Things I miss since I went on a diet!

Chocolate, every type and kind!

Banana bread and every type of bread that is essentially cake but we still call it bread to assuage our guilt!

Muffins, again essentially they are cake but the title muffin sounds healthier don't you think?

Cookies, especially double chocolate chocolate chip, yummmmmm!

Brownies, especially when they have chocolate chips in them and are topped with icing, sooooooooo good!

Ice cream shakes, especially (can you guess) chocolate with candy broken up in it!

Good hearty bread with butter on it so that when you fold it in half you feel like you are eating the yummiest sandwich every invented!

Carbs, of every kind but especially potatoe salads and casseroles oooh and mashed potatoes!

Gravy, either on biscuits or mashed potatoes (especially the kind my dad makes)!

Chinese food, chicken battered and fried and then cooked in the most unhealthy sodium filled sauce ever created (and lets admit thats not really the way the Chinese eat)!

I miss putting butter on my steamed veggies and dipping raw ones in ranch!

I miss fries and chicken strips from fast food places and casual dining restaurants! (Oh and while we're on the subject I really miss fry sauce)

Pancakes slathered in butter and syrup!

Ok I think this is starting to get counter productive

Bacon and sausages oooh and french toast (wait make that stuffed french toast)!

Cheese, I almost forgot how much I love cheese!

Now that I'm thinking about it, pizza, with a big fat crust and lots of cheese!

My all time most favorite thing to eat that I have given up, wow that has to be:

Late night caramello chocolate bars with my hubby after the kids were asleep!!!!!!!

When you think about it I'm not missing out on that much, right? And my future skinny frame will be worth it, right?

Help me out, cause I'm not that sure after looking at that list!

Schools, schools, schools arghhhh!

My recent discovery is that the debate between Charter and Public schools is not exclusive simply to my neighborhood. (Oh come on it's not that big of a shocker that I think the world revolves around me, after all I'm geographically challenged). So for those in the same boat as me this time of the year is Kindergarten roundup. Remember the good old days when you didn't have a choice where your kids went, that time is long gone. With it's death it ushered in a new era of raving lunatics on both sides of the aisle.

I would label the whole debacle political and pass the buck on to the idiots we elect, but it seems that even they aren't split on the issue down party lines. Instead each politician seems to have a different opinion that doesn't seem to reflect party affiliation. So the issue really is between those who teach at or send their kids to public schools and those who teach at or send their kids to charter schools. And that is the line drawn between sides; mostly women turn this seemingly harmless decision for a parent with a child of kindergarten age into a death knell for you (no matter what you choose).

A friend of mine whose eldest daughter is also kindergarten age told me that she felt like no matter what she chose, she knew she'd be making the wrong decision. I feel the same way. For whatever reason if I don't choose the public school system I am not a civic minded citizen. Conversely if I don't choose the charter school I am not a parent who cares about my child. So my friend and I decided to apply for the charter school, pretty much accepting that both our girls wouldn't get in and we could go the the public school and be happy that we'd tried. So when we both got the email that both of our girls got in we were shocked and a little mystified over what to do.

OK here's the run down. Pro charter school issues for us were a traditional school year (public is year round), smaller class sizes, forced parental involvement and I'll just say it, a school that isn't situated across the street from the Job Corp. The cons to the charter school were that it was farther away and we couldn't walk our kids to school, the teachers aren't required to be certified to teach as opposed to the district schools which are, and there aren't as many programs for gifted students or struggling students.

When I reviewed the issues it came up sixes. Every teacher, parent and random person I talked to said that in all honesty it isn't the school that determines your child's academic success it is your parental involvement. So I felt like I was back at square one. I knew that either place I sent my child to I would be volunteering once a week. It was in all reality a win-win situation, yet why did I feel like I was losing either way. My husband said if it's an even toss, choose whatever you want and you'll be fine. The problem was that I do care what people think of me.

You see when I say charter or public school I get a very emotional response from each person I talk to. The majority are negative and others glowing positivity. I hate getting the feeling like I need to defend my position. It's like breastfeeding, you can't tell a woman that she is making the wrong decision if she quits. You have no idea what she is going through because it is different for every person. I feel like I shouldn't have to defend my decision because either choice is fine and whatever reasons I make that choice should be respected. I'm the parent and some time or other I'm going to have to stand behind the decisions I'm making.

From now on I'm not going to talk about it anymore. I've made my decision and if I change my mind and switch schools next year I'm not going to apologize for my first choice. It's right for me now and that should be enough, right?

Valentines day!

I've seen some cute posts of what people did on valentines day. So I decided to join in on the fun and report how my weekend went. My sweet hubby and I are usually as cheesey as can be on these occasions, but this year we relaxed a little. We traded babysitting with my brother and sister in law and we went out to dinner Friday.

Since I've been trying desperately to lose a few extra pounds (other than the ones I gained over the holidays) we didn't do the candy thing and were laughed at when we ordered from the healthy side of the menu. But I gotta say I loved my salmon and my strawberry/mixed greens salad. After dinner my hubby did the best thing in the world, he listened to my hints and took me shopping for the one thing I've been wanting all winter (long jogging pants), yes it may lack some romance but it was what I needed cause the next morning I ran the Valentines day 5k. My mother and my little sister beat me but I improved my time from the thanksgiving 5k, and that was good enough for me.

The rest of the weekend went well. We got our girls each a tiny box of chocolates and a coloring book. The chocolates were a mistake because our eldest daughter bit into one (milk chocolate truffle I might add) and decided she didn't really want her chocolates. Our youngest dove for the candy right after I opened it and promptly stuffed a whole one in her mouth and after masticating it a bit spit it out on the carpet. She did that with all three chocolates she tried.

All in all it was a successful weekend. Hubby enjoyed his present and on Tuesday got me roses after the fact I think because he felt that exercise pants didn't seem like enough of a present. I love Valentines day because I have three amazing people to love.

Sorry, I know it's not Halloween but I had to post these!

So I know, I know it is so far past halloween that we aren't looking back on it anymore, we're almost looking forward to it again. But that doesn't change the fact that we had alot of fun and I actually took pictures of the fun things we did. Here we are carving a pumpkin.

The girls were Mulan and a pirate. I made the Mulan costume and bought the pirate one a year before during halloween clearance, they were so cute. We made treats to bring to friends that are the cutest little witches ever. My eldest even helped dip the marshmallows in the dyed coconut and helped put on the eyes and nose.

I made my parents have a halloween party and my dad made that cool cream cheese frosted cheese log. If you can't tell it's a mummy. My dad used to be a chef for those who didn't know.

The graveyard cake I made for my little brothers birthday which is right before halloween.

We had a blast last halloween and it is definately one I will always remember, cause of the amazing treats that started off the holiday season for me and the beginning of my six pound weight gain.

Absent, but ok (sort of)

So I'm hoping I'm back. I haven't blogged forever. The holidays were insane and I think I've emerged. I felt like I took on a second job (on top of stay at home mom) the last few months. My sister went back to work and since her husband got winter work snow plowing they have needed a kind relative to help them out. Being that I'm the only relative without a real job that was me.

A couple weeks ago my husband and I woke up to our little eighteen month old throwing up in her crib and my nephew covering in his own throwup as well. I called my sister at the hospital (she's a nurse) and told her that her son needed a parent to take care of him when he's sick. That and the fact that they didn't have insurance and their son was only nine months old at the time made me worry about taking or not taking him to the emergency room myself.

Anyway, I don't want this to be a complain blog. I just wanted to let all of you out in the bloggosphere know why I've been MIA the last few months. It's not for a lack of needing an outlet it's been a lack of time.

Along with taking care of my sister's child I've also been helping a little family where the dad has been out of work for over a year. Their situation got so desperate that they ended up giving up on the American dream and moving back to Guatemala.

Anyway enough about me and my excuses for neglecting the blogging world. I'm going to check everyone's blog and post. I promise I haven't forgotten about any of you and I'm going to make an effort to reconnect.

Thanks,
Tana