An Mid-Crazy-Summer Update. . .

Hi all!
I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in like 2 months!  Our summer has been, as usual, crazy busy.  Between all our travel, and uberhuge VBS, I just have not had time.  So far, we have had a 9 day church camping trip, and 2 trips to Tucson.  Coming up, 9 days in Illinois, a week of VBS set building, then a week of VBS, a week long trip to Vegas for our 10th Anniversary, and then, hopefully, one more camping trip before school starts.  When I'm home, I'm pretty much cleaning the house, and doing laundry to get ready for the next event.
However, today, even though I should be cleaning and doing laundry, I am making apricot sorbet, and blogging.  I wanted to take a few minutes and brag on my Kariscakes.

Karis has been doing amazingly well lately.  She is signing more, understanding more, and talking more all the time. Here is the current list of signs that she knows:  more, milk, eat, up, down, cracker, bagel, baby, goodnight, hat, all done, please, outside, help, open, play, she points, she waves, and she has her own sing for itsy bitsy spider.  That's 19 in all!  She'll also do a few combos like "eat cracker, more eat, or milk please."

She is currently saying, Bubba (that's what we call Keaton) Addy (daddy) Budgy (the dog) Bah-doo (love you), Buh-tnnn (button) , puh-puh (up), Ahh-dnn (all done), and hi!  She'll also say "Hi Bubba," "Hi Addy,"  "Hi Budgy," and "Bahdoo Budgy." 

She's also understanding so much.  She's getting really good at following directions like, "put that back," "put that down," "go with Bubba," "give me a kiss," "sit down," and other basic things like that.

I'm so proud of my girl, she's just 26 months old, and doing so much.  I just wanted to share all of that with you!  I also wanted to share these cute pictures of my kids camping, dirty as can be and loving it!
Happy crazy Summer everyone!


Tracy

"These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Part II"

I posted in March about some of my favorite healthy foods.  And, as I promised, today I am sharing about some of my favorite things outside of the grocery store that are helpful to me in my quest to be healthy-er.  

Cooking at Home

We love Mexican food at our house and we eat it a lot because it's so easy to "healthy it up."  For example, we often have big taco salads with lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers, black beans, lean ground beef, a small amount of cheese, home made pico de gallo (fresh chunky salsa), and my homemade sour cream dressing. It rounds out to about 500 calories, which is a good dinner.

Here's how I make my pico.
-6 roma tomatoes-diced
-6 green onions sliced
4 rings of jalepeno peppers (I use the kind that
   come in a jar)-diced as small as
   possible
-Cilantro to taste- I use
   about 1/4 of a bunch.
   Bunches vary in size so I guess
   about 3-4 tblsp
   chopped very small.

-A little salt

-A little garlic powder.

This is so flavorful and yummy!  It makes any Mexican dish delicious so you can go easy on the cheese and greasy meat.  We put it on tacos, burritos, anything.  When I make taco salad, I dump a ton of this stuff on, like a cup and a half for a big salad!  Pair this with healthy tortillas, and you have some great dishes!  This is all veggies, so I don't bother to count the calories.

Want a thinner, more resturant style, chip dipping salsa?  Try this...
In a food processor or blender mix the following:
1 large can (28 oz) of tomatoes, well drained
1/2 of a medium white, or yellow onion,
4 rings of jalapeno peppers, the jarred kind
A small handful of cilantro
Salt and Garlic Powder to taste (sometimes I use fresh garlic here since it gets chopped and mixed well)
We typically eat this on quesadillas.



Sour Cream dressing,
There's no measuring in my kitchen, so I'll take my best guesses here. Wisk well, the following.
-1 cup of sour cream (I just get the regular because you don't save many calories in
  the low fat kind, and it
  tastes awful, in my opinion)
-Milk, (I use 1%) start with about 4 tblsp, add more if you need it thinner.
-2 tblsp (approximately) of lime juice.
-salt and garlic powder to taste
  This has about 25 calories per tablespoon, which is way lower than any salad
  dressing that tastes good, and it tastes great on a taco salad!


Are you more of an Italian food lover?  Try this low cal version of Chicken Parmesan, my family loves it.  Pound out some chicken breasts thin, spray them with Pam, the grilling kind if you have it, and season liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Then cook them on your grill. 

Use a healthy spaghetti like Ronzoni, and a low cal spaghetti sauce. Look for one with 50-60 calories per 1/2 cup.   Here are a few to look for.  Just remember, you can't go by brand alone, you have to read the calories on the back of each type.

Then, just go easy on your portions, and on your cheese.  I use Parmesan cheese and skip the mozzarella to save calories.

There you go, some of my favorite healthy dishes to cook at home.  Do you have some favorites?  Please share!!

Stay tuned.  Next time, we're going out to eat!

Overwhelmed. . .

With everything we have going on in our day to day life, lately I have just been feeling like I can not keep up.  Dishes and laundry endlessly abound.  And, I feel like keeping the house clean (or at least picked up) is like playing a one man defense against a three man offense.  I never make it to the goal, and I struggle just to keep the melee on my side of the 50 yard line.  Two kids, 4 1/2 and 2.  Whining, crying, "Mommy look," Mommy watch,"  "Mommy, I want..." cry, cry , cry, whine, whine, whine.  It's impossible.  Thank you, coffee, for your unwavering support.  If anyone's on my team, it's you my friend!

Add to that the fact that I'm trying to work with Keaton daily to get him ready for kindergarten (because his preschool teachers say he isn't).  Then there is Karis, who I am supposed to be working with daily, teaching signs, modeling words, reading books, doing fine motor and gross motor exercises, and a whole host of other tasks.  Also, Karis was recently diagnosed with Asthma.  So now on top of everything, I have to give her 4 breathing treatments a day untill her lungs clear up, and then once day after that.  For how long you ask?  Until the cows come home I guess.  I can't get a straight answer from her doctors.

Did I forget anyone, oh yes, me!  Yes I have needs too!  It seems that sometimes my cup of coffee is the only one who cares about that.  I know that I have got to get this weight off, and if you know me personally, or at least follow me on facebook, then you know how hard I try, how much I work out, how carefully I count my calories, how diligent I am at cooking healthy meals for my family every day.  It's all so much work, and it seems to get me no where.  I have church responsibilities too, but they really don't require too much of me except that I be there, and I don't forget how to sing or play the guitar.  But, I need to be doing more with that ministry and others, can I borrow some of your time?  I know, I know, you don't have any either.

The thing that really overwhelms me is that I feel like I cannot slack on any of these things.  We have such a tiny house that just a little bit of clutter looks like a lot.  If I don't keep the house clean, and sometimes I don't, then the house tells me about it!  If I don't do the laundry, we attract flies as we walk down the street.  If don't work with Keaton, he'll be behind next year.  And if I don't work with Karis, I may not see a negative consequence today, or even next week.  But the repercussions will follow her the rest of her life.  And if I am going to live long enough to support her into adulthood, then I am going to have to get this weight off, and remain extremely healthy.  I am 30 years older than her after all.  It's important, just like all these things.   I can't let anything slack.  I'm sure you've had the same feeling, that you need to cut something out of your life, but there just isn't anything that can go.

I have some friends that are true super women.  Full time jobs, kids, graduate degrees, fitness plans, homeschooling, spotless houses, responsibilities at church and other civic organizations, you name it, they can do it, and do it well.  It seems that more you throw at them, the more energized they become.  You know the old saying, "If you need something done, ask a busy person to do it."  There's some truth there.  I, however, am not one of those people.  When my plate is overly full, I shut down, and it seems like I can't do anything.  Stress paralyzes me.  Then, at some point, I snap out of it, and then I'm in a mad rush to keep up the bare minimum.  This makes me grouchy, my poor family!  I had one of these weeks this week.  Thankfully, my wonderful husband stepped in and helped me take care of some things.

So one night, I sat in my bed looking at my Bible, with no idea what to read and where to look.  I needed some inspiration, some word that I hadn't seen before about parenting a special needs child, or holding it all together when it feels like I'm falling apart.  I didn't find anything.  Frustrated, I slapped my Bible open, resigning to read whatever was on the page, and it opened to Proverbs 31 (for real, this happened).   "Oh good grief!  Not the superwoman chapter!  Thanks a lot God!  I need help, and I'm led to read about a woman who has it all together!" Sigh, so I read.

10. A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.
 ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.
 ¹² She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.
 ¹³ She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.
 ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.
 ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.
 ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
 ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.
 ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.
 ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
 ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.
 ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
 ²² She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
 ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
 ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.
 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.
 ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
 ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.
 ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:
 ²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."
 ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
 ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Now that seems a little, well, ancient.  Because it is.  Most people don't work at the spindle these days.  So, God led, I drafted a version of my own, a modern day paraphrase if you will, and it goes like this.

A good wife and mom is rare and valuable.
She takes good care of her husband, and he trusts her completely.
She's good to him, always, and never does anything to hurt him, or put him down.
She works hard at keeping her family well dressed on a budget.
She keeps her cabinets and fridge well stocked.
She gets up early and makes sure her family and staff have a breakfast before they start their day.
She makes wise business decisions, and grows some of her own food to save money.
She works hard, and has the strength to handle all that's on her plate.
She makes good money, and she's good at handling money.  Her bills are paid on time.
She's talented and hardworking, especially when it comes to sewing.
She generous, and cares about others' needs, including the poor and needy.
When winter comes, she's not worried because she already bought nice coats for the family.
She's a good decorator, and a snappy dresser!
Her husband is a well respected leader in the community.
She is profitable in the wholesale business.  Everyone wants her brand!
She's strong, smart, and confident.  She has no worries for the future.
She's wise and gives sound advice.
She takes care of her house, and doesn't waste time on facebook.
Her husband and kids adore her, and appreciate her.
Lots of women have it together, but you are Super Mom!
A smooth talker will only fool people for a while, and good looks will eventually fade.  But a woman who whole heartedly lives for God is really to be admired.
Appreciate her, reward her, and let all she has accomplished be an example to everyone.

Oh boy, I am so far from being this woman, so far.  But, though I didn't expect it, I was comforted by this passage.  There's an underlying theme here,  that a supermom takes care of what's important, and God supplies her the strength she needs.

I need, we all need, to really rely on God for the strength to get through the day, and through our to-do list.  I hate to just say "rely on God" because it seems like such a sunday school answer that really means nothing.  It's an abstract thought, and I like concrete ideas.  So let me say it this way, as concretely as I can.  When you're going through your day, feeling overwhelmed, and wanting nothing more than to just crawl into a ball on the couch, just keep going.  Do what you have to do.  Do as much as you can and trust God, that he's going to pick up the slack and take care of what you leave behind.  Trust that He's ultimately in control, and that as long as you keep your focus on Him, He's not going to let things spiral down the drain.  He's not a "you made your bed, now lie in it" kind of God.

* A special note to parents of special needs kids.*
God gave us these kids, they weren't a mistake, and they weren't delivered to the wrong house.  They are ours because He has a purpose for them, and you, seperately and together, and He will see that purpose through.  And, although it is important for us to do everything we can do help our children's health and developement be the best it can be, let us not think for a moment that we are in control of all that.  God is, and because of that, we don't have to worry about what will happen if we take our eye off the ball for a minute.  Trust Him.

Psalm 121

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?
 ² My help comes from the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.
 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
       he who watches over you will not slumber;

Sorry such a long post tonight!
Love to you all...

A Good Laugh for Wednesday...

Here's a good laugh break for the middle of your Wednesday.  If you have a few minutes, you won't regret it!  Brain Regan is a family favorite in the McCain household!

Happy Wednesday

And the Grammy Goes to....ME!

Today's blog could have been titled "notes from the couch" because I have finally given in to the fact that I am sick, and have taken a day to rest and recover.  Sitting on the couch all day, and trying to remain entertained, makes me realize just how seldom I take the time to to stop, sit on the couch!!  So as I attempt to keep my kids content from the comfort of my sectional, I decided to catch up on some DVR'd episodes of "The Celebrity Apprentice."  I know, I know, who still watches this show?  Well, I do.  I have to have something recorded to entertain me on the treadmill! (On days that I'm not sick of course)  In this kind of setting, celebrities, and a few has-beens, are almost always doing what they are doing to benefit a particular charity.  The celebrity apprentice is no different.  This year's big ones are the "Make a Wish Foundation," the "American Diabetes Association,"  two celebs are raising funds for Autism awareness, and several others.

Admittedly, I tend to have an over active imagination.  For example, when watching the Grammys, I find my wandering to what my acceptance speech will be when I am finally recognized for my talents and receive the award for best new artist (eat your heart out Taylor Swift).  What will I wear?  Who will I thank?  Come on, you do it too.  Or maybe you think more about what you'll sing in the finally of American Idol next season....me too.  In much the same way, while watching this kind of celeb/charity show, I wonder just who I would donate my winnings too, if I should ever be so lucky to win.  My grammy would get me on the show for sure, right? 

Such a tough decision, so many choices!  Would I chose a charity that I have been the benefited from personally, such as the Ronald McDonald House?  Or one who supports a cause I really believe in, like The National Down Sydrome Society?  Maybe I would send the money to some great missionaries that I know and love like Jay and Celeste Brown, or Freddy and Terisa Vasquez.

As tough as it is to decide on a worthy cause to become the beneficiary of my day dream, I know where my heart is pulled to the most.  Reece's Rainbow.  Reece's Rainbow is a ministry that aides the adoption to, and raises money for, the adoption of orphans with Down Syndrome all over the world.

More on that in a few days.  But today, as I am stuck on the couch, I really need some entertainment, so I really want to hear from YOU?  1- What charity moves your heart?  Or, 2-what weird, pie in the sky, day dreams do you have when your mind wanders to uncharted places?  Come on, you can tell me!

Question 1 or 2, or both, leave me a comment today!  (Humor a sick lady!)


p.s. Notice there is a new poll over there--------------->

Blogging My Sorrows Away. . . .

Well, today was the day.  We went to the school to register Keaton for Kindergarten.  We were there for about 30 minutes, and he had gone through 2 of the 5 or 6 stations he needed to go through only to find out, when his preschool teacher happened to walk in, that we didn't need to be there at all, since he already attended preschool there.  Oh well, Karis had fun terrorizing the place haha!

If you know me, you know how hard it was for me to send Keaton to preschool.  I know it's only 2 hours a day, but it was, in my point of view, the beginning of the end.  And now, starting in August, I have to send him away, all day, everyday, to be influenced by people I don't know, and have experiences I know nothing about.  He's not mine anymore.  Not just mine anyway.  I have to share him with the world, and hope the world treats him well.  The poor little guy will only be 5 years old, and will have a full time job.  What saddens me even more is knowing that there is no going back, and that I'll only see him a few hours a day from now on.  He will keep these hours until he leaves me for good in about 13 short years, that will pass as if they were just minutes.  How did the time go by so quickly?

My son, being my first born, taught me to love in way I never thought possible before he came into my life. Never have I known such love, joy, laughter, pride, frustration, guilt, the whole gammit of emotions, on steriods, all wrapped up in one little round face.   The feelings I have for him, I have for no other person on earth.  He's my baby, my first born, my buddy, my stinkeroo, my sweety pie, my big-time-tooter, my peanut.  My son.... my only son..... and it's time I let him go.

Please stand by as I cry my eyes out. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

sniff...ok...
They took him away for a hearing test today, and when he returned he said to me, "Mommy, I was bwave (brave)!"  I thought to myself, "oh boy, if a simple hearing test in another room is cause for bravery, how in the world is he going to survive all that he will experience in the next few years."  He'll be fine, I know he will.  But it breaks my heart to think of him being scared.  Keaton's such a sweet, tender hearted little boy, a little more sensitive than most, but so was I, and I found my way.  He will too.  I just wish I could hold his hand through every bump and turn, but I can't.

I'll survive this, I suppose.  Most moms do,  About the time I get over it, it will be Karis' turn.  The thought makes me shutter.  Meetings, therapists, IEP's, not just a simple "sign up" for Kindergarten.
So, I think I'll focus on enjoying this one, the "easy one", and try to put on my bravest face for my son.

On second thought, I think I'll just sign myself up for Kindergarten and go with him (age discrimination is illegal right!)

Manure Stinks, No matter how You Bag It......

The weekend was so nice, nice days, sunny, warmish.  Friday, not so much.  Friday a colossal dust storm rolled in and planted itself on our town, leaving me with an allergy attack unlike any I've had  in years.  Don't worry about me.  It's nothing that nasal spray and Tylenol-daytime-cold combined can't handle.   This weekend, my husband decided it was time to get the garden in gear.  He started emptying large bags of cow manure compost in the garden, and he said to me "this stuff smells like Karis' diaper pail".  Understatement of the year.  This reminded me that I wanted to share with you just how all that cow manure compost made its way into our fine garden. But I had such a busy week, I had forgotten, until now.

Tuesday, I had to make my usual weekly trip to Safford (an hour away).  And although we usually go together, Tim decided that he and the kids would stay home.  I asked him, being the thoughtful wife that I am *smile* if there was anything he needed at Walmart while I was there.  I wish I had never asked.  He typically asks for simple things like pepsi, or a gallon of water, maybe some popcorn.  Not today.  Today he wanted... 8 bags of.....cow....manure...compost.  My reaction was, I think, a reasonable one. I asked, "Is it going to stink?" He assured me it would only smell like dirt.  My husband is an honest man.  I believed him.  My first mistake.

Tuesday was a day much like today, warm and sunny.  And I was enjoy some time to myself, going to my appointments, doing some grocery shopping, and taking my time.  That was my second mistake.  If I had gotten my "rear in gear" I could have completed my tasks and made it home in time to make dinner, as was my plan.  Instead, I took advantage of the fact that no none was asking me "are we almost done?"

By the time I had all my groceries in the car, a storm had blown in.  It was now 50 degrees, windy, and raining, cold, tiny, stinging rain.  I still had to get the cow manure compost, 8 bags of it.   So I drove my car from the grocery side of the Walmart parking lot, to the gardening side of the parking lot.  (What did you think I was going to carry 8 bags of cow manure compost clear across the parking lot?  Sheesh.  No!)  Mind you, I thought this was going to be an easy task, but I looked all through the gardening section of Walmart, and there was no cow manure compost to be found.  So finally, admitting defeat, I asked an associate for help.

What she told me was only "helpful" in the one sense of the word.  Because the information was not "helpful" at all.  The cow manure compost was located in the outdoor area of the gardening section.  Remember what I said about the current weather?  What would have been helpful would have been something like "how much do you need, let me get it for you."  No such generosity was offered.  In fact, I think she even snickered, knowing what I was about to do.  Determined to fill my husband's request, I headed out into the 50 degree wind and stinging rain, and found the 20 lb bags of garden poop.  They were, of course, in the far corner, and, much to my dismay standing in 4 inches of water.  There was no getting around it, I rolled up my pants and sloshed on in to the mini-lake.  I was wearing my crocs flip flops, thankfully.  And suddenly I recalled a friendly warning from another blogging momma ,that in and around water, these particular shoes had a tendency to turn into surfboards.  Can you see me, as I lifted a 20 lb bag of manure, falling rump over tea kettle on the concrete floor, flat on my back into an ice cold puddle of water, and being showered with 20 lbs of garden poop.  I could see it too.  Don't worry, that didn't happen.  I was careful.  But I did roll up my pants and bravely venture in.

If you have ever bought potting soil, or something like it, you know the bags are more like hair nets than they are bags.  They only keep most of the contents in. Because of the rain, the 20 lb bags of cow poop were now wet, and now smeared with, well, you know.  I needed to heave-ho eight of them into my cart without getting the contents all over myself, yeah right.  Remember my husband promising me they wouldn't stink?  Well, there's no other way to say it.  He was dead wrong.  They stunk.  They were also quite weighty, and required me to hold them against my chest, in my new shirt of course, in order to get them in there.  When I was done, I was covered with, well, you know.  At this point I was thankful for the pond I was standing in, because at least I  had some way to rinse the "compost" off my hands.  I did just that with a hearty splish-splash, and headed back inside to checkout.  At this point the scowl on my face was hard to hide.  I even unintentionally made eye contact with another lady, who I know, thought I was giving her a dirty look.  I paid for my 160 pounds of poop, and headed back out into the elements to the car.     

This process repeated itself from the cart to the car.  There was also an ugly encounter with a large, hairy, black spider.  The problem now was that I had no pond to rinse my hands in and I had mouse-and-hairspray-encrusted-half-wet-sticking-to-my-face-poking-me-in-the-eye hair.  I had to close the hatch, walk back inside, through the garden center, through the pet supplies, past the pharmacy, past the jewelry, and through the cash registers with my soiled hands held out in front of me, just to get to the bathroom, to wash my hands, to get my hair OUT OF MY FACE !! UGH!  ....Deep breath.... I was sure in that moment I would come across some new member or recent visitor to our church, who at that point, would think twice about returning at the looks of me.  That also didn't happen, thankfully.

My hands were clean, my hair was mess, but out of my face.  My shirt was... I zipped up my jacket.  I started out one more time into the rain and wind, to my car, that was on the other side of the planet, thinking the worst was over.  But, what seems obvious now, hadn't occurred to me until this point.  For all my efforts, my reward would be making the one hour drive home with 160 pounds of cow poop as my only companion.

beep-beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep.  "Hi Honey".... "yes I found the cow manure compost"...."Go ahead and put a frozen pizza in for you and the kids, I'm not gonna make it home in time to cook dinner"..."love you too."

There is no universe in which I would cook after all that.

Subway, here I come.