates in
august. I even talked one of my friends to go to a Zumba class with
me this week (hope I don't faint from exhaustion on that one!).
Weight loss wise, I'm more than on track as to where I want to be. My
goal is to be where I was a year ago by mid September. We'll see how
that all plays out.

In any case, that's that's going on here with me. I'm still
adjusting to how to make time for myself and writing again. Hopefully
I will figure that out this week since tmw is a new month! I'm not
going to put up any "i'm going to" type of thing about that because
well, I'm a slacker and forget what I said I'd do and then the next
rolls around.

Enough about me... what about you? Have you kept up with working
during the summer?

Wednesday Ramblings

2010-07-21T13:03:00.001-07:00

I was going to go to the computer and do Wednesday ramblings but
instead this little ladybug fell asleep on me and well, I prefer doing
this than typing on the computer! Can you blame me? Happy wednesday!

Wednesday Ramblings...

2010-07-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

I love being a mommy! I love the lack of sleep, I love the smiles and even her little tears (even if it does break my heart), I love your scent and I just love love love holding my little cupcake.
I'm finally feeling mostly back to my old self. I have just a little more weight to lose before I can feel like I used to feel.
Speaking of losing weight, I decided I am going to start the 30 day shred dvd. I am going to get my @ss handing to me! I know it!
We started a photo blog for KLM, if you are interesting in seeing it, email me and I'll send you the invite. We decided we'll post a photo here and there on this blog but wanted something we can share with our families (who are scattered all over the country) to see how our little one is growing up.
On the menu for tonight, Chicken Kabobs!!!
I am soo not a summer person, this heat it KILLING ME!
Only 4 more weeks till Laughlin! I love our summer family trips there! This year we are celebrating my parent's 45th wedding anniversary! They were great examples of what married life should be like.
I do not miss work at ALL! If only I can figure out how I work from home and never go back!!! Chances of that happening are the same as winning the lottery. Uggh!
I have 5 thank you cards to write...must write them today.

Back to your regular scheduled programs

2010-07-12T23:59:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to blogging... But you can't
blame me if you had access to little panda feet like I do! This week
my goal is to post 4 times... Yes this counts as one! Gotta go, I've
got to go cuddle with my little cupcake!

CSN Review... lawn games

2010-07-12T23:00:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm finally back... have soo much to write about but I wanted to tell you all about what we thought about the Bean Bag Toss we got from CSN Stores. We received the backyard game the night we went into labor and you know me, we ripped it open and played it that night. Needless to say I lost, kinda hard tossing bean bags while having contractions but can I say this game is addicting. My friend Sara pointed out that in her neck of the woods it's called Corn Hole (because the bean bags are made of kernels). This by far was the best thing we could have gotten!!! We've played tons of games with friends and family since it arrived and the hubby is practically a pro at it by now!

One of my favorite things about ordering from CSN is their customer service. A few days after I ordered it I received an email from a Representative letting me know that they were looking into why it wasn't shipped out, and then a few hours later I received confirmation that it was sent. It was suppose to arrive on KLM's due date and it ended up coming two days early! The game is well made and easy to move around. We already started to look at which other lawn games we want to buy from their stores!

Thanks again CSN for the opportunity to review your services and will definitely be using you when it is time to finally remodel our bathroom!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T14:33:00.001-07:00

Wishing you a very fun and safe 4th!

I'll be spending it with my little firecracker!

Well... it finally happened...

2010-06-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

There I was, minding my own business while leaving the doctor's office on Wednesday and wham... contraction.

Well, one led to another and wouldn't you know it, at the end of the contraction rainbow was my little pot of gold.

Did you know that fewer than 5% of the population are born on their actual due dates? My daughter is one of them, I guess she had a plan all along and doesn't like to be late, just like her momma!

I'm just very thrilled to share the news with you and will be taking a week off from all blogging. I have a few reviews to post, type up my little birth story, and some other random blogging to do. For now though, I'm going to go back to our room and stare at my little cupcake! Life is good!

closing in on 40...

2010-06-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

I just noticed on my google home page we only have 4 days till we hit our due date. Funny thing is regardless of the contractions and that number, it still seems a world away that any day our daughter is going to be born. My dad made a comment to us this past weekend how relaxed we were. I think all the grandparents are more stressed than we are about it. I do wonder if there will come a point that I too will get a bit freaked out. For now, I'm not and just enjoying these last few moments before our lives change once again.

In the last few weeks since being off work I've been keeping myself busy with lots of yoga, spending time with my new friends (all with bellies like mine) and doing random chores in the house. I've prepared meals and even read most of the magazines that I've held off from the past few months because well, I had no need for ab workouts. :) The garden is blooming beyond belief finally and our flowers are brightening up our mundane backyard. Things are in place you can say, now it's just a matter of adding that extra puzzle piece that's baking in my belly. She'll come soon, maybe tonight or maybe on 4th of July. For now though, I'm just happy.

My Vigilante lasagna

2010-06-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

I never made lasagna before. I always thought it was super hard and had to make a ton. A few days ago while flipping through my cookbooks I realized I didn't have to follow the norm and just do my own thing. Armed with everything I needed in the cupboard, I decided I'd just go for it and what do you know, I did a great job.

Vigilante Lasagna (serves two)

1/2 package of ground lean turkey (can you any ground meat you want. Beef NEVER enters this house so turkey it is)
1 small can of tomato sauce (the sauce can is thinner than paste but you can use either)
1 cup of water
6-8 lasagna strips (depends on how many rows you want)
Seasonings from garden or herb rack (I use the following: seasoning salt, savory, poultry seasoning, sage, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning)
2 cloves of garlic
2 chives (or mini onions)
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
1. Boil some water for the pasta
2. While that is going, heat up pan for meat with olive oil. I don't measure it, but I'd say 1/2 - 1 tablespoon. 3. Cook your meat, when it is 3/4 done, add 1/2 cup of water and all your seasonings (I do two or three shakes of each or a few pinches)
4. When meat is done, add can of tomato sauce and the rest of the water. Stir and taste. If it needs more seasoning add more. I usually add two or three shakes of each seasoning in it and taste until I can't stop eating it. When you are happy with it, turn to low and cover to just simmer.
5. Check your pasta, hopefully it is done.

Time to put it all together:
Since it's just me and the hubby, I use French Onion soup bowl but I'm sure you can use a medium ramekin or small casserole dish.
1. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of the bowls to it doesn't stick
2. Order goes like this:

Sauce
Pasta (that i cut in half to fit)
Spoonful of ricotta (spread out to thin layer)
A pinch of Parmesan
A bigger pinch of Mozzarella

3. I repeat this 3-4 times until I get to the top of the bowl and then final topping of Mozzarella is thicker and thin a swig of olive oil on top.

From start to finish, prep work for it is about 30 minutes. (photo of lasagna just out of the frig getting ready to wrapped for the freezer)

When it is time to cook, bake at 375 for about 30 minutes till the top is a golden brown. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving and enjoy!

Overhauling the house... CSN preview review

2010-06-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

You'd think that the closer we get to KLM's arrival the less we'd be thinking about the house. It seems like it's just the opposite. The closer we get, the more we want to do with the house. Part of it has to do with being home for so long. Right now, all I can think about is remodeling our bathroom and backyard. We have this vanity that just doesn't cut it for us. It's modern but not very compatible for two people. Then the shower toilet area, uggh... way to small. After sitting down and starting to crunch time and numbers, we decided that this was going to be a job for 2011 for us and for now, try to do our best with it and focus on the backyard more.

When CSN Stores contacted me to do a review, I had the opportunity to do another review from one of their 200+ stores. This time I decided we'd get something for the backyard. Something that would help us utilize our space and have fun at the same time. We decided that we wanted to get a game set like this one:

Link

It seems like it would fit perfectly on our small lawn and something really fun when we have guests over. Something we'll be having a lot of when KLM finally decides to come around. I can't wait to test it out! I know the hubby will be excited to try it too!

38 weeks...

2010-06-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

You'd think by this point I'm sick of being pregnant. I actually like it, even at 9.5 months. Sure I have the worst back pain since I was a senior in high school and granted my 85 year old grandma could outwalk me right now but still, it's been good. (as I type this, KLM is hiccuping up a storm) One of the things I noticed since being home the last two weeks was my wardrobe and what I wear. You see, all I can stand wearing now are sleeveless tops. I don't even remember the last time I wore a tshirt. Just the idea of putting something on my arms is appalling to me right now. My addiction even raged into my postpartum clothing went I finally went out and bought some nursing tops. All tanks. Yes, it's the summer so maybe that's that prompted it. Still, you'd think at least one shirt would find it's way in there. I wonder now if I wasn't pregnant, would I still be wearing tanks day in/day out?

What are you go to clothes for the summer?

Still here...

2010-06-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being absent lately. Adjusting to being at home was harder than I thought and well. I've tried my best to not spend the days watching tv and surfing the web, I've also not spent time blogging. I will resume mostly normal blogging starting tmw.

As for a PG update: Baby KLM is still living in my belly. Hitting 38 weeks and feeling a little big. Well, I'm off to my prenatal yoga class. To finally get SOME exercise. In the meantime, enjoy these two photos taken from our amazing and talented photographer: Mark Ayoub. (I was 34 weeks pregnant in these) I love them!

Finallly...done...

2010-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

The side patio that is.

What did we do, other than do the concrete? We added four hanging baskets filled with ivy that hopefully in time will look amazing. We also added three pots of plants to add more texture and create a more tranquil enviroment. The four light figures we got are battery operated so we can turn them on when we please. For the three big bushes on the left side, we added white marble rocks to offset all red flooring. I still need to tile the step but that's for when I'm on leave. I need something to do, right? :)

Here is a photo of our outdoor living space at night (taken with my iphone hence the poor quality).

What do you think?

Project 12 - May update #2

2010-05-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Time for updates!

Organize the kitchen. We did the pantry and the fridge, but the rest of it has been put off till next week. I need something to do while I'm on leave.
Take back the garage. Done! HOORAY!!! I parked in there last night for the first time in 6 months!
Organize KLM's Room. All done! Even got her bookshelf set up.
Side garden area. Done. Took about 10 minutes of bossing the hubby around and me waddling behind him to tell him where stuff goes. I cannot tell you how good it feels to have it all in one place, organized!
Organize our schedules. So far, still looking good. At the moment, I'm putting together of list of meals to make or have easily ready to make for when KLM arrives. Yes, I am a bit OCD when it comes to organizing stuff. :)

Milestones...

2010-05-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

During the pregnancy there were always milestones that I enjoyed hitting. First there were the one where I finally made it out of my first tri and was able to share the news with you. Next was feeling KLM kick (happened during an u/s so we knew it was her). Then we found out KLM was a girl (found out before 14w). We moved on to when the hubby finally felt her move around, then it was when we started classes. Now the milestones are ones that my mom set up...as to when she had us. I have 4 older siblings and they were ALL EARLY! Today I'm hitting milestone 1 -- my oldest sibling was born 6 weeks early. I'm passing that one up and with each week that goes by, I pass more. I was the only one that on time. :)

Last night a friend asked me if I was nervous at all and I felt very happy and able to say no. I'm not. I wonder if I used up all my nervousness at the beginning when I was worried about if she was okay and healthy. Now, I'm just excited. I know it will be painful when the time comes but really, what's the point of worrying about it?! The closer to D-Day the more introverted I get. I'd rather spend these last few weeks just enjoying some peace and not deal with others. Is that weird? Maybe it's my subconscious getting myself ready for it all. Who knows... but when the time comes to hit that final milestone, it will be amazing.

The Patio redesign...

2010-05-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

So now that the hubby has finally gotten the stain on the concrete, we are THIS CLOSE to when I get to finally do something. Tonight he has to seal it to give it a shine. HOORAY! Before I had these ideas of colors and styles but it's changed. I finally found some photos of the patio before we even moved in. Yes, they are screenshots of a video I took during our house inspection so they aren't the best but it's better than nothing.

By the photos, you can tell it's a long space. We're moving the basketball game (it's one of those due shot games you have to make as many baskets before the timer runs out) to run parallel to the end wall. Things we are adding... Two lounge chairs from Ikea. One will run along the wall of the house and act as a couch with lots of pillows to lean on. the other will run perpendicular to make it look L-shaped.

Then we bought two of these chairs, again, Ikea. These will just fill our the space to make it more of a seating area. We bought two end tables that will be used in the middle as a coffee table, easy to move and clean. We have one planter but I think we might need a few more to spruce up the space and not make it look so empty.

We also have a bookcase that we used to use for our wine until we got actual wine shelves. We are going to use these outside and for now put our weights and when KLM gets bigger, we will use it as storage for her outdoor toys. You know me, things must have their place. It will also be nice to have a space to put my laundry basket while I hook clothes up the the line (which is out here too but that will have to be another post on how we did it without taking up more space). I'm not one for too many things but I think it needs more. I still want to make more cozy so I'm on the hunt for more inspiration.

Wednesday Ramblings

2010-05-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Six or so weeks till D-Day! YAHOO!!!!! I can't believe the end is getting so close! I wonder if she'll come early? Late? Right on time? What do you think?
Only two more classes till we're done with our birth class. At first I was a bit apprehensive about taking it, thinking I wasn't going to learn anything but seriously, it was COMPLETELY worth it! You can learn stuff in books but it's totally different when you have an instructor going through it and sharing experiences with you.
Brace yourself people... The Side Patio has been stained. YES! Now it's just a matter of getting it sealed and we're good as gold! I hope this weekend we can get the rest of the furniture for it and complete it. Talk about checking something HUGE off the list!
I almost threw the biggest fit this morning. Yes, the kitchen is mostly clean but since I've resigned myself to being a spectator to putting stuff away nothing is in its place. Now, I said I almost threw a fit. I calmly made a comment to the hubby about it and tonight, operation kitchen will take effect so this fit I'm trying to keep in will not leap out of my mouth.
This weekend is our maternity photo shoot. Yes, I fill finally post a few photos here once we get them. I still don't know if I look huge yet. Somedays I think I do, others, not so much. I'll let you decide.
Looking forward to Sunday... Sunday means I can nap!
I love love love when they do 80's songs on Glee. Just makes me feel like a little kid again! Oh and Puck? DROOL.... sigh! :)
Indian food today for lunch! YEA!!! Almost makes me as happy as 80's Glee songs!
The creature inside is stirring. Lately she's been getting her feet stuck in/near my ribs. OUCH!
Did you know I'm actually very shy? If I had it my way, I'd be helping in the kitchen during parties instead of mingling?
I want to share with you my all time favorite quote and a very good way to live.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't think you can measure life in terms of years. I think longevity doesn't necessarily have anything to do with happiness. I mean happiness comes from facing challenges and going out on a limb and taking risks. If you're not willing to take a risk for something you really care about, you might as well be dead. --Northern Exposure

Project 12 - May update #1

2010-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Time for updates!

Organize the kitchen. UGGH... I have to do this one. At least the counter tops are clean, but the cupboards... not so much. Maybe next week when our schedules cool down a bit. :S
Take back the garage. We put up more shelves and cleaned out a lot of the stuff we needed to send to Good Will. We have about 4 boxes that we need to put back up in the storage space and then I can park in it! HOORAY!!!
Organize KLM's Room. All done! There is one shelf that is a little unorganized but everything is easy to find on it. I think I might have to leave it this way until I figure it out.
Side garden area. Haven't touched this area. I think I might tackle it on Sunday.
Organize our schedules. I feel like we are going from one meeting to the next. Today, we carpooled because there was just no point to wait around for each other if we were going to go to the same places after work. Schedule is packed but it's all set up on my google calendar. PHEW!

Wednesday Ramblings...

2010-05-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't blog yesterday... well, more like I didn't publish anything yesterday. I wrote two posts but they didn't make sense so I didn't post anything. Oh well, at least I attempted it so to me that isn't breaking this streak I'm on. :)
I have two more thank you cards to write from last weekend's shower. Why is it the last few are the hardest to get the motivation to write?
So we finally made a HUGE dent on the garage. After the last few boxes go up in the rafters I can park my car in it. HOORAY! It feels so good to have it organized (aside from that set of shelves with random nuts and bolts on it).
We got all of KLM's stuff washed. All her newborn clothes, all her diapers and wipes. If she came tmw, she have stuff to wear! HOORAY!
Don't tell anyone but I have this new fascination with getting coffee in the morning at 7-11 now. It's decaf so don't be all "you shouldn't have coffee." It's so tasty. Maybe it's cause I drink it out of a straw?!
Another Wednesday another appt. This one should be interesting. Have lots of questions and from what I read, everything is going fine. Just need to make doc aware of it all. Not to worry, nothing scary or yucky... just home stretch pg stuff. Oh the joy.
Speaking of home stretch... how CRAZY is it that I'll be full term in 30 days? WHOA!
We're as menacing as Muppet Babies... LOL... love Glee more than words!!!
I need to garden... Lettuce is ready to start harvesting. My tomato bush never grew... boo!
May was suppose filled with slow weekends... nope, every weekend is COMPLETELY FILLED AGAIN! Uggh... Hopefully June will have at least one quiet weekend. Fingers crossed!

The hated chores...

2010-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one that has a chore they dispise?

I hate clothes chores. From the washing to the transferring to the dryer to the folding to the putting away. Any portion of these chores make me just want to keel over and fake a migraine. I'd rather be on my hands and knees scrubbing our bathroom floors to washing windows. Anything! Now, it isn't like I have to do all these chores. In fact, the only part of this whole clothing chore process I have to do is put my clothes away. I'm lucky enough to have found someone that is willing to do the laundry. Someone who's loves me that much that I won't have to touch dirty shirts or smelly socks. You'd think that if I got out of the most of it, I'd be happy with folding and putting away my clothes, but I'm not. Case in point, I had a pile of CLEAN clothes sitting on my bedside table, mocking me for the past week. This morning I realized I need something from this pile and finally folded everything (sorta). Now the agony of putting it away when I get home is taunting me. I know, silly me, it will only take five minutes but still. I hate it that much.

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one that HATES some random thing you always have to do. Do you have a chore you hate?

Seventh Generation Giveaway WINNER!!!

2010-05-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

The winner of all these free goodies is:

Karissa said...
I would like to try the wipes.
April 25, 2010 2:54 PM

Congrats Karissa!!!

Thanks again to everyone who entered and especially to Seventh Generation for giving me the opportunity to share these great products with someone!!! Contest here.

Project 12 - May

2010-05-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

New month, new project. This month is all about organization. Time to simplify your life by cleaning out your closets and drawers, tossing 9 year old bills that you had in the back of the shelves.

Organize the kitchen. I hate to admit but my lovely clean panty is not longer lovely and clean. Don't even ask about me about the cabinet near the sink...it's where big items get tossed. Time to change all this!

Take back the garage. Since the holiday season I haven't been able to park in the garage. This needs to change. It once was nice and clean. Now... not so much.

Organize KLM's Room. I have this feeling with all the clothes she's gotten by loved ones, she probably won't wear anything twice. With that being said, she has a TON of clothes and it's time to figure out how to organize that. Her closet is now getting filled with stuff and before she comes I'd feel a lot better knowing things have a place and not just stuffed in there.

Side garden area. There is an area on the side of the house where we kinda toss all the gardening tools, dirt, supplies. It's a mess and it needs to change.

Organize our schedules. The hubby and I have about a million appts now, either it being doctor appts or fitness classes, work trips or dinners. Time to figure out what we are really doing and not play the game, "what did we just forget to do?"

Do you have any area in your life that needs some organizing?

Project 12 - April update #3

2010-04-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Let's see how we are doing at the LMP household:

Spend the month without using paper towels. I can safely say I used about 5 all month!
Set up a clothesline outside and use it 4 times Set up and used once. Since we are STILL working on the side patio we can't really use it during the day until the floor is done.
Set up BBQ and start cooking outside 4 times this month. Used it this week!
Instead of the gym, go take a walk at night Been taking strolls with the hubby and the pet mafia.
Turn off the thermostat Done!

How are you doing

Wednesday Ramblings...

2010-04-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

I finally got the last of my cloth diapers... now we have 29, granted 5 of them are just one size but that's okay. We even have one swim diaper. Hmm...might get one or two more of those so KLM can go "swimming."
Anyone have any good tips on how to stretch or relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve? All suggestions GREATLY appreciated!!!!
I can't believe I'm hitting 8 months. I should post at least one pregnant photo of myself before I pop.
Requisite GLEE SQUEAL!!!
The side patio concrete paint is OFFICIALLY GONE! Now the hubby will just have to finish parts 2,3, and 4 to be completely done with this project. At least part was about 90% of the entire project's work.
In serious need to clean the house. No, this isn't nesting...let's put it this way: the dining table hasn't been cleaned since, oh, at least two weeks. Random crap is on there that should have been thrown away, including the dead flowers from Easter.
So I changed my mind AGAIN on patio furniture. Is that bad? :)
Finally we have veggies coming in but may need to plant another cherry tomato bush.
I'm already looking forward to the weekend. The only thing really planned is a hospital visit and clean out the garage. Other than that, it's all about maybe some gardening and getting started on Project 12 - May stuff.
Bruno started puppy school yesterday with the hubby. Overall, I heard he did well. Very proud of my little teddy bear!

Who's excited for tonight?

2010-04-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

TUESDAY only means one thing in my mind... GLEE GLEE GLEE!!!!

CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

Seventh Generation Giveaway Reminder

2010-04-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Shown here (Disinfecting Multi-Surface, Disinfecting Bathroom, All Purpose Cleaner, Natural Paper Towels, Seventh Gen Recycled Bag, Disinfecting Wipes, Diapers (Size 1 8-14lb), Baby Wipes Tub and Baby Wipes Refill, Baby Laundry Detergent)

There are multiple ways to enter:

Leave a comment about which product you'd like to try
Sign up on their website and leave a comment with your profile link
Post this giveaway on your website and comment back here with link
Tweet about this Giveaway on twitter: Enter the Seventh Generation Product Giveaway @lilmissplanner: http://tiny.cc/wtvyg (copy and paste to get credit for it) and comment back. If you didn't comment back here, I will be adding your tweets found on twitter to the entries.
Post this giveaway in a forum and comment back here with a link

Yes, you can get up to 5 entries for this giveaway! Best of luck to all of you!

The giveaway closes on April 30, 2010 at 5pm PST. Winner will be announced May 3, 2010!

DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS POST... PLEASE COMMENT HERE!

What a weekend!

2010-04-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was my second shower. My friends are just utter angels and did a phenomenal job with it all. Once I get those photos uploaded I can't wait to show you but in the mean time, I'll just ramble on about it. They choose Bedtime Stories as their theme and every table was a made to look like a little bed with it's own theme. The food was amazing italian food that I chowed down on and the cake... well, the cake was just spectacular. It looked like read books with a little baby crawling underneath a blanket. :) It was soo yummy, I even had a piece of it last night!!!

It was so nice to have family and friends around to share in the celebration of KLM's upcoming arrival. We played games and and laughed, all the while basking in the beautiful weather we were having. Very nice contrast to the days before where it was gloomy and cold. Later that evening I headed off to the Spa with my mom to get a little pampering, and then off to dinner just the two of us. Something that never happens.At the end of the evening we opened all our presents with the hubby and just overwhelmed by the generosity from our loved ones!

On Sunday, we woke up to the coolest thing in the world. You could feel KLM's little heel pushing out near my ribs. We're not talking kicks here people, you could actually FEEL her little heel near my rib!!! Yup, she's already in perfect position even though she has a little more than eight weeks to go. After we poked and prodded her to make her move more we did our usual Sunday morning routine, church and breakfast at our local cafe (they know our orders by heart! heehee) and then got my Mom ready to head home. I spent the afternoon trying to organize KLM's room, and after two hours in there, I maybe got 2% done. I finally did my first load of baby laundry. It was the onesies from my first shower. We wanted to rewash them to make sure they don't bleed on the other clothes later on. I even got to use our clothesline that we put up too! In the evening, another childbirth class. Every class gets so much better and it's really nice to see how it isn't about me, but what the hubby will be doing and helping with during it all.

That pretty much is the weekend we had. We were busy from the beginning to the end and the entire time I was just in bliss.

Hope y'all had a good weekend too and hopefully this week will be a great one!

Friday Tips to go Green

2010-04-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Recycle your furniture. When it's time to hunt for a new couch or bed, either donate it or even toss it on Craigslist. Who says that old mattress can go to a dumpster? Call your local bed retailers and see if they have a recycling program. There are programs out there that reuse the frame and even the springs.
Carpool! The hubby and I don't work in the same town, but I pass his office on my way to my office. So why can't we just commute? Starting next week we are. If you and a friend go along the same path, why not see if you can carpool at least one day a week and split the cost of gas.
Watch what you print. Did you really need every copy of every thing you buy online? No. Create a folder in your email just for online receipts. Hotels don't need the receipt and besides, this way you won't lose it.
Cut down on Magazines. In 2009, we had 10 DIFFERENT subscriptions to random magazines. We got everything from Golf to Gardening. Now we have three and our goal for 2011 is to only have one. The hubby can't live without his Money Magazine.
Reusable bags: they are hip and cool and you should be using them by now. I can't even begin to tell you how many we have. We always make an effort to leave at least 3 bags in the cars just in case we forget to grab them on our way out of the house. Not only most stores now give you break (usually 5 cents off your purchase per bag or other incentives) but it helps bring down the clutter of bags in landfills.

Seventh Generation Giveaway

2010-04-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the good people at Seventh Generation, they offered my readers a chance to win a set of products!

Shown here (Disinfecting Multi-Surface, Disinfecting Bathroom, All Purpose Cleaner, Natural Paper Towels, Seventh Gen Recycled Bag, Disinfecting Wipes, Diapers (Size 1 8-14lb), Baby Wipes Tub and Baby Wipes Refill, Baby Laundry Detergent)

There are multiple ways to enter:

Leave a comment about which product you'd like to try
Sign up on their website and leave a comment with your profile link
Post this giveaway on your website and comment back here with link
Tweet about this Giveaway on twitter: Enter the Seventh Generation Product Giveaway @lilmissplanner: http://tiny.cc/wtvyg (copy and paste to get credit for it) and comment back
Post this giveaway in a forum and comment back here with a link

Yes, you can get up to 5 entries for this giveaway! Best of luck to all of you!

The giveaway closes on April 30, 2010 at 5pm PST. Winner will be announced May 3, 2010!