This and That

I've spent the better part of the last hour flipping through Rachael Ray's Family Cookbook and it is now laden with sticky notes. Lots of new recipes to try once I've worked through my freezer-clean-out plan. (our menu is currently scheduled through mid-May)

In the meantime, I posted some of these recipes before trying them, and will add pictures, variations (you know I'll mess with them somehow) and comments once I make them myself. If they're bad, they'll be deleted. So if you see a bunch of new recipes posted, know that I'm not personally recommending them...yet.

Also, I've decided to start answering your comment questions back into the comments. So many people don't have email addresses that I can respond to - so if you ask a question, click on the option to "email follow up comments" to yourself. (you have to be signed in with your Blogger account to do this)

#40 - Make bread starting the dough in the bread machine and finishing it in the oven

Isn't it hilarious how some of the easiest tricks can seem so intimidating if you don't know what you're doing?



I made these Whole Wheat French Bread Rolls today and pulled out my dusty bread-maker that I haven't used in YEARS. Sure enough, it has a "dough" setting, so after tossing in all of the ingredients for the rolls, I hit "dough" and it did the rest of the work. Well, except separating the dough and rolling it into rolls. The kids helped with that, which was fun.



#40 on my list of 101 Goals in 1001 Days was easily crossed off. I'll be using that trick again for sure!

Kids in a Box

For some reason, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Full of energy, got dressed right into my workout clothes, but in a foul mood. I decided to try to dust and clean a bathroom or two before we headed to the gym, since I needed to distract myself and I figured I'll be wiped out and need a nap after the gym.

I've kept the t.v. off the last few days for the TV Turnoff Week challenge. The kids have done fine (Ryan took some time to adjust to not flipping on a show at the first sign of boredom), but I was curious how they'd do while I was cleaning. A quick cartoon or a short movie usually gets me quite far with my chores.

While cleaning the kids' bathroom, I heard giggling. After a little searching, this is what I found: both kids in costume (Spiderman and a Ballerina with a lovely purple hat) inside the "blanket chest" at the foot of my bed, protecting my bedroom from bad guys with Styrofoam swords....

A few minutes later, I moved on to cleaning my own bathroom and the kids were no where to be found, but I heard whispering...

Then I saw little eyes peeking out of the lid...

I will be the first to admit that I've let my kids watch WAY too much t.v. since my pregnancy exhaustion has taken over my life. This week has reminded me why the t.v. needs to stay off during the day. Which would YOU have more fun doing as a child? Staring blankly at a television screen or fending off evil, pretend bad guys with your sibling? Yeah, me too. The t.v.'s staying off.

#11 - Read a fiction book - THE SHACK

When I set out to read The Shack, I had no idea there was any controversy about it. But my friend who loaned me the book also gave me some commentary on the controversy, so I could get an idea of what all the fuss was about. I decided to read the book first for an impartial opinion.

Personally, I thought it was great. An interesting perspective on the types of questions that many Christians and non-Christians have regarding God, His relationship with us and specifically, the Trinity.

I'm curious about the people who have convinced themselves that this FICTIONAL story might have happened. I guess anything's possible, but these are likely the same people who forget that The Da Vinci Code was a work of fiction, not a conspiracy theory. It's wonderful that people can get so swept up in the characters in novels, but really. If it says, "fiction," let's just call it "fiction."

After reading the arguments against the book and it's scriptural accuracy, well, let's just say I wasn't planning on referring to The Shack as my new source of truth. Let me repeat: the book was fiction. The story was made up. The theology was as close to Biblically accurate as the author could interpret for himself. But he's just a man and this book was not God-breathed. It had some great thoughts, ideas and word pictures, but I'll leave those within the story. It didn't dramatically alter my perceptions of God or my relationship with Christ in a way that would draw me away from Biblical truth. But that's just me; apparently skeptics are concerned about readers who aren't as grounded in their faith as I am.

My amateur review of this book is all positive. The beginning was a bit slow, but that may be because I'm no longer as interested in the descriptive details fictional books have to offer. I'm used to reading for the "meat" of it. But I'd recommend the book...it was a great read.

I should explain that I haven't read a fiction book in years. At least since before my pregnancy with Ryan. I used to be into Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, the Left Behind series, even Dean Koontz. Once pregnant, the stack next to my bed contained Baby Wise, Secrets of The Baby Whisperer, What to Expect When You're Expecting and The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. Nowadays, the stack contains The Strong Willed Child, Grace-Based Parenting, The Power of a Praying Wife and The Love Dare. See a pattern? I still read, but it's for knowledge, not necessarily for pleasure.

Watching friends trade books at Bunco and reading book reviews on other blogs had me missing my fiction reading a little, hence, adding it as #11 to my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list. Who knows, maybe I'll even pick up another fictional book in the remaining 886 days left to complete my list???

By the way, is this post link-tastic or WHAT? :)

Reducing Kitchen Waste

I guest posted today on Life As Mom. Head on over to read all of the amazing ideas I have regarding Reducing Waste in the Kitchen.

And if you're visiting from Life As Mom for the first time, WELCOME! Feel free to leave a comment and say, "Hi!" I hope you enjoy my blog.

Link Love

* TGI Fridays $1 entree coupons (plus kids eat free Mondays and Tuesdays, so this could make for a REALLY cheap family meal!)

* Don't forget about Ben & Jerry's for Free Cone Day tomorrow! (Personally, we're doing Friday's first, feeding the whole family for $1 + the price of a meal, then heading over for free ice cream. YUM!)

* Self Esteem for Toddlers and Pre-schoolers

* 50 Ways to Streamline Your Life
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
(Parts 4 and 5 coming soon...)

* Simple Mom's Spring Cleaning Challenge (with a schedule for which room to clean over a 2 week period)

* 40 Ways to go Greener at Home (most of these result in saving $$$)

There's some reading for the week for ya. Enjoy!

Note Taken

Do you ever learn lessons in odd places? Like the checkout line at Super Wal Mart?

This gal in line behind me today had a 5 year old boy who stood with her, silent. The checkout lady was verrrrry slooooow, so I let my kids play with the toy phone display next to the candy section to keep them occupied. Her son just stood there patiently with her. It actually caught my attention, he was that well behaved.

After a few long minutes, he asked, "Where are we going after this?"

Mom: "I told you before...the nail salon."

Boy: "Why are you getting your finger nails painted?"
Mom: (sigh) "I'm NOT getting my nails painted. I never go there to get my nails painted. I'm getting a pedicure."
Boy: "Why do you get your toenails painted?"
Mom: "We've already had this discussion. I'm not answering your questions anymore. Just please stand here and be quiet."

I looked back at her and said (under my breath, so Ryan wouldn't be embarrassed), "I feel like I'm constantly telling my son, 'Please don't ask the same questions over and over.' I think they just get bored and need to talk sometimes. Or they're already typical men and just don't listen to our answers the first time!" She rolled her eyes and said (in a full voice with her poor son at her feet), "I just picked him up from his dad's and I'm already wishing I could bring him back. All he does is talk all day. His older brother is the quiet one...the GOOD one. This one just talks, talks, talks. Drives me nuts."

Now I know I've complained about my kids being talkers. Because THEY ARE. And it can be maddening, believe me. But this boy was not a talker. Sure, he did speak: 3 questions in the course of 10 minutes of standing in line. But does she expect her kid to be a mute? Not to mention that she was also dragging him to a nail salon, probably expecting him to sit still and be quiet, while she got herself a pedicure.

The more I think about it, it makes me so sad that this other mom was trashing her child within his earshot. AND even comparing him to his brother! Two big no-no's in my book. I can understand that getting her kids back after living alone while they're at their dads would take some adjustment, but her attitude (and the fact that she voiced it in front of the poor boy) just made me cringe.

The whole situation made me feel bad about the times I've complained about listening to my kids jabber on and on all day. It gave me some perspective and a bit more patience with them today. And reminded me to never, EVER speak about my kids that way, let alone in front of them!

#71 - Figure out Twitter

So I'm on Twitter. What does that mean? I don't know. But I'm sure I'll soon be addicted enough to updating it regularly. For now, I have no followers, so why bother, right?

If you want to follow me and the intriguing, profound, mind-blowing things that go on inside my head,

click here.

#71 on the 101 Goals in 1001 Days list - CHECK!

"Yes Day"

We had such a great Easter! After our neighborhood Easter egg hunt on Saturday was cancelled due to the first rain Phoenix has seen in 2 months, Mike and I hid several dozen eggs all over our house after the kids went to bed that night. We asked Ryan not to gather the pink and purple eggs (to give Kaylin a chance to "find" some eggs, too) and the kids took it so literally, that any time Kaylin found an egg of any other color, she'd put it in Ryan's basket. When it was over, her basket was ONLY pink and purple. The kids had SO much fun finding the eggs...I love how excited they get at their ages!

Then during breakfast, Mike read through the story that came with our Resurrection Eggs. (the donkey has been missing for two years, but we make do - I guess we started the eggs with Ryan when he was too young.)

We had a smaller crowd for dinner - only 14 of us total - which ended up being very relaxing. After we ate, Mike and his brother re-hid all of the kids' eggs in the backyard for a second hunt.

So my point...the title of this post was "Yes Day" because yesterday was the first time I've had a no-holds-barred "yes" answer all day long. "Mommy, can I have this piece of candy?" "Yes." "Can I have another cupcake?" "Yes." "Can I have some more jelly beans?" "Yes." You get the idea.

Were they on a crazy sugar high all day? YES. But it wasn't unmanagable. (that was a double negative...) I want them to have the freedom to control themselves by themselves on special occasions, especially since I'm sort of a food Nazi all year long. I want them to feel a little sick to their stomachs to realize why I say no to their crazy requests sometimes. (okay, fine - most of the time) I was the type of kid who threw away my Easter candy at Halloween and my Halloween candy at Easter. I enjoyed it for a few days, then kept it to eat later, but never did. I guess I wasn't a candy person.

Yesterday was fun. It was freeing for me to say, "yes" all day and I laughed at the kids' reactions when they tried to push the envelope and I still didn't turn them down. Ryan asked this morning, "Do we get to eat candy all day again today?" Um, no. We're back to one treat before naps and one treat after naps. But we'll likely have dessert every night after dinner because we have Easter cake, cupcakes, sugar cookies and TWO leftover pies from yesterday. Bring on the bedtime meltdowns!

Meal Plan - 4/13/09

Breakfast
Crock Pot French Toast Bake
Hard boiled Easter eggs
Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Leftover Waffles

Lunch
Egg salad sandwiches (with ALL of our colored Easter eggs!)
Turkey sandwiches
Fruit salad, carrots, cheese and crackers
Chipotle Chicken Salad

Dinner
Monday - Chicken Fried Rice
Tuesday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and veggies
Wednesday - Crock Pot Chicken Taco Stew then Maggiemoo's for Free Cone Day!
Thursday - Shepherd's Pie
Friday - Spaghetti Carbonara
Saturday - Eat out
Sunday - Leftovers

Partial Obedience = Disobedience

Ryan and I have been having a rough week. Wednesday, inparticular, was horrible. He argued with everything I said, wouldn't follow the simplest of instructions, I thought I was going to lose my mind.

Then yesterday when I volunteered in his class, I heard his teacher ask him to sit "right over here." He sat down as he was asked, but sat on another side of the circle. I know that she asked him to sit in a certain spot for a reason. Part of the reason may have been that there was so much empty space, but the main reason is that the only other room on the carpet for him to sit was next to a boy who had been causing trouble all morning and she wanted to keep distractions to a minimum. But Ryan sat next to this boy, leaving the wide open space (where he was instructed to sit) completely vacant.

That's when it occurred to me: partial obedience is disobedience in God's eyes. If Ryan isn't going to obey each part of a request from me or his teachers, he will most certainly try to find loopholes when it comes to obeying God. And who is responsible for making sure he understands that? ME. Light bulb moment.

I turned to the other volunteer mom and said, "Oh, we are SO working on that this weekend!" She said, "On Easter weekend?" Curses. Not good timing, but this needs to be re-guided very soon.

So this morning, I started the day a little differently. Before breakfast, I sat down with Ryan and we prayed. Actually, I prayed, he repeated what I said. We prayed that God would help him to listen and obey the first time and that he would remember to ASK not TELL when he wants to do something different than what's requested of him. (ie "Ryan, please sit back down at the dinner table," with a response of "May I please get myself a drink first?" instead of "No, I have to get my milk first.") Those are my two biggest issues: repeating my requests and being argued with. It feels like he never just DOES what's asked of him without a negotiation. It's exhausting.

I mentioned this to my mom today and she reminded me about "The Strong-Willed Child" by Dr. James Dobson. I just pulled it off my bookshelf and will be re-reading it this weekend. I vaguely remember skimming it when Ryan was two, but absolutely need a refresher course. And I find it hilarious that I thought he was strong willed THEN?! I need to get a handle on this problem before his teen years or I'm going to be in so much trouble...

Freezer Stockpile

The other day, I left my freezer open. Just an inch, but it was for about 3 hours. A new container of ice cream that had been crammed into the freezer on its side melted and dripped all over EVERYthing...it was a serious mess. Today was clean up day.

As I was rinsing everything off, I decided to meal plan off of the food we currently have on hand. Because we have plenty. I have a habit of grabbing random stuff like a package of stir fry beef on manager's special for $1.50 and forgetting about it for a few weeks. All fine and good, but why plan a dry pasta meal when I could use up that "fresh" food and free up some freezer space?

So today I took inventory of everything in my freezers. (we have two...both jam packed) In the meantime, I rinsed off the melted-then-refrozen ice cream drippings off all of the food in the one freezer and wiped down the shelves, putting everything back nice and OCD like neat. I even found a huge bag of dinner rolls and some mini-muffins I'd forgotten about, not to mention a questionable package of salmon from July '08.

My new system will include a running list of my freezer contents that I'll keep on the side of the fridge. I'll cross things off as I use them and add things as I buy them. No more searching fruitlessly for ground turkey or shredded cheese...it's all about the list.

Now I get the task of meal planning for the next 3-4 weeks using up the items we have in the house. I should probably wait to see what comes in the produce co-op this Saturday, since I'll have to use my fresh foods first, but I'm pretty motivated to get this over with. Maybe I'll just write out recipe ideas and finalize it this weekend. I'm hoping to only have to buy milk and eggs to fill in the gaps. (I buy all of my bread and produce from the co-op) I'll let you know how it goes and post my whole meal plan on Sunday, for those who care. :)

Feeling Pregnant

My doctor appointment went really well yesterday. There was only ONE little heartbeat in my belly, so I psyched myself up for the possibility of really having twins all for nothing. My new doctor seems great, everything looks good so far, I am quite relieved. And finally starting to feel a little better this week.

So today, I did it: I busted out the maternity clothes. I don't know what I was trying to prove by squeezing myself into my old clothes. Since they barely fit before I took the pregnancy test! (I put on several stress-pounds when Mike lost his job last fall, then the holidays didn't help...leave it to me to get knocked up the same week I get motivated to lose the extra weight.) They fit okay most of the day, but in the afternoon (and for sure after dinner) - I was pretty uncomfortable.

As far as pants, I have size 12 and 14 shorts and jeans (from the post-pregnancy weight loss process with the first two) that I could wear, but why? The maternity pants with the elastic bellies are SO much more comfortable. The problem was that my t-shirts weren't long enough to cover the belly bands and I looked a little silly flashing the two-tone material for the world to see.

I ran most of the short sleeved stuff through a quick wash and fluff cycle this morning and hung them all up, moving the smaller sizes aside for next year. As I was taking the clothes out of the dryer, I checked tags thinking, "THIS is a MEDIUM?" I tend to forget just HOW big I'm going to get. And as I put the non-maternity clothes away for "later," I got to thinking about how much later I'll be wearing them. I probably won't wear my favorite Buckle jeans next winter - if it takes 9 months to put on the weight, I certainly won't lose it in TWO months. This isn't Hollywood! So I won't get to walk around in those bad boys until winter 2010??? That seems so sad.

What also cracked me up was some of the little dribble stains on the maternity shirts. I am so clumsy when I'm pregnant. And nothing makes it to my lap, that's for sure.

So YEA for getting to be comfortable. Already, at 10 weeks! With my first, I tried staying in my regular clothes as long as possible. My, how things change after some experience.

Chicken Chipotle Salad

(Note: I was not fond of the chipotle salsa - the only one I found was a store brand and it had a funny taste, ruining the whole flavor of the salad. I'd recommend using your favorite brand of salsa. In the meantime, I'm going on a search for the perfect dressing for this salad b/c the contents are delicious together!)

For Dressing, mix some ranch dressing with a 2-3 Tbsp chipotle salsa.

For Salad, combine:
1 15 oz. can of Black Beans (drained)
1 15 oz can corn (drained)
1 1/2 C jicama, diced
1 C cilantro, chopped
1/2 C chopped green onion
1-2 firm ripe avocados, diced
1 C red bell pepper, diced
1 C grated jack cheese
8 C romaine lettuce
tortilla chips (optional)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts marinated in 2T chipotle salsa (grill chicken, cool, then cut into thin strips OR place chicken and 1/2 cup salsa in the crock pot for 6-8 hours on low and chop or shred)

Yields: 10 GENEROUS servings.

Tip: If you wait to add the lettuce, cheese and avocado, the other combined ingredients will last for days. (The avocado just starts to get brown, you can add it fresh right before you eat it, and the cheese just gets mushy.)

{Healthier} Homemade Mac 'n' Cheese

12 ounces large, whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk
1/2 cup pureed squash (any yellow variety) or pureed cauliflower

Cook macaroni per package instructions. Return drained pasta to the pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook for about 4-5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted.

Meal Plan - 4/6/09

Monday - Artichoke Quiche
Tuesday - Tomato & Spinach Pasta Toss with eggplant
Wednesday - Sloppy Joes with Parmesan Garlic Fries
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - Rice, Bean & Cheese Casserole
Saturday - Ravioli with Parmesan and olive oil
Sunday - HAPPY EASTER! Ham, mashed potatoes, corn, salad and rolls.

Pre-Easter Festivities

It suddenly occurred to me on Friday that Easter is next weekend. I've been so out of touch with time lately, it just snuck up on me. The kids helped me decorate the house that morning and I finally started feeling the Easter spirit.

Yesterday, I started preparing for our Easter feast next weekend by baking and frosting cookies with the kids (the amazing sugar cookie recipe is here)

And today we colored Easter eggs.

Plus, I got the kids dressed up in their Easter duds and took pictures of them before things get crazy next weekend. It's so hard to get cute pictures of the kids on holidays when there are 15-20+ people manipulating their time and attention! I highly recommend taking pictures a few days before big events or holidays. SO much less stressful for everyone!

Talk about traffic...

I figured I might get some extra traffic after blogging on Money Saving Mom, but WHOA. Generally I get around 100 people on my blog each day, give or take. But Friday I had 623 individual visitors and yesterday I had 361. Plus, I accidentally stumbled upon this post on Blissfully Domestic, announcing me as their "Financial Bliss Blogger of the Week." How cool is that? Little ol' me! (Except they didn't catch the part about my TWINS being an April Fool's joke. OOPS!)

So if you're new to my blog, WELCOME! I hope you come back and visit again and again. I'm a sucker for comments, so feel free to leave a comment and introduce yourself.

#80 - Buy a van with a DVD player for long car trips

I never thought this item would be crossed off my 101 Goals in 1001 Days quite this soon, but God bless my husband's one-track mind! He's been on a rampage researching minivans for the last week or two and on Tuesday, we actually brought one home.

We didn't want to purchase from a dealership (to avoid the sales tax, dock fees, etc) but Mike got them to reduce the price to include all of that PLUS when we left to "think about it" overnight, they called us about 2 minutes later and offered to drop the price further if we turned around and bought it that night. I didn't even realize it was the 31st of the month...they wanted to get one more number on the books before the new month!

The kids love it, too. They want to just sit in the garage and watch movies. Ryan is going to break the motor on the automatic side doors...he loves that he can turn the handle and the doors open and close by themselves. He makes everyone who comes over close their eyes and he leads them to the garage for a "surprise." I think he likes this vehicle more than the rest of us!

It is in beautiful condition, has leather interior (no sippy cup spill stains for us) and a DVD player for long car trips, just like I wanted. The previous owners were in their 60s, so it was kept up really well. I LOVE this thing!

When the dealership called the past owners to ask about the spare key, they also brought us a remote and 2 pair of headphones for the DVD player, along with the instruction manual and all of the van's original paperwork from 2002. (so I'm NOT the only type-A out there???)

We put my Accord on Craigs List yesterday and have already had a bunch of calls on it. Hopefully we can sell it soon and be done with this car business for the next several years!

Pine Nut Orzo Salad

1/2 pound orzo pasta

1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 cup feta cheese crumbles*

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

(plus any other veggies you want to throw in - zucchini, chopped asparagus, corn, red pepper, get creative!)

Place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil for the pasta salad. When the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, lightly toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until they just start to brown. Chop onion, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber and any other veggies you want to add in.

Drain orzo and combine with pine nuts, onion, parsley, feta crumbles, lemon juice, about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

This salad is great as a side dish or as refrigerated leftovers. I add grilled chicken for a little extra protein. I also love putting it on some green leaf lettuce that’s been dressed with a little oil and vinegar or balsamic vinaigrette.

* I ran out of feta yesterday, so used shredded mozzarella instead and it turned out great. I mixed it in while the orzo was still warm, so the cheese melted slightly. I like the saltiness of the feta personally, but mozzarella works, too.

Being Generous While Living on a Budget

Nothing big to say today, but feel free to check out my guest post over at Money Saving Mom titled Being Generous While Living on a Budget. Have a great weekend!

Pregnancy Woes

Note: I typed this a while ago and forgot to post it (Mommy brain!) but decided to put it up now with the old date. It's 4/19 and I'm doing better, still napping every day, still sluggish, but most of my sickness comes at night after the kids are in bed these days. I usually have a piece of toast and just go to bed feeling ill. I'm starting week 12, so hopefully I'm almost out of the woods.

This pregnancy is a joy and I am THRILLED that it confirms the fact that we will get to have a "bigger" family. But I don't remember being this annoyed with the side affects with the first two kids. Mind if I vent for a sec?

- Zits. A week before the stick showed a plus sign, I found a zit under my left armpit. I wondered if it were an ingrown hair from shaving? The next day, two more popped up under my right armpit. Today, my chin looks like a 14 year old. I'm not used to this...a minor inconvenience, but annoying, none-the-less.

- Exhaustion. In addition to needing a daily nap (or two, if I do anything more than lay around the house) walking up my stairs has become a reason to sit down and catch my breath. And the baby is the size of a strawberry, definitely not pushing on my lungs yet, and I can't walk a flight of stairs?

- Apathy. I don't have the energy to be consistent with the kids these days. They're starting to walk all over me and I get looks (especially from Kaylin) like, "What are you gonna do about it?" Those looks send her to time out, but if I don't get the look, it's not quite as obvious at the time that they're being disobedient and they're getting away with WAY too much. Because I kind of don't care. I have to start caring before my children start running the place.

- Mommy brain. On Tuesday, as I dropped Ryan off at school, I knelt down and asked Kaylin to kiss me good bye. For a full minute. "Come on, honey, Mommy has to go. Give me a quick kiss and have a good day at school." Thankfully, no one witnessed this ignorant persistence before I realized I was insisting the wrong kid kiss me good bye. I felt like an idiot. That is one of dozens of examples of my mindlessness.

- Hunger issues. I get nauseous when I'm hungry. I get nauseous when I'm full. (and I get full SO FAST - I need to remember to eat much smaller portions) I remembered the other day that while I was still working and pregnant with Ryan, I used to eat my packed lunch every day by 10am, then was starving at 2:00 and had to go get fast food. I finally started bringing two full lunches with me to work every day. I've given in to eating two lunches again. But often, nothing sounds good and when something does sound good, I obsess about it. Mike and I got in a huge fight about crab wontons and an egg roll last week. Yesterday, I stopped at Burger King for a Whopper Jr...at 9am.

- Feeling fat. Already. I went through some maternity clothes a friend let me borrow and refused all sleeveless summer tops. I cannot imagine purposely showing the world my sausage arms...especially since they will likely continue to grow! I was so fit during my other pregnancies. With Ryan, I took 5:30am aerobics and weights classes each day before work, then with Kaylin I was strong from carrying around my 18 month old bubba all the time and leaned out when I decided to give up white sugar and white flour for the last 5 months of the pregnancy. Then there's this one. I've been laid up on the couch, not working out, eating toast all the live-long day to curb my nausea...my body has gotten soft, to say the least.

Okay, I'm done whining now. Loving being pregnant, not loving being sick, tired and increasingly bigger by the day.

It's TWINS (April Fool's!)

I am still in shock, but have to share the news: I just got back from my first doctor appointment and we have two little buns in the oven. I have no idea even where to begin to prepare for twins. Anyone have any advice?

I called Mike to tell him and he was speechless. The conversation went something like this, "What? No way. Really? Are they sure? Twins? No. Are you serious?" I'm hoping my mom doesn't read this before I share the news with her. My mother in law is over this morning and looked like she was going to pass out. But here's the thing...has anyone checked the calendar? Because today is April 1st. Happy April Fool's Day!!! :) I'm not having twins. (to my knowledge...wouldn't I be surprised if I got that news at my first appointment on Monday?)

I'm not much of a practical joker, but I couldn't pass this one up. If you see my status on Facebook, please don't make a comment and ruin it just yet...I'll change the status this afternoon and break the news. So far, I'm getting lots of support. (I love my friends...I just hope they speak to me after this.) Now go think of something fun to fool your own loved ones!