Airplanes

Homeschooling is going pretty well. It's hard not having a designated school area besides the kitchen table. We have a little area in the "dining room" but some day it would be nice to have a more permanent place to learn - less distraction for the students and for me. ;) We're still working on the flow of the day, but I'm sure it will get better and better. It's all a learning curve because I don't really feel like I know what I'm doing. But we're having fun and I think we're all learning something. ;)

A few week ago our theme for the week was airplanes so we read lots of books about airplanes, "flew" around the room to "airplane music," and on Friday the boys painted airplanes. Wal-mart has little wooden planes/cars/trucks in their craft aisle. They worked great for this and my 22-month-old loved the project too.


On Thursday we went to the local municipal airport to watch planes land and take-off. My boys loved it. My husband has taken them before and every time they have a ball. Another reason it's great to live in a smaller town.

Wednesday Weigh-In 9/16

After watching The Biggest Loser last night I was inspired to fight against my self-will and get out of bed to Shred. I didn't want to, but my 22-month-old kept wandering in our room at 6am until I got out of bed at 6:30am. ;) That's some great accountability. Thanks, son!

Here are my stats and next week I expect some results from my week of Shredding!

starting weight: 155.2
current weight: 155.4
loss: +.2 lb
original starting weight: 166.4
cumulative weight loss: 11 lb


My Thoughts on The Biggest Loser
*spoiler alert*



First of all, I was surprised at all the swearing. And not just swearing but swearing at people. I didn't like that at.all. If I was on the show, I would tell them that I don't mind the yelling, but I would appreciate it if they didn't use horrible language. It just sounded abusive.

There are some heavy people on this episode but for the most part they seemed ready to work. And it's pretty cool to see Bob and Jillian work together. We'll have to see if there are any major arguments between them as the season rolls along. They have different strategies, although last night there was a lot of yelling from both of them.

Daniel - It's great to have him back. I hope he can be an inspiration to all the contestants of what you can do with hard work.

Shay - That girl just makes me sad. And mad. I was disappointed to see her walk out of the gym but I think it was a huge mental/emotional breakthrough for her when she walked back in without being coaxed. Good call, Jillian.

Julio - If he keeps flopping on the ground like a fish, he will not be my favorite contestant. I couldn't believe Jillian calling him "dead father" when he'd fall on the ground. But he said he appreciated her honesty and needs that reality check.

Alexandra - I thought she was such a cute girl and I was sad to see her go. I thought she worked pretty hard and most of all, she had a great attitude. Seems like she's done well at home with a 60lb loss!! And I can't wait to see who her crush is!! Oh, the drama. ;)

Abby - Nothing made me cry more than hearing Abby's story. And then when she was weighing in and she said she had to do it for herself because there was no one else to do it for. It just broke my heart. I pray for her.

Final Thoughts:

• I can't believe that two people were already in the hospital after the first challenge. And Tracy is still there! I hope she's ok, they didn't really talk about what was wrong with her or if they thought she'd even make it to the show.
• I could never do this job. I wouldn't be a great motivator because I'd get caught up in all the feelings. I can't yell at people when they're sad and crying. I know that both Bob and Jillian have a heart for these people and the time to talk and work through their hurts will come. It was just really hard to watch.
• I will not be watching this with my little people because of the language. Yes, there were some bleeps - well, a lot of bleeps, but some words weren't bleeped and they should have been. I thought it sounded more like verbal abuse than encouraging, inspirational words. I understand that there needs to be some yelling because people were quitting, but they need to cut the swearing.
• I will remember my tissues next week and try not to use my sleeve for my snotty nose and watery eyes.

Advice from a 3-Year Old

My husband and I were discussing discipline at the dinner table one evening. It's been rough with our 3-year-old constantly pushing the the limits. The biggest problem is that he doesn't want to go to bed. Nap-time is ok, but at bedtime (when I'm completely exhausted from the day) he just will not stay in bed and rest.

Well, we were talking about what to do. And how we need to be good at communicating to him the bedtime routine and just stick to our guns. We need to be consistent. This is what our 3-year-old had to say:

"Mom, if you put your guns down, they won't get sticky."

Just had to make us laugh, even though we will not be putting our guns down and he's the only one to make sure they don't get sticky. ;)

Apple Crisp

This is the easiest recipe for Apple Crisp and I have been using it since I graduated from nursing school and moved into my first apartment. It was my "fancy" dessert when I had people over. And it's so good. Nothing really fancy about it, just yummy!

Apple Crisp
from Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics

4 medium tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup margarine or butter at room temperature
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I like mine fresh)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8-in pan.
2. Peel apples and cut apples into slices, removing the seeds. You will need about 4 cups of apples. Spread apples in the greased pan.
3. Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, margarine, cinnamon and nutmeg with a fork (I usually use my hands). The mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the apples.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm.

Enjoy!!

Creative Lunches

I thought Funky Lunch was the neatest site, but I don't think I have time for all the little details when my little boys are hungry! ;)

Greek Turkey Burgers

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe. I've been cooking a lot, but with babysitting and starting home school, it's been a little hectic around here and blogging has taken a backseat. I'll hopefully schedule some posts this afternoon for your reading enjoyment. ;)

So, here's something I made recently. My family really enjoyed it for something a little different.


Greek Turkey Burgers
from Pampered Chef Main Dishes

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp onion, finely chopped, divided
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 (8 oz) container nonfat plain yogurt, divided
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg white
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp dried oregano leaves, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2/3 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
6 pita bread rounds
6 lettuce leaves

1. For burgers, combine 1/4 cup onion, ground turkey, 1/4 cup of yogurt, bread crumbs, egg white, garlic, 3/4 tsp of oregano, salt and pepper; mix lightly but thoroughly.
2. For sauce, stir remaining 2 tbsp onion and 1/4 tsp oregano into remaining yogurt; set aside.
3. Form turkey mixture into 6 oval patties, 1/2-inch thick. Lightly spray skillet with Pam or brush with olive oil; heat over medium heat until hot. Cook patties 10-12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center, turning once.
4. Cut one third off top of each pita bread to form a pocket. Fill each pita with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and turkey burger. Top with reserved yogurt sauce.

You can substitute dill or mint for the oregano. Enjoy!

Wednesday Weigh-In 9/9

Stats for the week:

starting weight: 155.4
current weight: 155.2
loss: .2 lb
original starting weight: 166.4
cumulative weight loss: 11.2 lb

I haven't been working out because I haven't been getting to bed on time. Therefore my goal for this week will be going to bed on time. I think it will be easier since we're back at home from a trip to visit family. Not disappointed at all. I'm just glad I've been able to maintain through the busyness.

Wednesday Weigh-In 9/2

Forgot to post my weight for the week:

starting weight: 154.2
current weight: 155.4
loss: + 1.2 lb
original starting weight: 166.4
cumulative weight loss: 11 lb

Really, that's not such a bad gain considering the PMS and feeling like I could eat the entire house. ;) Hopefully I won't gain again next week but rather, maintain.

Thanks for all the encouraging words. I'm hoping to start the Shred again soon...still feel so busy and overwhelmed. Also, I have no self-discipline for going to bed on time. It's horrible. And then I don't want to get up in the morning and workout. Yuck. So, that's a HUGE September goal, to go to bed on time. ;)

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!!