Manic Monday!

May have to just plan on blogging every other week...couldn't find a moment but wasn't too concerned -totally awesome family time was in order, since Darren was off Wednesday through Sunday!!

So here we are, Manic Monday!!

The cloudy, rained-last-night morning kicked off slow and steady -pull-up changing, coffee, bottle, juice, little big planet, poop diaper changing, juice, coffee, teething cookie mess, etc.

Reward: YUMMY!!!  Pumpkin Pancakes!!! & threw in some chocolate chips for the kiddies!!  Mmmmmmm!!!

And let's not forget 27 DAYS cigarette free is the way to be!!

Where I left off from last week...

I had my first (and only) session of acupuncture on Wednesday.  It was interesting.  I enjoyed chatting with her briefly about a lot of different things pertaining to a lot of the same things.  Some of the information that resonated: a journaling technique, protein consumption, *my* liver may not be able to or has yet to process old *traumas* (i.e. everything from child birth to the death of my dad, etc.) because I haven't menstruated a) since having baby and nursing the last ~10 months and b) I have an IUD (Mirena).  I am also being treated for pelvic pain, which I believe is related to the IUD.  [Darren, we need to schedule that appointment!?!?]  Anyways, she explained she'd start with 5 points in the ear, it would 'bite' a little bit.  It wasn't that bad, heck, I've had a couple kids w/o pain meds.  :)  I felt relaxed and had random thoughts.  At one point, I thought maybe I should be thinking of cigarettes...so I started thinking about cigarettes and smoking.  But those thoughts were just as random as the ones before and soon I was on to the next random thought.  I didn't really feel like I 'went away to another place' and I didn't feel any 'magic' but I did feel some action in my liver, seriously!  It was an enjoyable experience.  And $206 later, it really isn't going to be a regular form of smoking cessation.  It's cool, but just not for me right now.

Really had it out for GCI last week too!!!  OMG!!  We could NOT get service for just about 3 days!!  Come to find out, there was a tower 'down' in our neighborhood.  So it was just effecting this area -I was so flipping irritated.  I let them know that I'm a SAHM and my cell phone is my ONLY phone and I NEED my phone!!  They took $75 off our bill this month...plus a credit for when Darren went IN TO the local GCI store to complain!!  UGH!!  I am sometimes so fed up with it!!  And then Darren reminds me I am the one that left my phone on the back of my truck and drove off, which resulted in, ME having to rush down to GCI for a replacement phone *less than 24 hours before leaving on a jet plane for a week* and ultimately recommitting with them for another 2 years!!  UGH!!

It was a GORGEOUS day Friday so we did our chores, loaded up the kids and went to where else, Wal*Mart!!!!  Promised the little rascals we'd replace their patched up, 2-3 ring plastic kiddie pool with something a bit more sturdier...

But needless to say, no one has spent more than 3 minutes in the 4,000 gallons of freezing cold water.  Darren did attempt to fabricate a pool heater and is on the right track but my little Weber charcoal grill just wasn't cutting it.  I think instead he should modify his fabricated copper tubing and go with this set up: 

We did however enjoy a YUMMY grilled dinner with friends Saturday night!  And although we were bummed about the pool not being warm enough, that didn't stop us from chowing down on grilled chicken drumettes, salmon and grass-fed Angus burgers!  Oh and KALE CHIPS!!!  

If you do one thing this summer, out of the ordinary, make KALE CHIPS!!!!  I was so excited when I finally got around to making my first batch with the week old Kale I had picked up at the FM.  Followed the directions but sprinkled my OO coated Kale with dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder and Kosher salt.  Oh and I threw on some chopped, raw cashews.  Mmmmmm...melt in your mouth, buttery goodness!!!!  Darren didn't deny their goodness either!!  I made another batch and looked forward to picking more Kale up at the FM Saturday morning!  To which I did and come to find out there are many types of Kale.  So I bought 4 bunches of Italian Kale.  I even excited the vendor with my stories of melt in your mouth, buttery goodness!!  She commented that even this recipe didn't seem too hard.  The Italian Kale was definitely 'meatier' than the regular ol' Kale and I had to leave it in a bit longer and open the oven door a couple more times to allow the steam to escape.

So along with Kale chips I managed to make a batch of yummy pesto with FRESH basil from the FM.  I smeared the pesto on some grilled burgers...yummy!!  We've gone bun-less around here...we're eating our meat sans the buns and it's delish!!  Cottage cheese, salsa, corn, spinach, fresh tomato slices, etc.   And a batch of yummy hummus. And let's not forget a batch of whole-wheat fresh Alaska blueberry muffins!!       

So where did the green drinks go?  We're still juicing, sometimes.  Goodness, it's hard to keep up with too many juices EVERY DAY but since this last week was full of not so healthy choices, we both realize how much those green drinks and fruit smoothies mean to us and we're both planning on committing to one more detox and maintain a healthier, more raw and protein, less sugar, beer and liquor diets.  We could feel the toxins of the Bud Light and Tom Collins and the blueberry muffins and spicy chicken drumettes and I think we were craving the green drinks and fruit smoothies as much as our bodies!   I'm just thankful I experienced only one major craving for a cigarette over the weekend.  It was of course after a couple cocktails, and I just thought of a quote I recently came across in one of the articles I read on 'what to expect from acupuncture, smoking cessation'.  Freud said, "Sometimes a cigarette is just a cigarette." It's so true.  Just because it tastes so good?  To smoke a cig after consuming a couple cocktails? Doesn't mean it's going to make you feel any better once you've puffed the last drag of said cig.  Plus Kale chips are SOOOOOO much healthier -go on, make some Kale chips!!!