mid-week meal share: TAKE OUT

This weeks meal share brought to you by: "Oh, shit! When was the last time we went grocery shopping?!"

The best meal I've been able to put together over the past week was cinnamon rolls for a late breakfast yesterday, and I still consider that to be an accomplishment because everyone was happy and can you believe that Kennedy's tiny tummy even wanted seconds? Hardy har. 

Cost effective: no

Easy to concoct: extremely

Nutritious: maybe, but most likely not

The list of ingredients for this one is short, and hey! You don't even need to go to the store to get them!

cell phone

OR computer with internet access

menu from your favorite take-out/delivery place

cash or credit card (so you need this for every recipe but.. be cool!)

1. Navigate the internet, or your junk drawer, for a menu that tickles your fancy.

2. Place an online order for delivery or pick-up or call your order in using that cell phone I said was needed.

3. Pay for your order online with a credit card, or select the cash upon delivery if they have the option to do so.

4. For the unfortunate ones that live in a less metropolis, like us, you'll need to get in your car and go pick it up, but for those of you that can sit down on the couch? Do that now!

5. Eagerly wait.

6. And voila. Food prepared and brought to you by someone else. If only it was paid for by someone else though, too.

Drunken noodles, pad thai, and nogi rolls. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

7. Dig in, y'all!

We went with one of our favorites. No Thai. OHMYGOSHGIVEITALLTOMERIGHTMEOW. I was proud of myself because I tried something new and now it will be the one thing I get until I try something new again. When it comes to food I have a comfort zone. Especially when it comes to eating out or ordering. I know what I like so why would I chance ordering something different and not liking it?! 

Obviously, eating out is not always the best choice because it's not easy on the wallet nor is it good for the body. It IS good for the soul, though. And on some occasions, like all this week, that's all that matters.

Choose wisely.

Leia

when does a runny nose mean something more?

So basically I spoke too soon about the whole "no one else is sick" thing. Piper has once again fallen ill. Watery eyes, yucky nose, and a little cough that at times, won't quit.

November 9, 2015: seriously though? These aren't sad eyes. Sick eyes. 

So, in May I posted this status on Facebook:

During this time Piper was 'majorly' sick for the first time. She was almost eight months old and she was crying non-stop, completely sleepless, runny nose and coughing. Once this rolled over into two full days I was at my wits end. I know that so many parents are faced with worse trials and errors. But for us? This was our first all time low. Kennedy never woke up during the night and she had never been sick as an infant so this was new territory and it was extremely stressful.

I bring this date up for a couple reasons. Right around this time is when the weather would have been starting to get nice and we would have been spending more time outside and leaving windows open throughout the day. Also, since this date there have been only a few weeks that she didn't have a runny nose.  Most times during her various monthly check-ups they were subtle or grouped in with teething symptoms and at the time I could see that that was an accurate diagnosis. But now that I am able to look at the past collective months as a whole I am starting to form other thoughts.

*Piper is on her second nap of the day during this segment of typing; yah. Sicky McGee over here.*

She will take yet another after this one.

I've stayed off WebMD because it will lead to something insanely off topic and make me want to rush her into Urgent Care, but I think it's probably mild seasonal allergies. During the winter months she didn't seem to have this problem and the year she was born it was already freezing in September and October so she was primarily indoors besides trips to and from places in the car. It wasn't until things warmed up and she was really exploring outside that these problems crept up on us. Boogers galore. What comes out of her nose is usually clear and very watery. Only a few times has it been thick and green and more concerning. Allergy peeps, does this sound like anything similar? The thought of having her poked and pricked to find out doesn't seem fabulous (and obviously the doctors wouldn't proceed if they weren't concerned for allergies).

So regardless we've been taking it easy for most of the day and we finished up our night watching Inside Out. Well the girls watched Inside Out. So Kennedy watched maybe 30 minutes of Inside Out before wandering around and helping me in the kitchen, and Piper fell asleep.

I'm hoping the week turns around and that everyone caught a horrible case of the Mondays. We'll keep you posted.

"Alright! We did not die today, I call that an unqualified success!" -Fear

Leia

icky sicky

Thursday evening while we were eating our dinner that dad brought home from one of our favorite carry-out spots before we moved, Kennedy complained that her belly was upset. I sort of waved her off as not wanting to eat anything else, but she seemed to have eaten enough and I excused her from the table.

Not long after she was excused from the table she came back into the kitchen wearing nice, comfy, fleece zip-up jammies (mind you we had the most gorgeous summer weather). I asked her if everything was okay and she replied that she just wanted to cuddle on the couch. Once I was done scarfing down every last bit of my chicken quesadilla I gladly went and snuggled with her. That's when I realized that she didn't simply eat enough. She was burning up and kept telling me her 'tummy felt funny'.

**Mothers, fathers, granny's, sisters, best friends, cousins, brothers, roommates! I don't know how you handle puke that isn't yours but let me tell you.. I don't fair too well (something I'm still trying to work on for nursing school). As soon as the words tummy and funny were spoken in the same sentence I instantly became a ball of nerves thinking that Kennedy was getting ready to throw up on me and everything else. Up until this point she has only thrown up on two other occasions in her 'adult' life and I don't trust her ability to know/make it to an appropriate destinations. Bad mom points? Caring almost more about getting puked on than the discomfort of my daughter?**

 So my first plan of action was to just try to make her comfortable and bring her 101.4°F down. For the most part I think temperatures in small children is no cause for alarm unless they do not decrease, and hold steady? Luckily Kennedy has no qualms with taking liquid medication (besides children's Allegra, for whatever reason she hates it and mentions it almost every time the medicine cabinet is opened). Tylenol was administered and we plopped her to soak in the tub for a little while. During her soak she told me how much better she feeling already but that she had to go potty. I won't go into too much detail but that shit wasn't pretty.

But hey! Afterwards she seemed to be almost back to normal. We zipped her back up into her jammies and settled into bed. Before falling asleep she was pretty restless; she kept tossing and turning, breathing weird, and swallowing a lot. Oh sweet baby jesus here are those puking nerves again! She assured me that everything was fine but 'her bones hurt a little bit'. Finally she fell asleep but was still warm to the touch.

Three times during the night she sleepily stumbled into our room asking if she could sleep with dad (as if he sleeps somewhere else or could wake up to answer the question - haha, I partially kid). Though I wanted to fulfill her wishes I went back into her room with her and snuggled her back up in bed after one more does of Tylenol and a couple sips of water. With everything we have going on I really didn't want to risk everyone catching something nasty. I did feel slightly horrible, but I also felt justified and hope that in the long run she wouldn't mind.

The next morning that pesky fever was still holding steady at 101.andsomechange°F. After one more dose of Tylenol and some old fashion relaxation she was cured! AND HEY, NO PUKE! So far no one else is showing similar symptoms and we are happy. Hoping it was just a fluke of expelling too much energy and not recouping enough for that little body.

November 7, 2015: feeling ready to party and throw living room cat parties.

Long winded, I know. If you stuck around til the end, I appreciate you!

No more germs, please!

Leia

sweater weather? not quite.

This week we had the most beautiful weather here in Michigan! I was SO happy that I was able to enjoy time outside and wasn't cooped up at work. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we made it to the mid/high-70's and it was wonderful. The girls got to play outside in t-shirts and we spent a lot of time at the park and on our bikes.

Seriously though, this time last year we had snow on the ground already. It's a perfect showcase of Michigan weather and how temperamental our state is. I mean for Halloween the kids needed layers and five days later they are fine in shorts?! If I would have thought about I would've tried to plan a trip to the zoo or something else of that nature. But frankly, I probably wouldn't have had the energy to chase two kids around all day.

There is a nice playground in our subdivision that is the perfect size and is accommodating to both girls and their activity/skill level. Another huge plus about the playground? It is almost always deserted. So many families have their own climbers in their backyard, which I personally have always found to be silly (because they aren't cheap, right?) but at the same time you're able to just send the kids outside instead of accompanying them to the park.

 Piper is just arriving at that in-between stage: she's able to keep up with Kennedy but she isn't quite big enough to maneuver everything on her own. Unless she's trying to climb up into the structure we're able to sort of sit back and watch them run around like crazy.

                                                                                                   November 3, 2015: Bad parents?

For punishment, our preferred method is the chin-up bar. Kidding. Piper was watching big sister hop up and down from the bar and when we picked her up and walked near she instantly held her hands out. We said, "no, no honey" but being a toddler the word 'no' only angers and upsets her and she became frustrated when we walked her away. So, for shits and giggles Brendon let her grab onto the bar and he let her go. And then we walked away and left them to their own devices. Kidding again. She loved every second and could not contain her laughter. I was only able to stomach 15 seconds before I made her get down.

I hope you guys all got some great weather in your neck of the woods! Surely we'll be under 3 feet of snow in the next two weeks and I will look back with tearful eyes.

7 Mondays until Christmas!

Leia

mid-week meal share: brendon's famous chili

Chili, chili, fo' rili! Yeah, super lame. I almost regret making that a permanent sentence on this old thing they call the internet.

This week we have an original recipe!* I'm sure there are a million other chili recipes just like it but this is the way Brendon has always made his chili and I can assure you that he never once thought to look up a recipe, haha. And this one, my friends, will probably be the most simple recipe posted to date. Delicious, too!

Cost effective: ~$22 (so I say yes; this is food for a week!)

Easy to concoct: abso-frickin-lutely!

Nutritious: I like to think so! You could always use ground turkey as an alternative! 

Pretty simple list of ingredients (for a large batch):

2 pounds of ground beef (or alternative)

1 can northern beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can corn

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 packets of McCormick's 'original' chili mix

1. Brown/cook ground beef (we ALWAYS cook in a sauce pan vs a skillet; one pot meal!).

2. Drain grease once meat is fully cooked.

3. Add: chili mix, northern beans (do not drain), kidney beans (do not drain), corn (drain), and tomatoes (do not drain.. really, I don't know if these could be drained).

4. Place the chili back on heat until warm/hot.

5. Enjoy with some shredded cheese (and sour cream if you are unlike me)!

Nope, no pictures of the finished product. When it was done it was chow time. Also, since I didn't cook this meal I didn't spend much time in the kitchen. 

This is seriously one of the best and most easy meals to throw together. Even if you don't have the ingredients on hand, most of the ingredients are in the same aisle so hopefully you'll be in-n-out in a flash. Unless you do your grocery shopping at Target then there is no hope for a quick trip. One thing that is so great about chili is that it can be made so many different ways. This time around we used 'original' chili mix instead of a mild or spicy because of Miss Piper (Kennedy has her days where she really likes spicy foods but she is also a spicy party pooper). Once toddlers can eat the same food as you it's a blessing and a curse. You now have to share evvveerrrrrything with them which means it's not always in their best interest to ramp up the spice but there is so more planning separate meals for them!

Chili Chili Bang Bang, we love you!

Leia

everything is awesome*

Blogging from my phone? Let's give it a whirl. Today was a pretty decent day with a few hiccups.

-did poorly on my muscle exam*

-visited with Rachel and her new baby

-went to Sprint to consider switching from Verizon

-drove home with the windows down

-Brittany came over!

-tried to go to Wassem's Fruit Farm for donuts. Ironic?

-Donut Farm was closed*

-Kennedy had two accidents today*

-Kennedy was sassy today*

-Piper was Piper

-watched the LEGO movie

-had No Thai for dinner

-girls both in bed before 9pm

-Brendon watching hockey

-I'm in bed at 10pm. My homework has no chance but to wait til tomorrow.

Physically and mentally exhausted.*

Leia.

shower vs. muscles

Where do I even start. Today was one of those rip-your-hair-out-and-I'm-too-exhausted-to-even-shower-before-bed days. Kennedy has been questioning my every word and talking back like a teenage nightmare. I'm now dreading what will come to be my life in 9 years. 

School: starting up a new degree path has proven to be more difficult that I had imagined. Prior to this shift into  nursing, my area of study was psychology. I only had two semesters left until graduation and the classes weren't easy, but they weren't mind boggling either. Psychologic disorders and theories are pretty straightforward and unchanging from one scenario to the next. Tomorrow I have my second anatomy lab exam over the muscles (yes, all of them). We've been working on them for the past two weeks, but my brain would have you believing that I'd been given the list only last night. I have not experienced stress on this level in.. well, I think ever actually. Oh, muscles are different on a plastic model than they are on photographs of a cadaver? GUH. Application for the nursing program is May 2016 and with the classes I need to take next semester I have no room to wiggle in terms of 'failing'. Anything less than an A- will greatly impact my overall score. Gray hairs are increasing daily.

Kennedy: she in particular has been giving me a run for my money basically since she turned four. Terrible two's? PUH. Terrible three's? GET OUTTA HERE. Terrible four's? Why yes, I think I see what you're talking about. Overnight she has turned into this little 39 inch sass machine. Today I had to put her in timeout twice. Twice! Before today I could honestly count on the number of times when her behavior led to a timeout. No, she's not a perfect behavior angel. Yes, she has bad days. But on those bad days I give her time to sit and think about her actions, talk about them with me or dad, and give her time to correct the behavior. It did nothing but increasingly get worse each time I tried talking to her. 

Kennedy: Mom, can you tie this string into a bow?

Me: Yes, where?

K: Right here. 

*points to string around her rocking horse's neck*

M: *ties string* Okay, I think you're all set!

K: Well, I like it in a double knot. *twists, turns, bunches up string*

*I sit down back to study at the kitchen table*

K: UGH, YOU TANGLED IT ALL UP!

M: I did not.

K: YES, YOU DID!

M: You wanted it into a double knot, I think you did that yourself.

K: NOOOOO.

M: Kennedy, I promise I didn't tangle it up. 

K: Well, if you don't come out here, I'm going to break it.

M: *??????* Kennedy what's wrong?

K: NOTHING! *tips over horse*

M: You need to calm down.

K: No, I'm breaking this.

M: Well, it's not my toy so you can if you want. But..

you won't be getting another one anytime soon.

K: Yeah! For my birthday!

M: Well, that's in a year from now?

K: SOOOO. *kicks horse*

M: Okay, well I think we are going to stop.

K: NO, I'M NOT!

M: Okay, we might need to go sit in your room for a minute.

K: NO, I'M NOT GOING.

M: Yepp, we're going right now.

K: NO.

*walks Kennedy to the stairs, then proceeds to need to 

lift her up the next few*

M: If you keep stomping, I'm going to add ten extra minutes.

K: NO. YOU. WOONNNN'T!

GUYS. I was going to lose it. Her anger was intense and it took me by so much surprise. It was so outlandish that it took everything in me not to crack up at her as well.

So, I just forced myself to take a shower since my exam is at 8am tomorrow morning. If I don't do it now, I'll be a nasty bum in class tomorrow and it would be morning 3 with no shower. Now How I Met Your Mother til I sleep.

Save me.

Leia