Considering the Playroom

In our home we are blessed to have a "den". It was previously the garage to the former owners, and has dark paneled walls and dark green carpet. Maybe they had a billiard table in there before? It is the perfect type of room for a game room. It has my dining room hutch, the kids comfy chairs, their TV, their toys, our filing cabinet, and my sewing machine.

Because our house is the old "ranch style" instead of the "great room style" we are able to have people come in the front door, instead of the side door, and so this room is always the pit. Over the last few months since we almost moved I've been working hard to clean it up. I've been decluttering the house like mad, throwing crap away, and generally working towards a tidier happier home. In fact, in some ways, I'm getting a bit obsessive, since I hate to see the fruits of my labors get disturbed.

Anywho, this room tends to be the staging area for boxes to be unpacked, backpacks and coats (my children DON'T seem to know how to use a hanger, no matter how many times I instruct them!), Goodwill junk, and other misc. The toys are a mess, it is pretty hard to figure out what to do with the Hotwheels track.I need to sort again, and then I need to figure out some sort of organization system.

In our house we don't have toys in our rooms, except special ones and stuffies. The rooms stay tidy, a nice calm place to sleep, relax, read, etc. The bulk of the playing is done in the playroom.So does anyone have any specific organization system they use for their kids toys and stuff? Any suggestions?

Fat-Free Half-and-Half

At first, this seemed like the best food! Really, cream with no fat, doesn't that sound fabulous?

So we bought some last night to make our Ikea meatballs a little less "bad for you" (you have to make the cream sauce with cream).

After I made it, while waiting for everything to be done, I read the ingredients, wondering what made this miracle food such a miracle. Well, horror upon horrors, it is corn syrup that makes it sooo good.

Part of our lifestyle change is cutting out this awful perversion of corn from our diets.

We'll be going back to whole fat half and half (when needed occasionally), thank you very much.

Finding Extraordinary in the Ordinary

When I was a little girl I dreamed of a normal family. Both parents worked (didn't cut wood like my dad did), they got along, and we did family things (in my dreams) like play board games and go places. I just wanted an ordinary life. Not the one that I had. Although, today, I can see that I had an extraordinary life. To this day the Steens Mountains are one my favorite places in the world. And how many people can say they've been harassed by a helicopter rent-a-cop in the Owyhee Mountains while holding a rifle? Or chased by wild horses in the Murderer's Creek area of the Izee mountains. Man, I have some memories.

However, the result of these girlish dreams is that I have worked hard to find an ordinary life. In the meantime, my children haven't built the same times of life experiences that I have. They've never been chased by wild horses ;). They have flown in little airplanes, received handmade wooden toys from inmates in a Salem prison, ridden all sorts of horses both English and Western, seen alien space ships flying in the Gorge, made snowmen with my 70-something-year-old grandma, among other wonderful experiences.

This morning I was reminiscing about old times (it started yesterday with my grandma at my dad's house). I realized that regardless of our financial status, time constraints, and other ordinary concerns, I need to continue to help my children find the extraordinary in ordinary life. In 20 years I hope they look back on our ordinary life and are able to see the beautiful extraordinary moments. Even if they only think of the geese flying overhead as something beautiful and rare (our "pet" geese, a flock of over 100 that we love), I hope they know just how hard I've tried to provide them with an extraordinary life with the stability of the ordinary.

Life is beautiful!

Day #5

Lots of stumbling today (thanks for the change of view Leah), but I knew it would be that way and planned for it. Two parties, junk food at both, tomorrow will be a good day!

Again, I exercised today, so that's good!

The visit with my dad was great, which made it easier to not over eat (I tend to overeat when stressed). And the visit with our friends was great! He sure makes a mean spaghetti, and we saw the latest Harry Potter movie. WOW!

Tomorrow my goal is to stay within points, and not use any flex points at all. Seems simple enough!


Happy Last Sunday of 2008!

Day #4

Today is my dad's party, and then dinner with a friend. I'm expecting it will be hard to stay on plan today, but I'll do my best to seek out healthy foods.

I'm nervous about going to dads. He's not the easiest person to get along with. Oh, well, I'm a grown-up, we'll leave if it gets weird.

Happy Saturday!

Day #3

Good Evening!

I blew it with lunch...a Burgerville chocolate peppermint milkshake-18 pts!!! EEEK!

The rest of the day was fine, but now I'm hungry and no points left...I need something, guess I'll just go WAY over instead of a bit over.

However, I exercised again today, so thats good! I didn't do the high intensity today, because I'm pretty sore from yesterday. Thats ok, something is better than nothing.

I still have flex points for the week. Tomorrow is going to be another "blow it" day, lunch at dads and dinner at a friends (our last Christmas flings).

One day at a time, thats how I've gotta live. It will be ok.

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Good Morning!

I'm a bit stiff today from exercising, but that is good because it means it is working!!! So after work today I'll exercise again. I went over points again yesterday by only 2.6. I still have 25 Flex points left for the week (my week started Wed), so that isn't too bad I dont' think.

Today I'm feeling better about this, more in control, and more optimistic! The thought of where I will be in a couple weeks keeps me going!

Happy Friday!