The Show

We have been enjoying our time here in Las Vegas the past three days. It is always good to see a few of the sights and shows this city has to offer. Last night we went to see The Lion King at Mandalay Bay. It was AMAZING! We sat pretty much in the center of the theater, so we had a great view of the entire stage. The music, the costumes, the lights, the special effects were all awesome. Two hours of real entertainment for the whole family. There were some new songs that were not in the movie. I loved that! And there was even plenty of humor in the show by my two favorite characters, Pumba and Timon.

It was Anthony's first time seeing a live professional performance like that, so I was really hoping he would enjoy it. And he did, but he sure was tired after the show. The only things that I would change would be the time of the show (I wish it was earlier in the day) and the price. But I guess we are just simple people who don't get out that much, so we are not used to this vegas lifestyle.

Anyway, I will say it was worth it. This was the one thing we wanted to splurge on during our trip. We still have a few days left. We will mostly be relaxing, but there are still a few things we want to see, and there are more times to be enjoyed!

Las Vegas, Here We Come!

Well, this must be the year that everyone is going out to Las Vegas to see Mom and Dad. I have jumped on that bandwagon and heading out there myself with Ashley and Anthony. We have spring break next week and I decided that I needed a TRUE vacation. However, I have realized that I will still be a stay-at-home Mom, just in a different location! Oh well! I guess that is the definition of a 24/7 Mom...never getting a break!

We are really looking forward to it though. Our vacations usually consist of: only in the summertime, and camping in the state of Colorado. So we don't "go anywhere" too often. But I felt like this was the time and the year to get the heck outta here! For a few days anyway...

This is probably one of the few weeks out of the year that my kids don't have any major activities going on. So, they won't miss out on anything here. I figured if we did stay here, we probably would just stay at home most of the week, maybe go to the local library, visit a park. You know, nothing real special. Just a week off from school. BORING! As my kids would say. Now, going out to Las Vegas, we will go see the sights and spend most of our time out-and-about the town, and of course spending time with Grandma and Grandpa is very special, since we don't get to see them too often.  The kids are really excited for it! I am too!

We have a few days until we leave, so I will be spending the rest of that time packing and getting the house cleaned up so Jason doesn't have to deal with anything too much while we are gone. He has to stay here and work. Sorry baby! We will be thinking of you!! :)

Get ready for us Mom and Dad! We're a coming!

What A Scary Thing!

Working in the financial industry taught me to be very careful about personal information, for other people and my own. I have a paper shredder that I use constantly. Anything that comes to my house with my name and address gets shredded. I will tear off that information from magazines, boxes, envelopes, etc. I also keep track of my expenses very well, keeping all of my receipts and comparing them to my statements. My checking and savings accounts get balanced several times a month. I get email alerts and text messages from my bank when a large purchase posts to my account, or it drops below a certain balance. I really try to stay on top of everything.

I feel like you can never be too careful. I once had my social security number stolen. It ruined my credit. I spent over two years trying to clear it up. I now have identity theft protection to help me in case something like that happens again.

I try to check my email everyday too. I have spam set up so I don't get those phising emails. I never open an email from one I don't recognize. You never know if it will have a virus, so I don't even take that chance.

This year I have done more online shopping than ever before. I love the convenience of it! But today I found out how scary it can be. I got online to check my email and I couldn't even sign on. My password wasn't being accepted. I typed it again KNOWING I spelled it right and it was the right one. Still, it didn't take it. I took the steps to access my account information, inputting my security answers that I set up, and reset my password. I was finally able to get into my email account. But when I did, I was shocked to see 2 emails from walmart.com (who I've ordered from before) for merchandise over $300. Apparently these orders were done at 2 am this morning. Ummm...I was sleeping at that time! I didn't place those orders! I also saw an email saying my email password was changed at the same time. OH MY GOODNESS! How did that happen! Who could have accessed my account...and how? How did they get my password and the security answers? And what other information did they get?

I logged onto walmart.com, which I have an account set up from my previous order. My credit card info had been saved, so all they had to do was hack into my account, find some expensive electronic merchandise, and hit "purchase". They payment was right there for them. I saw walmart actually cancelled the 2 orders from this morning because they couldn't verify the payment information though. Thank you! I believe my bank realized it seemed like an odd transaction because the merchandise was to be shipped to Texas, which does not match with my personal information. My bank didn't allow the transaction to go through. I deleted my credit card info immediately.

I also logged onto other websites that I use, changed my passwords and deleted any credit card info that could be saved on there. I checked all my accounts to make sure there were not any unusual transactions. And I also went through my emails and deleted most of them that may have personal information. I also contacted the security center for my email and requested they note my account had been compromised, and they need to provide me with further security on it.

Identity theft and security breaches are so scary. My heart was racing for a little while today, but all I can do is pay more attention to how my secure information is out in the cyber world. I suppose I will be monitoring my accounts even more than I do now. I'm just glad it is not worse than what it could have been. It's still not right, but what can the innocent people of this world do? It is us who suffer from the criminals out there...damn it!

Grilled Turkey Legs and Savory Butternut Squash

Once again I have done my food challenge, but waited most of the week to blog about it. I have just been too busy this week to even think about my blog. Yet, I seem to find the time to watch a couple of food network shows so I can be ready for my next challenge.

This food challenge: turkey legs, anaheim peppers, saltine crackers, cardamom

I have to say that I absolutely love turkey legs. They remind me of going to the county fair or renaissance festival and walking around with one in your hand, while you try so hard to eat it. Whenever you see one you say, "I've got to have one of those!" It was fun to make them at home!

Jason's boss has found our food challenge very interesting. He decided to pitch-in with one of the ingredients this week: cardamom pods. If you've never heard of this spice, you may know it as a spice in chai tea and is part of the ginger family. You can find it in your local grocery store, but it is pretty expensive. Since he gave us the pods, we just ground up the seeds in a coffee grinder.

Grilled Turkey Legs

3 turkey legs
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
3 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 tsps canola oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat 2 qts of water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey legs to pot, having just enough water in pot to cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove turkey legs to shallow dish.

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

Mix worcestershire, hot sauce, mustard, oil, garlic powder, onion salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour over turkey legs to coat.

Finish cooking turkey legs on hot grill, about 10 minutes.


Savory Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, chopped and seeded
2 anaheim peppers, chopped and seeded
1/2 pkg saltine crackers, crushed
2 pears, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp cardamom
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine, squash, peppers, pears and onion in a large bowl. Add olive oil and cardamom. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add squash mixture to a 9x12 baking dish. Top with crushed saltine crackers. Bake until vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

I'm Ready

I finally got my car back! Yeah! Anthony has recovered from his surgery and is back in school! Yeah! I'm ready for life to get back to normal for me. I'm ready to not have loads of drama in my life. I'm ready to not be dealing with everything at once. I'm just ready to get back on track with my boring everyday life.

It's incredible how all this stuff has "weighed me down". I haven't felt like doing much lately. And I mean even the things I should be doing, especially around my house. I haven't been dealing with the things I should be dealing with, because all these other things have taken priority. Now I'm feeling free enough to finally take charge and get other important things done. It feels great!

Now, if I could just have enough hours in the day to get it all done...

It Must Be Allergy Season

The last few days I've had a scratchy throat, watery eyes, stuffy nose and have been sneezing like crazy. I don't feel like I have a cold because my symptoms are not getting worse. My body doesn't feel like I have a cold either. I'm feeling okay except realizing that I probably have allergies. I've never suffered from allergies before, but I've heard that many people develop allergies as they get older. Great! Add another ailment to my growing list of medical issues!

The wind has been blowing all sorts of stuff through the air the last couple of weeks. The weather has been getting warmer here and I've noticed some flowers starting to bloom in the neighborhood. So the pollen must be what is irritating my sinuses. I'm not 100% sure on that, but what else could it be? I don't have any experience personally with allergies. My daughter has allergies, but she seems to be affected by several things, several times throughout the year. She seems to have allergery irritations at the beginning of every season. But she just takes over-the-counter allergy medication, which seems to help. But she's had allergies most of her life so I think she just deals with it.

I guess I will need to pay attention to how the seasons affect me. Maybe that will help me determine what allergies I have developed. I'm not sure if I'll do anything about it though. As almost everyone who knows me, knows I will just put up with it and not treat it with medication. That's just how I am. However, last night I did take a Benadryl allergy tablet but it didn't seem to help. I kept waking up during the night, feeling like my throat was on fire. This morning I woke up still with a stuffy head. Oh well. I just don't like how medication makes me feel. Worse than the actual illness.

I'm sure in a day or so I'll be feeling better.  If not, oh well...Anthony and I are just laying around the house together. What a life!

What A Fiasco!

I got my rental car last Wednesday and since then it has been problem after problem. Even though the car accident was not my fault, I seem to be the one paying the price for it. I am ready to have my own car back!

The first thing that went wrong was the rental car company wasn't even ready for me when I dropped my car off to be fixed. They were supposed to have the car at the body shop that morning, but I had to wait an hour before I finally got it. Way to deliver on promises Enterprise! Then, of course, the guy put his salesman hat on and tried to sell me additional insurance on the car. I told him I didn't want to pay for anything, because the other insurance company was taking car of it all. Plus, my insurance coverage would be the same for the rental car because I have full coverage on the car being fixed. He had me sign in a section that I thought said waiving additional insurance, when instead it was to opt in for the basic insurance plan. I made sure they corrected that though. What a scam! I think they are hoping people don't read the fine print, or they just sign away where they are told.

When I got home, I had a message from the other insurance company that said Enterprise messed up. They put me in a compact car, when I was approved for an intermediate car. In Colorado, the insurance company has to pay for a comparable vehicle to your car. They had first put me in a Hyundai Accent, with power nothing. I'm sorry, I kind of require power everything in my car. So much easier for me to press a button. So, I called them up to get me into a better vehicle. Unfortunately, I had to go to them to swap out the car. Isn't their motto, "We'll pick you up"? They must go by that only when it's convenient for them. Whatever! I got a 2010 Ford Focus. Okay, better than the Hyundai. I'll deal with it for the next week.

Yesterday, Jason drove the rental car to work in Brighton. However, the car died on him twice and the "check engine" light came on. I called Enterprise, AGAIN, to swap out the car. At first the lady on the phone acted like it was our fault. She said, "That's a 2010 with only 24,000 miles. That shouldn't happen." No shit lady! How do you think we felt? So, they told me Jason could take it to the Brighton location. But the lady there was not helpful at all. We were told we could bring the Focus back with an "empty" tank of fuel, before this incident. I had just filled it up over the weekend, and it still had a full tank. They lady basically treated it as if it wasn't her problem. She said we would have to take that up with the Loveland location. Are you kidding me? Isn't this Enterprise? Isn't Enterprise the same company no matter what location you go to? Way to not help people! Way to pass the buck! She ended up giving Jason a Toyota Corolla, with a 1/2 of a tank of fuel and said we could return it with only a 1/4 of a tank. Oh my goodness! Does this lady know how to do math? Hmmm...we give you a full tank, you give us only 1/2, and we still have to return it with a 1/4. Please revisit middle school math lady! Way to rip-off your customers!

To top everything off, as Jason was driving home the maintenance light came on in the Corolla. Oh man! I give up! I cannot even believe all the problems we've had with this whole situation. It's almost unreal, unbelievable, and way too much for me to deal with. I had to call Enterprise for the third time to swap out the car. Thankfully, they took care of it. They came to my house to swap the car since I'm home with Anthony. They brought the car with a full tank of fuel and I can return it empty. And they offered to give me a free upgrade the next time I need a rental car. In my mind I just said, "No thanks. I don't think I'll use this company again." I know they can't do much for me right now because I'm not paying for anything. But I'd rather just get through this week, get my car back and never use them again.

I now am driving a Chevy Cobalt. Ughhh! I miss my car. At least I know what cars I will never buy. I hope everything goes well with the repairs on my car and I have it by the end of the week. I hope nothing else goes wrong with this rental car. I don't think I can deal with anymore issues. Not this week, anyway.

Chimchurri Elk Fried Tacos and Sweet 'N Salty Plantains

Jason told his boss about the food challenges we do and he decided to help us out with some interesting ingredients this time. I guess I asked for it, right? Well, we weren't sure how the plantains would go because Jason has some issues with bananas, rather they have issues with him. We wondered how closely related are plantains and bananas? But he did just fine eating them, not that I would make them again. They were...well...different. I describe them as a mix between a potato and a banana, not a lot of flavor. Maybe the ones I got were not ripe enough, but I have no clue when it comes to that fruit. Maybe I just didn't cook it right. But, I suppose it's always fun trying new things. This weeks food challenge: Elk, Horseradish root, Plantains, Proscuitto.

Chimchurri Elk Fried Tacos

2 lbs elk sirloin steak

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp cilantro

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp grated horseradish root

2 cups tortilla flour mix

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded manchego cheese

canola oil

Mix tortilla flour and milk in a medium bowl. Dough should be sticky. Sprinkle a little all purpose flour on dough. Knead dough on rolling surface, about 5 times. Let sit in bowl for 30 minutes.

Heat enough canola oil in a pot to fry tacos, about 2-3 cups, to medium high heat or 400 degrees. Roll out tortilla dough to individual taco rounds, about 4-inch diameters. Dough should make about 12 tacos. Fry each taco round in oil for about 15 seconds on each side, until golden brown. Push metal spatula down center of one side to form taco shape. Place on tray with paper towels to soak up any extra oil. Keep warm.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Mix olive oil, parsley, cilantro, oregano and horseradish in small bowl. Coat oil mixture over steak. Grill steak until desired doneness. Let sit for 5 minutes so juices can settle back in steak. Slice at an angle to 1/4-inch thickness and serve on fried tacos. Top with shredded cheese.

Sweet 'N Salty Plantains

2 plantains, sliced at an angle 1/4-inch thickness

1 tbsp canola oil

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1/4 sliced proscuitto in thin strips

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup water

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add plantains and cook until browned, about 5 minutes each side. Transfer plantains to serving dish. Add pistachios to same skillet and toast until lightly brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top plantains with pistachios. Add coconut flakes to skillet and toast until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Top plantains and pistachios with coconut flakes. Top with proscuitto strips. Heat sugar and water in skillet. Cook until bubbly. Pour over proscuitto, coconut, pistachios and plantains.

Enjoy!

Why Can't We All Have Super Powers?

Anthony's surgery went well yesterday. So well that even he amazed the doctor and nurses. I was allowed to go back to the operating room with him and be there for him as he was put under. He went to sleep very fast, just with the gas, so that was good. They did not need to give him an anesthetic interveineously. It's so much easier for patients to come out of anesthesia without all those drugs pumping through the system. He woke up just fine from the surgery. He was awake and alert right after surgery. He said he was feeling fine, but a little tired, as expected. It was an outpatient procedure, so we were able to be home with him by noon. Amazing!

I stocked up on plenty of popsicles, pudding and ice cream for him. The doctor wanted us to give him some kind of protein by today, so he would have a little more energy. And of course we got him his medication in case he had some pain. They gave us a presciption for tylenol with codine, so he could get some good rest. As Anthony was in recovery, the nurses gave him his pain meds and we thought for sure he would just want to go back to sleep. Nope! Not even the tylenol with codine could knock him out! He stayed awake until about 9:30 last night! He wanted to watch some movies and play with his legos. He even played a video game! We figured he wasn't going to sleep so we stayed up with him and played his favorite card game, Uno Attack. Apparently nothing, not even a surgery, will take this kiddo down!

I sure didn't recover from my surgery that way. I know mine was a little more complicated than his...but still! Surgeries wipe you out no matter what it's for! Anthony must have some kind of super powers. He acts like nothing even happened! Unreal! He didn't even wait to eat food of more substance. Yesterday he had some mac 'n cheese and pizza. He still ate about five popsicles as well. Why not take advantage of that while you can?

Today, he says his throat doesn't hurt and he is up and about being his regular boyish self. Why was I so worried and such a wreck this week? Not a lot bothers him. I'm sure he will be ready to go back to school by mid-week. I don't think he will be staying home all week. That will be too boring for him.

All I can say is, "WOW!" This kid continues to amaze me! I would love to bottle his energy and healing powers. That may just be what I need!

The Year Of The Rabbit

I was having this conversation with my Mom a few weeks ago about the Chinese Zodiac. I was born in the year of the rabbit, which is also what this year is. I'm not much into daily horoscopes, but I like reading about the zodiac signs and astrological information. It makes me feel like I have some kind of path in life to follow, but I especially like how it explains so much about us. I know some people don't buy into all that stuff, but I think it is very interesting. Most of it, for me anyway, seems to be pretty accurate. 

My Mom said that since it is the year of the rabbit, this is "my year". But lately, it hasn't felt like the stars and planets are lining up for me. In January, I found out my tumor is growing, in February I was in a car accident, and now we have just found out that our son suffers from sleep apnea, and will be having surgery on Friday to remove his tonsils and adenoids. So I now ask the celestial bodies to stop giving me so much to deal with, because I'm not sure if I can handle anymore! When are the great things going to start happening this year? I would really love to hold that winning powerball ticket...are you listening celestial bodies? Don't worry. I don't really pray to stars and planets. Although sometimes you have to wonder who really holds our fate?

So, after reading about people born in the year of the rabbit I did learn a few things about myself. People born under the rabbit sign believe strongly in friends and family, they are most comfortable being home, and those born under the wood rabbit sign specifically, which is my sign, occupy their time doing for others; always feeling the need to make others content. And I thought I had my life figured out before! Now I feel like I have truly found my calling. And that is to take care of my family and our home. Of course, this change has been forced on me due to my illness (whose idea was that?), but I have accepted those changes and am content with it.

So, in the next week I will be caring for Anthony as he is recovering from his surgery. I am scared for him, as most parents are for their children in medical issues like this, but I am trying not to think too much about it. Anthony, however, is excited to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner! So at least he is thinking positively about it.

I think after this year, our family may know most of the doctors in town. Anyone need a reference? I think we may have some connections in the medical field...

The Obsession With An Image

Why do teenage girls have such an obsession with their body image? And why does this obsession carry mostly a negative thought about themselves? Ashley has been obsessed with her body image lately and it is driving me crazy. She has been telling me about "flaws" she sees about her body, which of course do not exist. I don't know how she wants her body to be, but I think she already has the perfect body. I know I'm biased, but she has great muscle tone and a beautiful shape to her body. Why can't she see this?

Jason found a website that charts childrens growth, height, weight and BMI (body mass index). We input her information, and according to her age she is in the 75% for height and weight, and well below the range of being overweight. We showed her this information and she still thinks she is too big, compared to other girls she knows. I can't stand that she is constantly comparing herself to other girls. Why can't she be happy with herself? Does she really want to be a stick figure?

Ashley is a dancer and is pretty muscular. She has this amazing muscle tone to the back of her legs. I wish my legs looked like that! She is also pretty tall for her age and is nowhere close to being done growing. She is taller than most of the girls she knows. She's 13 years old and almost 5'5! How can she even begin to compare herself to them, but you can't tell a teenager that and expect them to accept it! I know all her friends would tell her she's beautiful and tall and skinny, but she just can't seem to tell herself that.

She doesn't eat bad either. Since I've been eating healthier, everyone in the family eats healthier. I make the kids lunches for school everyday and they eat plenty healthy. We don't keep a lot of junk food in the house so there are not bad things for them to eat all the time. We have some chips, cookies and ice cream, but those are always eaten in moderation. I told her if she really does feel that way about her body than she can cut those things out. Her response was "no way!" I told her, "Exactly! There is nothing wrong with the way you eat. There is nothing wrong with your body. There is no reason to change any of it." I'm wondering when she will actually start believing it...

By-the-way, here's that website. It's got some interesting resources for parents during all stages of kids' lives.

http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=304

Ham and Peppers Crescent Cups, and Candied Limes

I really am trying to be very creative with these food challenges, but I'm also trying new things I've never done before. Of course, those don't always turn out right, but they are...interesting. For this challenge the ingredients were ham, peppers, crescent rolls and limes. Once again one ingredient threw me off...limes. I could have easily squeezed lime juice over the ham but that seemed too simple for me. I wanted to do more with the limes but it just didn't go with the rest of the ingredients, which I already knew what I was going to do with them. So, I made candied limes. I've never made anything candied before and I'm not sure if I'll make it again. I'll just say the limes were extremely sour, but still had a good flavor. So if you like sour things you may like candied limes. By-the-way, for the crescent cups I used a mini bread pan instead of a muffin pan.

Ham and Peppers Crescent Cups

1 pkg crescent rolls

1 cup chopped turkey ham

1/4 cup chopped sweet cherry peppers

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread each crescent roll on bottom of each spot in pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Top each crescent cup with ham, cherry peppers and cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Candied Limes

3 limes, 1/4-inch slices

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp poppyseeds

Heat small pan over medium-high heat. Add limes, sugar and lime juice. Cook until sauce is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add ginger, honey and poppyseeds. Stir to mix and cook for 2 minutes. Serve over vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Sausages, Confetti Rice and Grilled Nectarines

I made this last week, but I did so horribly on the sausages and rice I didn't even want to post that blog. I charred the sausages so bad, they were not worthy to be pictured. And I was so out-of-it last week I couldn't even be creative with the rice. I served it plain. Terrible decision. I did steam some vegetables with them, but this time I thought I would change it up. I don't like the feeling of being in a food challenge and flubbing it so bad, even though it's just for my family. I know I'm not in a official challenge, but even I have to eat it so I want it to be good. So I tried again last night and it turned out much better.

The Food Challenge: sausage, rice, bacon, nectarines.

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Sausages

5 slices bacon

5 mild italian sausage links

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp BBQ sauce

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp grilling seasoning

Preheat grill to medium high heat. (I used my electric grill.) Wrap 1 slice of bacon around each sausage link. Grill sausages until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes each side. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove sausages from grill and place on the foil covered baking sheet. Mix dijon mustard, BBQ sauce, honey and grilling seasoning in a small bowl. Brush sauce on top side of sausages. Cook in oven for 15 minutes until sausages are cooked through. Sausages should be juicy.

Confetti Rice

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup wasabi dried peas

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add green and red bell peppers and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add cashews, stir to mix and cook until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add peas and stir to mix, cooking for another 3 minutes. Peas should still be crunchy. Add cooked brown rice and stir to mix.

Grilled Nectarines

3 nectarines, halved and pitted

1/4 cup blueberry yogurt

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Grill nectarines over medium-high heat, cooking for 5 minutes each side. Mix yogurt and lemon juice in small bowl. Drizzle sauce over nectarines. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, and sprinkle over top of nectarines. Serve warm.

I hope you are enjoying the recipes I've posted. If you have tried any of them yourself, let me know how you have changed them and how they turned out. Also, if you have a food challenge you would like me to try just let me know! I'm open to any input and help! :)

I know this challenge was supposed to be last week, so I'm doing another one tomorrow night. Look for that post later this week.

As Time Goes By

I can't believe it is March already. As we get older it seems like the clock spins faster and faster. I remember being younger and feeling like time stood still. These days, it's as if the calendar flips forward so much quicker. Hard to believe.

I look back on the last few months and feel that I've been keeping busy but feel like I've got so little done. There's always something to do, keeping the house together, running the kids around, but all of it tends to just blur together. I look back on some things and wonder, "What did I really do with all that time?" Is this how we all feel as we get older?

I'm trying to have a daily schedule for myself. Something that keeps me on task (for something I'm not even sure of what that is.) I just want a routine to help me feel I'm accomplishing so much in my life right now. But these things I have set aside seem like a job right now. And I have no motivation to complete them. I am trying to put a cookbook together for myself. I love to print off recipes from the internet or rip them out of magazines. So, I have tons of papers shoved into my other cookbooks. I'm trying to just have one cookbook, with recipes from 10 other cookbooks I use. It is a big task that will probably take me a year to finish, maybe two at the rate I'm going. I also have tons of pictures of my kids I want to create a collage of sorts. Another lengthy project that is being put on hold. Where is my drive to have more things organized in my life? One of these days I know I'll get it done.

As the weather gets warmer and the sun shines a little longer each day, I am thinking about the summer. What will it bring when the kids are out of school? I am hoping to take a vacation with the kids. I am looking forward to our camping trips. I am looking forward to getting away from the home for a little bit. But still, the kids will be busy with their sports. There will always be that running around task that I will never escape. What is a Mother to do?