Full Body Shiver

Say it ain't so, Joe.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday~Deep Dish Pizza Bake 6 pts

Tuesday~Bar Louie $1 burger night

Wednesday~Apricot Chicken, Rice, Veggie

Thursday~Pasta e Fagioli, French Bread

Friday~Leftovers

Saturday~Wildfire for my birthday! Woo Hoo!

Attack of the Wyatts

When we chose Wyatt's name we were SO sure we'd found something original. Or at least not widely popular. When we joined our new church last fall, I met a nice girl named Lori at a MOPS Open House. While chatting with a group of girls my friend Shelley says "How's Wyatt? Is he feeling better?" I was a bit confused b/c Wyatt had not been sick. Then I figure out she's not talking to me. She's talking to Lori. . .mom of the other Wyatt. Her Wyatt is only 10 weeks younger than my Wyatt. Since that meeting, we've bonded over all kinds of things and our husbands have discovered they are twins seperated at birth. They are in our JOY group~small group~and here's a few fun shots of the Wyatts from tonight. They even look alike as the trash the place together. Ack!

I Really Don't Want Her to Look Like a Duggar!

Caroline is 10. She is growing up and turning into a sweet and fun young lady. She picks her friends carefully and has a real servant heart. That's the good part. The bad part? What on EARTH is she going to wear?!?!? Since she was a baby we did 90% of our shopping at Gymboree, I am spoiled by the quality and good deals I have learned to get. Last night we went to the mall to scope out some spring clothes. I am totally open to any store even Abercrombie that has cute clothes that won't fall apart after 2 washes. I'm not even opposed to tank tops and denim mini's with leggings. What I am opposed to is my 10 yr old looking 15 and that, my friends, is the challenge. We can shop at Abercrombie or we can buy Duggar-style skirts. There is NO in between!

We have also crossed that line into caring about what the other girls think about what we wear. I do not wish to make my kid the object of ridicule out of some noble thought that it doesn't matter. Face it. We all remember middle school and it matters. Right or wrong, what you wear matters. Call it shallow, but I want to make life as easy as possible for my daughters in that hard time of middle school. We are absolutely teaching Caroline about inner beauty and acceptance but I am also a realist. Preteen girls can be nasty and when the "cool kids" say "Pink is so dorky" that can drive a girl to ditch pink. On the flip side, when said "cool kids" say "I LOVE your outfit!" it goes a long way to builing confidence and feeling included. I think it is possible to teach your daughter to not judge people based on their outward appearance but still allow her to dress in a way that makes her feel part of the group.

Germs Are Bad

SOMEONE at my house has been sick since New Years Day. Ack. Wyatt has been down for NINE days now. Greta woke up crabby and snotty this morning. I can not take it anymore. Seriously, people. Get healthy.

Menu Plan Monday

Must get back on the wagon. Ack!

MONDAY~Italian Dijon Tilapia, Rice, Veggies

TUESDAY~Bar Louie $1 Burger Night

WEDNESDAY~English Muffin Pizzas

THURSDAY~Crock Pot Turkey Breast, Sweet Potatoes

FRIDAY~Deep Dish Pizza Bake It's 6 WW points so I'll let you know if it's good!

SATURDAY~Leftovers

SUNDAY~JOY Group

Gracie is Home!

The absolute cutest little thing I have ever seen! She weighs about 2 pounds and is so small you almost step on her! She has settled in here well after some nicotine withdrawl. Seriously. She was shaking SO hard most of the first day. . .I know she was just scared but we joked that she was having nic fits after her first home. The kids love her and she already knows to run from Wyatt. He just can not keep his hands off her!

Doesn't she look EXACTLY like the puppy on your 7th grade Trapper Keeper?!

This is how Wyatt spends most of his days~trying to convince Gracie to play with him. This shot gives you a little idea of how teeny tiny she is.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday~Sausage and Red Pepper Pasta

Tuesday~Pulled Pork Loaf

Wednesday~Potato Chip Salmon, Mashed Potatoes

Thursday~Savory Turkey Breast, Sweet Potatoes

Friday~Chili with Cornbread

Saturday~Out

Sunday~JOY Group Italian Night

I'm Just Not That Into It

In case you live under a rock and are not aware, today is Inauguration Day. Barack Obama will be become the 44th President of the USA and the first African American to hold the office. Even though he wasn't my guy, I have to say I have been impressed with his prep work. It's also a great day for America to take one more step towards Dr. King's dream.

BUT, (c'mon, ya KNEW there'd be a but!) if I hear one more word about what Oprah is wearing to the ball, how Tom and Katie got to Washington, and how Beyonce and Jay-Z are moved to tears, I will scream. I would like to see news coverage of Sen Obama being sworn in. Heck, it's even fun to see Michelle Obama's wardrobe choices and their cute-as-heck little girls, but seriously. Do I NEED to know what Barbra Steisand is having for dinner? I am not someone who follows Hollywood and who does what. Sure, I peek at the mags in the checkout line at the grocery store but I really don't have an opinion on Brad Pitt and his dippy wife. To loosely quote a new movie, "I'm just not that into it." It seems that the news coverage is alot more about who is wearing what and who was seen with who that Sen Obama's taking the oath of office. I am all about the human interest stuff~what kind of puppy are Sasha and Melia getting? I'm voting for the Labradoodle. I guess what it boils down to is I wish I didn't live in a place that is so celebrity-focused.

Menu Plan Monday

After 2 weeks of sickness it is time to get back on a schedule. Kids can not live on PB&J alone!

MONDAY~Tim's Cooking! Venison Meatloaf and Southern Steamed Cabbage

TUESDAY~Bar Louie $1 Burger Night

WEDNESDAY~Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Rolls

THURSDAY~Chicken and Iowa Stuffing, Green Beans

FRIDAY~Pork Tacos, Chips and Salsa

SATURDAY~Apricot Chicken, Veggies

SUNDAY~JOY GROUP!! Mexican Night

A New Member of the Family

Some of you may remember Ashley, our sweet and wonderful black lab. Ashley was our first baby and part of our family until March 2006 when she developed tumors and we decided to put her to sleep instead of painful and expensive treatments. She was a big part of our lives and we miss her lots! We have been happily pet-free until . . .NOW! We have been thinking about getting another dog for about a year now and have finally found the perfect pooch for this chapter in our lives. Yes, we LOVE labs and would get another in a heartbeat except for 2 factors~the awful shedding and the lack of lots of space. Our friends have a Shih-poo which is a cross between a Poodle and a Shih Tzu and can't say enough good things about the breed. They are small and as close to non-shedding as you can get. Not yappy and extremely good with kids if raised from puppyhood with little ones. This is a pic of BoBo who is the sire of the litter we choose from.

Once we decided on a Shih-Poo (as you can imagine Tim has had some fun with that name!) you would think the work would be over. Nope. We did not want to buy from a pet store and take a chance on supporting puppy mills so that route was out. We wanted a family breeder with home raised pups where we could meet and interact with both the mother and father of the litter. I found one breeder that fit. She was so nice on the phone and said that she would hold the last female for us since she would not have another litter until at least next fall. The pups are only 4 weeks old so they need another 4 weeks with mama dog. We went and visited, played with Bella the Mama and BoBo the Papa, talked to the family, and held the pups. We placed our deposit and on Feb 7, Gracie comes home! Without further ado. . .pictures!

Update

Yesterday, the CPSC re-stated the law to say that used children's clothing and toys are NOT included in the law. WHEW! I can go back to my regularly scheduled life now which includes Kleenex and NyQuil.

Hand-Me-Downs Are Going to Be Illegal

Yep. I am so not kidding. As of Feb 11, new CPSC standards are going into effect and they are making HUGE changes in the sale, re-sale and even GIFTING of children's clothing. Basically, it will be illegal to sell or GIVE a childrens item that you have not tested for lead according to the new standards. The fines are very high and the CPSC is serious about this law as an attempt to save face from all the lead recalls of late. So in theory, you give a bag of baby clothes to your neighbor that your child has outgrown. Illegal. Is she going to call the feds on you? Probably not but if she was mad at you for something else she could.

This law will force Goodwill and all for-profit re-sale shops out of business plus wreak havoc for Ebay sellers and Etsy sellers who make custom children's clothing and jewelry sets. It is not enough that your supplier tested the material you use. YOU need to test them also. Each test costs upwards of $500 and each item will need to be tested.

I'm mostly torqued off about this as an Ebay seller but it also seems crazy to make hand-me-downs illegal. It also means that retailers will need to throw out tons of clothing that is not purchased by Feb 10 b/c they can no longer sell it or donate it. The law went through Congress very quickly and needs to be reviewed. I'm all for testing to protect our kids from lead and other things but this seems a bit extreme.

Menu Plan Monday

Back into the swing of things. Ugh.

MONDAY~Clean out the freezer night~we're getting rid of everything that's taking up space there.

TUESDAY~Pizza Pot Pie

WEDNESDAY~Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

THURSDAY~Chinese Pot Roast, Stir Fry Veggies, Rice

FRIDAY~Italian Dijon Tilapia, Rice, Broccoli

SATURDAY~Spaghetti and Meatballs

SUNDAY~Greta's 4th B-day!

Christmas in Review

I don't often get a sweet and innocent picture of Amelia. This one belies her actual personality.The Super Wy loved Christmas. As long as no one ignored him or took him away from his mommy. And gave him everything he wants to chew on.Here's the whole Leozinga Clan~minus Sara the Photog and Joel. Where was he?

We did Christmas breakfast with Tim's parents before we left for Hilton Head. Harbor Town Park! The kids favorite place in the whole world. This was Dec 23 and it was about 60 degrees. After a holiday feast at Fuddruckers and some sweet playground time, we went to see Gregg Russell's Christmas Show by the water. Christmas Eve and we're all sampling Santa's snacks of cookies, chips, and blue cheese stuffed martini olives.Christmas Eve!Amelia and Greta in the penalty box on Christmas morning. They both got 5 for fighting.Grandma chowing on some chips and salsa!

The arrival of everyone else! That night was Mexican night. The Leo's were in charge of dinner and made great enchiladas and Jer kept us all happy with margaritas! Rich and JudySara and her margarita.Here's a rare picture of me without a kid on my lap! I was getting cozy with my margarita.
Happy Uncle Jeff telling one of his many car accident stories!I have no idea.Wyatt got some chocolate cookies on the trip home. I think we're somewhere near Knoxville here! The kids did pretty well on the 17 hour road trip but Wyatt now cries at the sight of the van. I think we've scarred him.

Low Stress Christmas

My Christmas wish came true. For the first time since we procreated Tim and I have spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ALONE with our kids. Just our nuclear family. I freakin' love it!! We are blessed with great families on each side but we really wanted at least one Christmas where we were not running over the river and through the woods. We wanted to just focus on our four little ones and we did just that. It was totally casual but with 4 kids ages 10, 5, 3, and 17 months it kinda has to be. We went bike riding and had frozen pizzas for dinner on Christmas Eve. We put up the tree and let the kids decorate it. After writing Santa and letter complete with begging for a Bears win on Sunday, they scurried off to bed. Tim and I then watched church on TV. It was Rick Warren from Saddleback. Interesting guy. . .he kinda reminds me of a white male Oprah with some Jesus-talk thrown in. Got up this morning to open presents and each 2 tubes of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. For Christmas Day lunch? Hot dogs and taco dip. After naps, we're going to take a walk on the golf course and make pasta e fagioli for supper. I LOVE IT! Low stress, baby. The rest of the fam is showing up in the next few days. We'll have a great time~we always do down here~but it was so nice to have a little quiet Christmas in Dixie. All alone.

So to all my bloggy friends Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! And Christmas cards are on the way~they went out int he mail yesterday!

Never Say It's Going Well

About 2 weeks ago Tim and I had the "isn't our marriage going great" conversation. We went out for dinner and to a movie to celebrate our 15th anniversary a bit early. We both commented on how we were on the same page with lots of things and we haven't had a big fight in at least 6 months. Of course, that jinxed us. We had a big ole fight on the day of our anniversary. I'll spare you the details but it was one of those fights that thankfully are few and far in between. So I have learned my lesson. No more patting ourselves on the backs about how great we are! The good part was I got a HP Notebook for an anniversary/guilt present. It's pretty cool but I have no clue how to use it!

We're on our way to Hilton Head for at least 10 days. We may come home earlier since we tend to wear out our welcome down there. We are pretty excited about having at least 2 days down there all alone. We're planning to go see Gregg Russell's Chritmas Concert in Harbour Town and maybe hit the Piggy Wiggly. Great fun!

An Apple a Day

I used to have a bowl of apples on my kitchen table. I don't anymore.

OK, So I'm Not Frugal

I love reading Gayle's blog about frugal grocery shopping. She's got great recipes and ideas for stretching a dollar. She feeds a family of 6 for less than $60 per week. While I love reading her blog, it has induced an incredible amount of guilt! I was spending about $150 per week~more than double and I don't have big eaters. Greta eats barely enough to keep a bird alive and Amelia is just starting to outgrow the picky phase. I have spent the past few months working at getting my groceries down to "Gayle level" and I have failed. The best I can do it $100 per week. So what's my problem? Well, it's complicated but a lot of it boils down to what my family likes and what I prefer to feed them. I really am trying to be as healthy as possible and cut down on sugar, sodium, and fat. I also do things without High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and organics whenever I can. Here's what I have learned about pricing and why my grocery bill is stuck at $100!

• I buy low fat, low sodium, low sugar canned goods. This often removes generics from my list. EX. Meijer brand Cream of Chicken Soup $.79 Campbell's Healthy Request Cr of Chicken Soup $1.39
• I buy the leanest ground meat~100% white meat turkey/chicken and ground sirloin. Unless it's on sale~and it rarely is~it's up to $5.69 per pound.
• We always have a lean protein with breakfast. Caroline and Amelia both struggle with concentration in school so a high fiber/high protein breakfast for them is a must. I do peanut butter some days but often it's turkey sausage. I can find them for $1 a box on sale but that's not too frequently.
  
• I don't buy snacks with HFCS in them. That doesn't leave a lot of options beyond fruits and veggies. Meijer has a store brand organic that makes some snacks without HFCS~teddy grahams, cookies, ect.
  
• On the snack front, I don't bake. This is one place I could save some money but tasty baked goods are a temptation for me so I just try to stay away from that. When cake mixes go to $1 or less I make the WW snack squares. My kids love them and they are lower in sugar than other snacks.
  
• I buy A LOT of fresh produce~like 6-8 red/yellow/orange peppers per week, 3-4 cukes, 3 pints grape tomatoes, 2 bunches of bananas, 5 lbs of apples. These are for snacks~I buy more for cooking. In the winter this is expensive.
• I don't shop at Aldi. I have tried it a few times and the only things that my family eats that had a significant savings were eggs, cheese, and milk. Those 3 things saved me about $3 per week and since I have Wyatt with me when I shop and gas was so high, I figured the 3 dollars wasn't really worth it. Now that gas is cheaper and I can go in the evenings without kids, I may try it again.
  

Nutrition is a passion of mine and I have been doing more reading about how food affects us. It's fascinating and frustrating at the same time! I LOVE crap food. I love McDonald's french fries and Taco Bells nachos. I love chips and onion dip. I once heard Dr Phil say that is 80% of our eating is healthy and we are somewhat active we have 20% room for junk. I don't know how scientific that theory is but I like it! I try to eat really healthy at home so that when we do go out to restaurants or friends houses we can eat the fun stuff.

So how do you teach your kids about healthy eating? Do you have any good tips? I feel like everything I read is the same thing. "Make a funny face out of fruit!" I need something better than that!

She's a Canuk?

I usually post cute things my kids say on my blog just so I don't forget. I used to scrapbook and now I just don't keep up with it. Caroline has beautiful scrapbooks keeping track of her every move. The rest of 'em? Not so much. I always thought I'd remember everything they said and did but I can't remember if I brushed my teeth today so remembering cute stuff is jsut not going to happen. That being said. . .here's Greta's quote 'o the week.

While listening to the McKenzie Bros 12 Days of Christmas I say, "I love the part where they say '5 goldens tuuks"

Greta~"I like the part where they say BEER!"

Yep. Nice.