Braatmom's World

It's been too long...

2011-12-17T13:02:00.003-05:00

"And so this is Christmas..."

I admit I was dreading this season. I was terrified on how we would take care of the children, the teacher gifts, etc. I know it isn't about the commercialization of the day, but rather a reflection on what the day truly means. After all, isn't the reason we give gifts to each other to symbolize the gift God gave us all?

We put a lay a way in at K-Mart and began to discuss in great detail what we were going to do for our five kids. One needs a laptop for college, others need clothing, and then there is the WANTED list for each. All of which can be terribly daunting for a family holding it together on one income and unemployment benefits.

Until this past week, I wasn't touched by anything remotely resembling Christmas Spirit. I am thrilled to say that's changed... not by a sudden onslaught of money or the ability to buy thousands of dollars of items for my kids, but rather by helping others.

First off my girl scout troop working with area churches presented gifts to two families who are homeless. (A third family was working at the time of our presentation.) The churches house the families for a week at a time and work with them to get them back into a home of their own.

One family was interviewed by our local TV station. When you hear their story, you can't help but feel empowered by where they are going. They are a young couple with their first child. A blonde haired blue eyed cherub who is 9 months old. The young man had a job and they were renting a mobile home from a family member. The family member sold the mobile home to help pay off some of his expenses. In this day and age when a $10.00 per hour job is what's available, it lends very little money to putting back a down payment or deposit on the next place. As such, two young parents found themselves in a precarious situation right before their child's first Christmas. The gentleman was able to obtain a higher paying job and they are moving into their own place this week.

The families gave a list to Amy, our leader (I am the co-leader) and an extraordinary woman, through the program's coordinator. She was able to spend $100.00 on each family and complete their lists. On Wednesday night a portion of our girls (we have 22 in our troop) gathered with us and their parents and a few younger siblings to watch as "our" families were given a little reprieve from their lives. I can't even begin to tell you how many times we were thanked. The second family had just entered into the program and it was a man and his two daughters. The little girls were a flurry of activity bouncing around opening one gift and dashing on to the next. They had requested winter boots and judging by how the youngest girl placed her new pink boots on her feet before opening up her toys, I am guessing she really adored them! Before we left that evening the little girls were all playing with their new toys. It sounds simple, doesn't it? Give a child a toy and sit back and watch in amazement as they play.

On my own I became associated with a group on Facebook dedicated to assisting families in our area who just can't push the boundaries of their budgets any further to accommodate for things like Christmas. I decided to adopt two families- buying for two little boys, a little girl and an infant. I won't go into any more detail than that, for most of us have been THERE, doing the best we can not to sink but faced with the heartbreak of just not having anything extra. Statistics show that a lot of families are one to two paychecks away from being homeless; if what "they" say is true there are a lot of us who could be walking in the shoes of families who need help with one unfortunate experience like a sudden illness or a cut back on hours at work.

I bought a small amount of presents for these children, as well as some groceries and sundries for their families. If you get free meals at school for your children and they are suddenly home for breakfast and lunch, it can be a serious strain on that already stretched budget. Two of the children wear clothing in sizes some of my children have outgrown and so I am donating it to them. My prayer is that these mothers and fathers can rise above the blame game they may be playing in their heads and just enjoy the day with their families. Of course, I will sit back and wish I could have done more. I plan on continuing to help because once Christmas is over children still out grow clothing and help is still necessary.

My husband shared a link on my facebook page about secret Santas who were paying off lay-a-ways at K-Mart for people. Some were close to having them closed out for non-payment. One woman was at her son's bedside in a children's hospital and when K-Mart called her to inform her she began yelling out "WE WILL HAVE A CHRISTMAS!" Many other recipients simply cried right in the middle of the store. This phenomenon occurred in several states with no seeming rhyme or reason- just a few folks with the intention to help others.

I firmly believe that we have to help God on this planet. As a Catholic I was taught the corporal and spiritual works of Mercy. Most of them are common sense things we should be doing to each other as riders on this merry-go-round we call Earth; visiting the sick, burying the dead, giving food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, clothing the naked. Last month my children's school asked students to bring in quarters to buy a well for a village without clean drinking water. This month they are in the process of collecting 114 coats for those who can use them. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:40)

I believe that God works through us to be the answer to so many prayers. He has a lot of big problems facing Him- wars, famine, genocide, and natural disasters to name a few. I refrain from labeling anyone's problems as "small" as they are not to those burdened with them. However I think that God needs those of us who can to extend our hands to our brothers and sisters and pull them up from despair, from sadness, from loneliness, from trepidation. You just never know when you will be the answer to someone's prayers. God knows what He is doing, He put us where we need to be for reasons that are sometimes crystal clear to us and at other times as clear as mud. All He asks is that we believe.

John Mellencamp sang that "Everyone needs a hand to hold on to. Don't need to be no rich hand, don't need to be no strong hand. Everyone just needs a hand to hold on to." It works both ways- it's not only those who are holding their hand out for anyone to grab who are those in need. The folks who grab those hands are just as needy- sometimes unbeknownst to them and not necessarily in the tangible senses of needing food or clothing.

I have thought a lot about this week and its events. If for nothing else, my Father in Heaven gave me a swift kick in the back side to wake up and recognize just what He has blessed me with. I have thought about how helping your fellow man isn't a sentiment reserved for a date in December. I have found myself crying wishing I could do more. Giving to others on what I thought would be one of the hardest holidays I've ever had has enriched me beyond belief. I may be hearing Thank You, but I need to say it as well. I'm 37 years old and I am still a rookie at life- I am still learning from the situations which present themselves to me. I simply have to be still and take in the lesson.

Tips to Tackle the Cash Register Demon

2010-01-27T17:25:00.006-05:00

Ok, my friend who is a wonderful mother,seriously! I look at her Facebook posts and am in awe over all her kids' activities, how put together the kids and SHE look and I find myself wishing I could be a bit more like her. I am *NOT* the picture of organization or put-togetherness. LOL!

But she has five beautiful children and asked how I handle the grocery store... so I am going to parlay this into a free-for-all... meaning I want everyone who can to share their market-saving tips... :)

first of all, I have found that learning when meat is marked down is an AMAZING way to save. For example- I have found that Ray's marks stuff down close to Thursday. Ray's is local so as you can see every person will need to find this day out. I once got 10 packages of kielbasa for fifty cents each. Seriously. Now kielbasa isn't the MOST HEALTHY choice of meat, but a balanced diet is based on choices for the ENTIRE WEEK not just one day. Which, simply put, means it won't kill anyone to make a dish out of kielbasa now and then. LOL! I have purchased Candian bacon for 1.20 (about 15 slices), "diet" hamburgers for under a buck a patty and even bulk sausage for 1.00. The trick to this is that this meat MUST BE FROZEN OR COOKED ASAP! but I usually have menus planned out with stuff in the freezer so I just toss it in until I am ready to cook it.

Secondly- look for coupons. If Meijer's has a 10/10 sale and it includes Pizza Rolls, (I try to cook mostly from scratch, but this is often an easy fix when we are running like crazy), look around for a pizza roll coupon...if you find a 35 cents off coupon and it is doubled, you are paying 30 cents for each bag of pizza rolls you buy. Who wouldn't want to stock up on that??? Also Meijer will offer an 11th item for free. HELLO BONUS! LOL!

Third- make menus and stick to them. I don't mean be so rigid so that if you get a craving for chicken you won't flip a chicken meal with the meatloaf listed for tonight. I usually make up about 12 breakfasts, lunches and dinners and create a shopping list from there. Use your time wisely- if you have a few extra moments on a lazy Saturday afternoon- make up some pancakes and freeze them for breakfasts later on in the month. You can pop them in the toaster to warm them up.

I once heard that a lot of kids in elementary schools do not get breakfast. This saddened and appalled me. I have five kids, I have a chronic condition and I work 40 hours a week. In addition to that 4 out of 5 kids are involved in extra-curriculars, I am a band booster, sit on the school-advisory board for St. Rose and am the recording-secretary for my labor Union. Long story short, if *I* can make breakfast for my darlings, anyone can. LOL! It needn't be elaborate, after all it only takes a few moments to boil water to make instant oatmeal, even less if you pull out some yogurt and bananas, but this is the MOST important meal of the day!!!!

Fourth- try to incorporate a few meatless meals into the fold. My family LOOOOVES potato soup. They love pancakes for dinner. During Lent, I do cheese pizza or spaghetti without meat. It helps stretch your food budget further.

Fifth- there are innovative websites... hillbilly housewife which shares an emergency menu for 4 for 70.00 and believe it or not the USDA offers a pretty interesting guidebook with recipes for eating nutritiously on food stamps. That's the target audience, but I learned a lot from reading it and even have it bookmarked on my laptop. USDA booklet

Sixth- look for hidden costs. If I allowed my four kids to buy lunch at school each day it would cost me $45.00 a week. GASP! So I make them pack. I have adopted the concept of bento boxes... as I have discussed in this blog before, so I won't bore ya! LOL! but it's packing food into (typically) ONE container. Today the kids took 2 pieces of luncheon ham rolled up, two slices of Colby cheese, cherry tomatoes, grapes,a graham cracker and a half container of yogurt. Everything but the yogurt went into the main container- just a typical Ziploc container you can either keep or toss... holding maybe about 2 cups of soup. Monday I made salad and stuffed shells for dinner so on Tuesday the kids took the leftover salad to school. I went to Sauder's and the school marm there talked about the kids bringing whatever Mom had to spare and could pack. I am blessed with more than enough food, but I started taking that concept to heart. So a leftover piece of chicken may get diced up and included in a salad. I may hard boil a few eggs and slip them into the lunch now and then. They've had Doritos ONCE this year- they were left over from a scout pizza party. I try to focus on a protein, fruit and veggie for their lunches.

Seventh- check the ethnic section for food. I found an 8 ounce bag of ABC pasta in the Mexican section for 29cents. I coupled that with the turkey carcass mom sent home after Thanksgiving and made a rich stock. From that stock I made turkey vegetable soup. It was practically 2 cents per serving!!!

SO There ya go... please please feel free to add to this list! Sharing is always fun! :)

I've been resting...

2009-11-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

and sleeping a lot since Wednesday. I meet with my primary care doc on Tuesday. I am hoping I can get my gallbladder out soon, I fear it growing too large to be removed laparoscopically. I know it has to come out, I am just eager to complete that portion of steps in this entire process.

I am also going to ask about talking to a neurologist or a pain management doctor regarding the pain in my lower right quadrant. I also have to have my insulin resistance tested and figure out where to go from there.

It's nice to rest and be a little spoiled- although I have managed to get my laundry almost completely caught up, both on my own and with help.

So here we go onto the next phase of figuring me out... LOL!

Post-Op

2009-11-12T07:49:00.003-05:00

If you can call it that...

I had my "surgery" yesterday for the pain I have had for 4.5 years that I was sure were adhesions, the surgeon confirmed and we were scheduled to remove the suckers yesterday. Problem is, I have NO adhesions. Not a one. I could have cried when the nurse told me that. I am not crazy, I do not make up this pain and NO pain medications touch it. I am on oxycodone (generic percocet NOT Oxycotin which is more intense) for the incision pain but it isn't touching the rt lower quad pain in my abdomen. He shot an injection in the nerve endings inside of me, but the pain is returning.

here's what angers me, the deal was that if there were no adhesions for whatever reason, my gallbladder was to be removed. It's functioning at 4% and I did get a picture of it and it's inflamed. I am NOT a doctor, but I know it shouldn't look like a mini basketball. so I googled normal gallbladders and inflamed gallbladders.... sure enough mine looks like one that is labled as "inflamed".

When I first began to complain about the pain I went to the OB/GYN who did my last C-section because it seemed to be around ovulation and menstruation times. She diagnosed it as being in my last layer of skin, a large blob of scar tissue. It showed up on my CT scan. So when I asked yesterday if this would be removed, I was told no, that the surgeon would prefer me to be awake while he excises it. It's really rather large, I don't think his reasoning is acceptable to me (he stated he wanted me awake so that I could show him where it was... you can FEEL it). I have a HIGH tolerance for pain- it was confirmed again because I came out of surgery with no need for pain medication and even today, I am not really bothered by the incisions. I am taking the percocet in case I would be, but I am due for a dose now and they are not bothering me in the slightest. a lil tender like if I had cut myself but that's to be expected.

I also had my heart rate dip into the 40's post op and my bp took a dive... but I have low bp and I know following the birth of one of my kids the reading freaked me out (it was like 79/56) but I was told that was really pretty normal when resting (I had been asleep before the started taking it). BUT that was the first time I'd ever heard me having issues like that with anesthesia.

I had HORRIBLE acid reflux post op too. It was making me stop breathing correctly. I took my nexium so who knows... honestly, my gallbladder is probably hindering my digestion (I've been told it is) and I doubt my stomach was totally empty despite the fact that I followed all the rules about fasting.

I am calling my primary care doc this morning to see if I can get in to see him and show him the pictures they took. He believes I am insulin resistant and I think I have some proof for him. I had my last cycle on November 2 and the pictures show I have cysts on my right ovary and it was labeled as "recent ovulation". I am only 10 days past I should not be ovulating and should not have done so previously. Irregular cycles are indicative of insulin resistance so I want him to see these pictures, I also want to take my CD of my CT scan and ask him about the scar tissue in my skin and show him my gallbladder. I am scared of it rupturing. the surgeon in Cincinnati wanted me to wait until Feb for 2 reasons- 1- to make sure he didn't spill toxins from the gb into the wounds from adhesion removal and 2- to check and make sure the adhesions were not returning.

BUT since I really didn't have surgery- it was more like a very pricey camera diagnosis- I really don't see any reason to return to Cincinnati to have the thing removed. It's a long trip and even though I am at the point this year where everything is paid for, that doesn't cover gas costs, eating out, and Bethesda charges for tv in the room. Not to mention all the planning I have to do to make sure my kids are where they need to be when they need to be there. I had these kids, I do not like passing my work off on to anyone else, especially that of taking care of my family. So I am going to ask Dr. Martz for a surgeon here in town that he recommends and to ask if I can have both the GB and the scar tissue removed at the same time.

I can't exercise with it in, it hinders my daily life functions- I can't pick up my kids, can't bend over, can't walk for long distances, can't reach up, can't bathe the youngest two. It's insane. I am 35 years old, I just want my quality of life back.

Lunches!!!

2009-11-09T17:10:00.005-05:00

I don't photograph every lunch I pack because there is no cause for repeating myself. I do a lot of the same lunches over and over- salads with fresh vegetables, pasta salads, fruit (fresh) and raw vegetables- stuff like that.

Something both A1 and B love are peanut butter and honey roll ups. Spread peanut butter on a tortilla, drizzle with honey and roll up and cut into pinwheels. These got rave reviews.

this is a hard boiled egg, banana chips, vanilla wafers and a vegetable sub. I took apiece of white American cheese, cut it into four wedges, lined two on either side of a hot dog bun, filled the center with cucumber slices and diced red pepper. I cut it in half, one for A1 and one for B.

Fat Free Bumble Bee Tuna salad kit, cherry tomatoes, sugar free applesauce and a mini muffin. This was paired with half a container of yogurt. I do that a lot- the kids can dip fresh fruit in it or eat it plain.

Just be sure if you send in pineapple yogurt or vanilla yogurt tell your kids... B almost dumped her Pineapple yogurt on her salad thinking it was ranch! OOPS!

So much for a daily post... Geesh

2009-11-08T17:09:00.002-05:00

I found out some new things messed up with me medically... and they explain a lot. I have a Vitamin D deficiency. My level was a 9, it should be up over 30. I am taking 50,000 units of Vitamin D twice a week now. I am also showing signs of "pre-diabetes". My doctor does not believe that this is the accurate diagnosis. he believes, given everything I have told him, that I am insulin resistant. My body doesn't allow insulin to do its thing, and turns carbs and sugars into fat. A side effect of Vitamin D deficiency? Obesity.

today I am so extremely tired, I can hardly move. The fatigue is so incredible that I have slept after folding laundry, after making lunch. It is unreal. I have surgery in two days, I know with my body as it is, the narcotics I will take following surgery will have me in a semi-coma way of life. My husband will have to step up and take over so much. Thank God he is so good to me that he doesn't mind.

I wanted to get so much done before Wednesday, it's just a shame that I am too tired to do it. It upsets and angers me because I am the Momma, this is my job. At the same time, I marvel at how much I am blessed to have two teenage boys who step up to the plate over and over again to help out, to do the family thing. I marvel at how blessed I am to have friends who have told me that if I need anything to call on them. I marvel that my family- mom, in-laws and husband love me enough to take over the duties I am simply unable to do.

We are all going to be OK. You do not get assigned a cross that doesn't fit your back. I just look forward to getting my medical insanity under control.

There are some reasons to celebrate! My cholesterol is 143, triglycerides 76, iron level is 11.2 only slightly low. (I've been down to 6.4 before) and my blood cell size is still somewhat small (meaning they do not carry around iron as they should) but bigger than where they were over a year ago.

I will have surgery and then have a 2-hour sugar test when I feel up to it. Following that, I will more than likely be placed on medication to help my body understand what the insulin is there for and help me lose weight.

So there ya have it. I am a mess right now, but things often get worse before they get better so I am claiming that right for myself.

Daily updates...

2009-11-01T21:44:00.002-05:00

I just found out there is a NaBloPoMo challenge out there... I am already doing NaNoWriMo... and since I will be out of commission of life from Nov 11 until the 30th, (HOPEFULLY) I wonder if I could take on another challenge...

I am not going to commit to it formally. I am very intent on completing my novel in a month's time. It's going well, today was the first day to write, and I have managed to log 5000 words. I jumped into the skin of my main character Kenda Mathis totally. She's not much like me at all and I am enjoying writing the story from her point of view even if the subject matter is appalling and disgusting. Diving down deep into the bitter recesses of her being (she's a character so she doesn't have a soul) has been interesting, everything I love about writing is flowing back into me with every word I write. Story ideas are zinging about in my brain like a pinball with several flippers smacking it around. FUN.

So I am going to try and update my blog EVERY. SINGLE. DAY for the month of November, I just ask that if I don't get time on the 11th, everyone understands! LOL!

Oh and my farmer gave me two massively huge onions so I am going to make and potentially blog about french onion soup in my crock pot! :) YEAY!

Life begins at 35??

2009-10-21T17:28:00.004-04:00

I always thought that those who are a bit more, ahem, seasoned than myself chose to pepper their life activities with statements such as "Life begins at 65!" To be honest, I am not at all sure why the term "The Golden Years" was coined save for putting a shine onto a period of life where memories of a life once lived may be more sweet than the life currently lived.

Please don't get me wrong, I don't mean that life is not precious. Each and every moment of it is! But as a thirty-five year old woman, my life is centered around food- meetings include a snack, there are cookies after concerts, I just took my mother out for dinner yesterday for her birthday. I've worked as a nurse's assistant, I know taste buds die out and spicy food items are crossed off of one's "OK" list as we age.

My diet isn't the best in the world. I put on weight VERY easily. I take it off reluctantly. I spent one spring and summer working out twice a day, living on fruits and vegetables and never shed a solitary pound. I wore smaller clothing, but according to the charts and medical "experts" I was still the "o" word. I still am. After that, I became very discouraged and convinced that I would always be a plus-sized gal. My husband thinks I am gorgeous, so what other approval do I need?

This way of thinking, thinking I have pounded into my skull, just may be changing.

After 35 years of service my gall bladder has opted to retire. It slowed down a few years ago (hence the inability to actually drop pounds), but I didn't realize it. I began showing signs of serious problems last year. My father was diagnosed with Stage IV colo-rectal cancer in July. He ignored his problems for far too long. When he realized I was having the same problems, he pushed me to have it looked at, citing his tragic diagnosis every step of the way.

I went through all the tests, and the GI doctor gave me a clean bill of health as far as cancer was concerned, but discovered I had ulcers- 3 in my esophagus and 1 in my small intestine. I also had food in my digestive tract 12 hours after consuming it. In normal people, digestion goes along quite smoothly. Food enters the stomach and, as we recall from 3rd grade health class, mixes with acids to become a thick paste-like substance. Digestion really takes place in your intestines. Most food moves on from stomach to intestines at a decent clip. Mine was not. I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis- a paralyzed stomach, slow motility.

Unlike the majority of GP'ers I didn't lose weight. I gained it. And I gained it while living on liquid nourishment. I took Nexium and felt so much better! Again I decided that losing weight wasn't going to happen, after all I gained it on Ensure and Life Water, so I went back to eating pretty much what I wanted. Vegetables irritated me so did Chinese food, it seemed like a no-win situation.

I sought out a surgeon to fix my adhesions. When he read about my GI issues and diagnosis, he asked me how much weight I'd lost. When I stated I had gained weight, he told me my gall bladder was bad. I had the required tests and sure enough, it functions at 4% of what it should. Turns out that lil bugger was slowing down my digestive tract, in a BIG fashion.

So now I am eating a low-fat diet. The list of what I CANNOT eat is without a doubt much longer than the list of foods I CAN eat. So long pork chops, ground beef, meatloaf, yellow cheeses, alcohol, oatmeal, pancakes, Ritz crackers, spare ribs, instant breakfasts, milk, ice cream, egg yolks and potato chips. This is an adjustment, and it's temporary.

I am going to have my adhesions removed on November 11. Three months following that surgery, I will have my gall bladder removed. It is essential that I eat low-fat so as not to trigger any gall bladder attacks. Since my gall bladder is full of toxins and my adhesion pain is constant, the adhesions will be removed FIRST and the gall bladder second so that any toxins that may spill out upon removal will NOT infect the wounds left behind from the removal of the adhesions. The second surgery will also allow the doctor to take note on HOW WELL he did removing my adhesions and NOT allowing them to RETURN.

Today I am following my new diet to the letter. R has a concert tonight at his high school. I am making a quick dinner of baked chicken nuggets and waffle fries for the kids. Even baked, there are too many fat grams for me. I am having a pan "fried" (Pam ONLY in the skillet) boneless, skinless chicken breast. I am actually starving and by now probably would have had a piece of bread, but I only get < 50 fat grams, it's important that I save them for my meals.

So there you have it. Life for me is beginning at 35! I am retiring my old style of eating as well as my gall bladder. We are both going to be fine... but by the way if you have any low-fat recipes, please feel free to toss them in my direction. I just don't think I could handle the "raw food" way of life! :)

FALL!

2009-10-03T10:21:00.003-04:00

It's my favorite time of year! My favorite Holiday is Thanksgiving! I love the colors, the smell in the air, the comfort food and the fact that you can still be outside and enjoy the outdoors without being frozen in 60 seconds. I LOVE seasons, which is why I LOVE Ohio, but I prefer Winter inside with hot cocoa and a log on the fire and I prefer summer in the pool or inside with the air. I LOATHE mud so Spring has to lose top billing in my seasons list, but fall... AHHHHHHHH. PERFECTION!

And so as I begin to prepare for winter, I shall relish every spare moment during fall to prepare for gloomy days where hibernation sounds much better than going for a walk. I am making some small goals to myself, mostly in the areas of house work and meal preparation, but also in adding more activity to the kids' lives as well.

I want to do a leaf book with A1 for his preschool homework I give to him. When the leaves change, I plan to take a Saturday afternoon bundle everyone up and hit the trail at Teddy Bear Park collecting leaves. When we arrive home, I want to warm us all up with some chili for dinner. Over the week, depending on when Mother Nature touches the deciduous trees with her magic wand, A1and I will work on his "book" and I will have B and A2 make place mats.

I want to get all the outgrown coats out, washed and delivered to the Salvation Army with the kids in tow. They need to learn from doing.

I want to see when the Y has open swimming on Sundays so that we can attend and wear ourselves out since we can no longer play in our backyard pool. After Mass and lunch it would be a GREAT way to kill some time.

When the older boys were younger, we used to do Family Movie Night. While I am not a proponent of TV on school nights (I seriously do NOT allow it), this was something we all looked forward to. We would have a simple supper of soup and sandwiches, bathe early and dress for bed and then watch a family-friendly movie complete with popcorn. I'd like to go back to doing that.

I also want to make up a chore chart. That sounds like a no-brainer, like I should have had this done years ago. Before high school we had Friday night chores. After work, school and dinner, we would clean the house on Friday leaving the weekend free! I LOVED IT! What i want to do is FORCE myself and everyone else in this house to cleaning ONE ROOM a night. By Saturday it should all be done.

On Saturdays, I hope to be able to get over my fear of DIY. I have so many things that need to be done outside our home. Our shutters need to be cleaned and repainted. Our deck needs to be power washed and sealed. Our bushes need to be trimmed. Our flower beds need to be revamped and revised. Quikrete needs to be added to my front walk way. And even though my driveway is far gone, I'd like to go ahead and fill the cracks and seal it anyway. My downspouts and gutters need to be corrected and replaced. And I'd like to caulk all the windows outside before winter. After A2 bowls (and before) there is NO REASON for me not to get this done, with help from T and R.

HAH There, I set the bar for myself... let's see how far I go before I fall and have to kick my own behind AGAIN! :)

Tater Soup

2009-09-16T20:12:00.005-04:00

My grandfather was an amazing cook. There are so many meals he made that just make me think of being a little girl and enjoying them with him. He passed away Labor Day weekend in 1999. Ten years already. : ( I miss my Grampa still to this day. When I cook, I try to duplicate his recipes from memory. His potato soup was a favorite of mine. This tastes DARN close to his. And it's EASY to make.

I only use yukon gold potatoes for this. I just find the taste so amazing. and I use a LOT of ground black pepper. Please alter to your tastebuds. And, I know there is a lot of butter in the picture, but trust me, this pot fed all of us for dinner and a guy I work with got 4 bowls (he asked me to try it) from his container of leftovers, and Brett and I BOTH had soup for work lunches. So that is my word on the buttah... it looks like it's a TON, but I swear it's not.

Start with half and half and chicken broth.

Pour into a nice big pot

Cube the potatoes. You can skin them or leave them alone. Entirely up to you.

Add onions. I love onions, so I add a LOT. Isn't this the niftiest cutting bowl? A guy at work gave it to me, his wife was packing up to move to their new house and she decided she did not want it any longer. I am in love with it!

Fresh Ground pepper. This is a blend of different peppers- McCormick makes it. You can pick it up in the spice aisle with the little grinder attached! :)

Add the butter. yes, the whole stick. REAL BUTTER not margarine.

Allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are soft. About an hour.

My kids look forward to this on cold, snowy Saturdays for lunch... but I was craving it, so I made it for dinner one night! ; ) Hope you enjoy!

Some foodie posts

2009-09-16T19:35:00.006-04:00

I thought I would share a few of the lunches I have been making, as well as my recipe for potato soup. I am by no means near as good as some of the mothers out there who make Bento lunches for their children, however my goal was to serve my children healthy food options and I am achieving that goal.

SO! Here is a lunch that I told the kids was "Muncher's Delight" LOL!

Cubed Summer sausage and cheese, frozen berries (raspberry, blackberry and blueberry), fresh cut peppers, celery and cucumbers, a smidge of light ranch dressing and a few vanilla wafers. This was a BIG hit.

My kids are pretty good eaters when it comes to vegetables and fruits. Salads are a big hit. I think they are easy to make and easy to pack.

So this is salad with fresh mesclun lettuce, to which I added very finely chopped summer squash, red bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes and topped it with cucumbers and mozzarella cheese. (I have a farmer that brings me fresh produce to work on Fridays for $10.00 a box- and I love to use it in their lunches!) I added whole grain wheat thins and grapes. (PS light ranch rides sidecar in a small container. My kids dip their forks into the dressing and then eat the salad!!! :) SAVES CALORIES!)

And this is today's pack for tomorrow's feast. I am actually VERY excited about this... I can only hope that the toothpicks are not construed as weapons. LOL!

to make the wrap, I used a flour tortilla, spread vegetable cream cheese on it, topped that with thinly sliced chicken breast, added some chopped tomatoes and low fat co-jack cheese. I cut that in half for A1 and B. I stuck toothpicks in it to hold it together and topped the picks with black olives. As you can see, this is accompanied by all natural applesauce and a few vanilla wafers. This started as PINWHEELS but for the LIFE of me, I cannot make good pinwheels, so I opted for a wrap. Eh, live and learn! LOL!

Ok potato soup in the next post...

I am SO Excited!

2009-09-08T18:10:00.002-04:00

When I made my New Year's Resolution to learn to cook from scratch, one of the things I wanted to do was to learn to make noodles from scratch. My grandpa Bob used to make "dumplings" at Thanksgiving. They were my favorite. I really should have let him teach me how to make them before he died. It was 10 years ago Labor Day Weekend.

At any rate, every recipe has you dumping clumps of dough into boiling liquids. This isn't how Grampa made them. He rolled them out and cut them into rectangles. He also added a small amount of shredded roast to them.

When we went to Sauder's Sunday they were giving out recipes as they often do. Lo and behold NOODLES!!!!! A ROLL AND RAISE METHOD!!!!!! I cannot WAIT To try this out!!!!!

My battle with Dad's Cancer Doc's office

2009-08-31T09:23:00.003-04:00

That seems like a lengthy title, but the problem isn't with Dr. G. It's with his finance office. Dad was deemed eligible for Medicaid with a start date of October, 2008 initially.

My father passed away April 7, 2009 from Stage IV rectal cancer with metastases to his liver and lung. He was only 56 years old. He died under a tragic set of circumstances surrounding his life, and to be brutally honest- he was homeless, and penniless. All of that means nothing now, however there are still some things that remain to be done and since I am the Power of Attorney, they are my tasks to complete.

In early July, Dr. S.- Dad's surgeon- called and informed me that Medicaid had retro-activated (I know that's not a real word, but that's the jargon for it) Dad's account to August, 2008 with a "spend-down" month of September, 2008. Since Dad had had surgery in August, 2008 and had put $150.00 down, I was due back this amount and the surgeon's office submitted the bill to Medicaid and was paid for it.

I had Brett stop by Dr. G's office to alert his staff of the same thing- not once, but twice. No one looked into this, and no one has presented me with reimbursement for close to/or for the entire amount of $900.00 that Dad paid them prior to October, 2008. As I understand it, I am due back the money EVEN IF Dr. G's office failed to submit the bills to Medicaid.

I have to hire a probate attorney because Dad and I did not get the title of his Chevrolet Avalanche out of his name before he died. I am going to sell it and use the funds to buy Dad a tombstone. He did have DI insurance on the truck, and it paid off everything on his loan, save for about 2500.00- which is due on or before Feb 26, 2010. However, since the Title is in his name, a mere POA will not allow the Title department to transfer a temporary Title over to me. I have to have a court order to do so.(The full title will transfer upon the loan pay off). I need the $900.00 back from Dr. G's office to pay for the probate attorney I need to hire.

So today, A2 started preschool. I took off 3 hours of time this morning to see him off to school and be close at hand- "just in case". I came home and drafted my letter to Dr. G's office, which I am cc:ing to the County Medicaid office. I am not trying to get anyone in trouble, I just am tired of Dr. G's office staff refusing to address this matter. All they have done is call to tell me Dad's account is current!

The whole ordeal has been frustrating, but I don't mean to complain. Dad thought he and I would get more days to work these matters out. We would go to breakfast and talk about things, or I would sit with him and talk about his affairs and to be honest, I think it depressed him. Who wants to admit they are dying at 56? I am not upset at all that I am the POA, I am simply upset that Dr. G's staff did not bother to check into what Brett was relaying to them for me.

YEAY ANGELA!

2009-08-30T10:33:00.002-04:00

My cousin, Angela, and her yoga studio were given a positive review @ yogacitynyc.com!!!! How thrilling! :)

you can read about it here

Menus...

2009-08-29T11:12:00.002-04:00

At work the other day I sat down and wrote up an entire list of meals for Monday through Friday. Of course, I cannot locate said list now. Meh.

So I am going to focus on recalling what I had listed here...

Monday:
B- scrambled eggs, toast, oranges, milk

L- watermelon, half of a pb sandwich, side salad, graham crackers with frosting

D- meatball subs, buttered parm noodles, broccoli

Tuesday:
B- french toast, sausage, orange juice

L- Salad with hard boiled eggs, mini banana, pudding

D- potato soup, salad, crusty bread

Wednesday:
B- egg bake

L- muncher's delight- cubed meat, cheese, grapes, berries, melon, sliced peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, corn bread

D- lasagna, garlic toast, salad

Thursday:
B- pancakes, bacon, milk

L- subs, celery with pb, trail mix, banana

D- roast, potatoes and carrots with rolls

Friday:
B- burritos

L- pita chips with salsa, fruit, lean turkey, vanilla wafers

D- left overs

Saturday:
B- toast

L- hot dogs, mac and cheese

D- ham, au gratin potatoes, broccoli salad, rolls, hot milk cake

Ahhh Wednesday- the happiness post! LOL!

2009-08-19T22:21:00.004-04:00

I came home from work and made pancakes from scratch and froze them. I made a batch of sloppy joes and froze them too. I also made the stock for my chicken noodle soup. mmmmmmm. That made me happy. We were able to purge a few things and found more uniform pieces for most of the kids whooooooooot! That makes me VERY happy.

Now Saturday we will be cleaning cleaning cleaning. I will be cooking a few more things- including my chicken noodle soup (I make Brett pull the meat from the carcass!) and hopefully 3 more loaves of pumpkin bread, meatballs, lasagna, breakfast burritos, and more sloppy joes.

Saturday afternoon we will go to Mass and the our church picnic. On Sunday we will be cleaning some more. A guy I work with GAVE us a set of bunk beds! We *REALLY* needed a new set. So we will be deep cleaning the bedrooms, putting fresh sheets on all the beds and getting everything in it's place. That will make me EXTREMELY Happy! LOL!

And the best news of all... I have found an old dear friend on Facebook and we are catching up and I have the name of a doctor in Cincinnati who specializes in adhesions! I cannot wait to call and get an appointment set up.

I am resting in bed watching Ghost Hunters and waiting for my sweetie to return from work. Tomorrow night we have R's band show and carry in. Friday night is the band show at the County Fair.

September 12 A1, B, A2 and I Are going to Lowe's to make drums!

So please pardon my giddiness but this has been an amazing day. I cannot wait for tomorrow! :)

Tuesday

2009-08-18T07:04:00.001-04:00

Going into work today, hoping there is an answer from Med Mutual in my inbox. I did complete the list of foods to make and freeze for this weekend. Hopefully I will have enough energy and discipline to finish that!

Laundry tonight... the laundromat is both a wonderful and horrible option. It's a date night for Brett and I- how silly is that?!

Here's to a wonderful day for everyone!

Feeling better... a bit

2009-08-17T16:51:00.004-04:00

I just came up with the lessons I will have the children do after their regular schoolwork is complete. (Well in the case of A2 it will be his only work!)

Tuesday Aug 25
A1- Mathematics- Sharpen Skills Worksheet 4 here
Read one short story from "Baseball In April" which we will discuss

B-Math- pg 67 in 2nd grade skills book
Phonics- pg 19 in 2nd grade skills book

A2- Mosaic art (sorting colors- orange, red, yellow, green, blue- shapes- square, circle, triangle, rectangle, oval)

Wednesday Aug 26
A1- People from American History worksheet found here
Guessing Vocab in context 2

B- Math pg 73 in 2nd grade skills book
Phonics pg 25 in 2nd grade skills book
Visions Of America worksheet found here

A2-Sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" talk about our L sounds, make handprint lamb

Thursday Aug 27

A1-Our Lady Word Search Found here
research Our Lady of Mt. Carmel- find out Feast Day, to whom did Mary appear, what color is Our Lady of Mt. Carmel's scapular

B- read "The Fire Cat" discuss how Pickles was both good and bad.

A2- L Worksheet found here
Use computer to look up information on Lambs- what do they eat? What do they sound like? What do we use them for?

I did get some sorting and purging done. Now I am off to create a month of menus for August and September. WHEEEE!!! :)

Took personal time today

2009-08-17T10:12:00.003-04:00

getting the littles room ready for BTS and sleeping in it again. I don't have TV in any of our children's rooms, so during the summer they are able to camp out in the living room and watch tv until they fall asleep. We also do not have central air as this is an electrically heated home. We do have a/c in the living room and it helps them to sleep.

But all of that will fall away now as we move into fall. I started going through all of the things that I have picked up for A2 for preschool and sorting their clothing into piles. I have to change the linens on the beds and after laundy tonight put things away.

B tried on her uniforms and she can still wear 2 skorts, 1 pair of shorts and her 2 jumpers so we are set there. She will need pants for cooler weather, but as we often get Indian Summer here, I am willing to wait on purchasing them as she may have a growth spurt soon. Her legs have been aching, that's usually a tell-tale sign.

Tomorrow T and R will have to clean out their closet and sort out the clothing into piles that fit, piles that do not and piles of clothing they don't intend to wear. Hopefully T will find his other ties for school and his other oxfords. R needs at least one more polo, but he does have enough to start school.

A1 needs shorts and a few shirts. Father Dave found a benefactor who has donated 2 shirts for each student at St. Rose with the school name embroidered on them. ; ) that makes me happy. A1 should be able to find all the pants Mrs. M gave him last year and coupled with shorts and at least the two shirts I intended to buy him that should have him set for school.

So far I am doing better than I feared I would be at this point. I am VERY good at indicating on paper all of my intentions, but far less inclined to put them into action without much proding and pushing on my own end.

I am going to make a list of foods that I will make Friday night into Saturday and freeze for the start of school. I am also going to find Bento boxes for A1 and B for their lunches this year. I'd like to go without disposables such as sandwich bags and water bottles. I've been doing research and there are some wonderful products out there.

Ok A2 has a doctor appt. for pre-school @ 12:30 so I must be off to bathe him and continue my work in his room.

A new beginning

2009-08-16T21:48:00.000-04:00

I am going to keep this blog as a way to record my efforts with OAMC (Once A Month Cooking) and all variations thereof, my school work with my children and memories of all of their activities.

I have 5 children. My oldest two are 16 and 15 and are sophomores at two different high schools. We are Catholic and as such we have raised all of our children (thus far obviously) in Catholic schools.

Our eldest child has learning disabilities in every subject (mostly with retention and recall) and Sensory Integration Dysfunction. As a result, we opted to hold him back in the 5th grade. Prior to our doing so, the Great State of Ohio changed the rules for proficiency tests and children with learning disabilities. There was no longer a "free pass" for these children. Consequently with T reading at a 3rd grade reading level at the end of 5th grade, sending him on to take a 6th grade reading test was setting him up for failure- hence both children in the same grade.

Last year, our second child, had a horrible time fitting in at the Catholic High School. His grades plummeted, his attitude started to stink and we were constantly fighting with this child. I could not take it any longer and so we discussed with him moving him into the public school. I am actually looking forward to it. He is in a college readiness program which will have him earning college credits in high school and he is going to have many more music opportunities for him to persue. He is very musically oriented.

And so, I will be sitting in bleachers both Friday and Saturday nights. The Catholic school and the public school in our hometown share a football stadium and the Catholic school plays games on Saturday nights when the public school also has a home game the same weekend.

#3 will be starting 5th grade (it's such a hard year!), #4 will be in first grade and #5 will be starting pre-school. So I look forward to incorporating my own lessons into their school lessons. I am going back to NO TV on school nights and family reading. (I use the abridged classics for children and we all take turns reading chapters). I am also going to supplement their work with lessons I create.

I am reading up on old fashioned cooking and studying recipes from "The Farmer's Wife"- a magazine that was in print from 1863 through the 1930's. I am trying to get away from processed food and to learn to cook more things from scratch. I will be posting these things here.

I have a lot to do before school starts. I am hoping my health cooperates. I was recently diagnosed with gastroparesis (Paralyzed stomach) and ulcers. I also have scar tissue (or adhesions) that are a source of constant chronic pain and keep me down a lot of days in the month. I am seeking pain management training and help for that. I am also learning what I can and cannot eat (sadly mostly veggies!) with the GP. I am sure I will be whining about my health issues quite a bit on here... so I apologize for that! :)