I feel good though because amidst all this fun, I managed to make paper pirate hats out of newspaper with Bubba today.  We went a step further and added pirate logos to his milk glass and make a little hat for First Mate (aka Pork Chop).  As long as I balance, it should all be ok…

I’m proud to say that I’ve actually tried out some of the things I’ve found on Pinterest including this recent success:

Donuts from biscuits  These insanely easy to make donuts were insanely delicious!  Just get packaged biscuit dough (any kind but flaky)  I found a pack of four for less than $2.  Cut out a hole in the middle (don’t forget to save the little pieces for donut holes!), fry in veggie oil (watch them carefully because they brown quickly) then dip in butter and cinnamon sugar, sprinkle on powder sugar, or even make a glaze (I made some odd approximation of a maple glaze) and go to town!  I didn’t really like how they tasted the next day (a little like stale cake donuts) but oh my gosh my family devoured a TON of them the day we made them!

Bubba

Short Stack

Sporty

As you can see, everyone enjoyed the donuts!  A Pinterest Win if I do say so myself

My first step was buying some boxes.  I found some great square containers at the dollar store.  All four sides lock down and they are deep enough for what I need.  These boxes fit in the bottom of the kids’ lunchbags so they were perfect to start with.  If you are looking for bento boxes,  Amazon has some fun choices as does All Things for Sale.  I also purchased these EasyLunchBoxes from Amazon, but they are too big to carry in the kids’ lunchbags.  I want to buy the EasyLunchBox carrying bags (which are really inexpensive) but I haven’t got around to it yet so we just use these for the weekends right now.  Basically when you are choosing a box you want something that will be able to fit upright in your lunch container.  You don’t want all your hard work to be tipped up and mixed up.  I’m totally wanting these Lock and Lock boxes which have four removable trays and this Nibble Tray for my one year old.

Nibble Tray (picture from Amazon)

Then I started getting the fun stuff.  I have a huge box of cookie cutters that I’ve collected over the years and although these are great for cutting sandwiches and lunch meats, they weren’t that great for the small stuff.  I ordered some smaller metal cutters (you could even use the ones they sell for fondant at Walmart or craft stores).  I also found that silicone and paper baking cups are my friends.  These are great to keep things compartmentalized which is kind of the point of bento.  I’ve also collected different picks, sauce cups and other fun things to make the lunches more interesting.  Again, All Things for Sale is a great resource, but you can find things at craft stores or Amazon.  I found these great Star Wars cookie cutters at Williams-Sonoma.  I was extra excited because they were 50% off and they make awesome sandwiches!

Can you see now why it’s easy to get a little obsessed?  There are so many cool things out there!

Let me just say that my kids LOVE bento lunches!  They’re so excited to open their boxes every day and even my picky 4 year old begs me “can we make bentos?  Can we can we???”.  I love seeing empty lunch boxes at the end of the day, knowing my children were happily gobbling up whatever was inside.

Some of my recent bentos are pictured below:

Chicken Pig Bento (it was a chicken sandwich with a pig face)

Darth Vadar Ham and Cheese Bento for SportyPB&J "Sushi" bento

As you can see I’ve been having fun experimenting (sorry the photography is awful… my new camera and I are currently fighting each other).

One of the first issues I had with bento is what to do with the extra bits… when I cut sandwiches or veggies, there were all these little pieces.  How could I forget that I have a human black hole?  The Pork Chop loves all the little bits (and they’re all pretty much cut to toddler size anyway).  I found out she’s a big fan of sweet pepper.  If you don’t have a Pork Chop in your home, you could always use the little bits of veggies and cheeses in omlettes or scrambles, the bread makes great croutons (or feeding birds with your kids).  Basically if you put your mind to it, you won’t have to worry about any waste.

I hope that you’ll give bento boxes a try in your home.  It’s an easy way of making healthy food fun.  My kids would rather have a handmade bento than a McDonald’s Happy Meal, and that makes mommy happy!!

It’s not that I’m a messy person.  I have the desire and the ability to be neat and tidy.  I just struggle with being lazy.  I can find a million excuses not to clean.  Unfortunately, living in a cluttered house causes me to be incredibly stressed.  I get frustrated and angry and I find no peace.  My bedroom is not a retreat for rest, my kitchen is not a pleasant place to cook meals for my family.  My living room is living it’s own life.

2012 is my year though.  I started the 52 Week Challenge to and Organized Home which I found on Pinterest (which by the way, if you are not on Pinterest, you should be!!).  Week 1 was kitchen counters and sinks.  I followed the advice of the challenge and defined the purpose of my space.  I was using valuable counter space as a catch-all for the kids’ school work, the mail, and little odds and ends.  Once I put everything where it belonged, I noticed I had TONS of counter space!!  Week 2 just started and I’m working on my cupboards and pantries.  It’s great because someone has given me a defined task and a defined time frame.  I’ve found I can accomplish a lot in a small amount of time because I’m just focusing on one thing, not getting distracted by tons of other tasks.

I’m already less stressed which is WONDERFUL!  It’s nice too because now that it’s been really cleaned, it doesn’t take much to maintain the space.  Plus I’m being a good example to my kids (who I constantly hassle to keep their rooms clean and help pick up around the house).  I’m noticing I have the desire to do other small tasks too. Like today, instead of worrying about cleaning the whole bathroom, I just cleaned the toilets.  It was small, but it was an accomplishment.

Part of my desire for 2012 is to live a healthier lifestyle.  A clean house = less stress = less cortisol.  Cortisol is a basically a “stress hormone” which can really negatively affect your health and even contribute to increased abdominal fat.  INCREASED. ABDOMINAL. FAT.  That is definitely something to avoid!

So here’s so a year of less stress, a cleaner house, and maybe even a little less belly to jiggle come next Christmas.

Interested in joining the 52 Week Challenge?  It’s not too late!!  Either click on the link in the post (it will open in a separate window) or click the button below.

It’s not that I’m a messy person.  I have the desire and the ability to be neat and tidy.  I just struggle with being lazy.  I can find a million excuses not to clean.  Unfortunately, living in a cluttered house causes me to be incredibly stressed.  I get frustrated and angry and I find no peace.  My bedroom is not a retreat for rest, my kitchen is not a pleasant place to cook meals for my family.  My living room is living it’s own life. 

2012 is my year though.  I started the 52 Week Challenge to and Organized Home which I found on Pinterest (which by the way, if you are not on Pinterest, you should be!!).  Week 1 was kitchen counters and sinks.  I followed the advice of the challenge and defined the purpose of my space.  I was using valuable counter space as a catch-all for the kids’ school work, the mail, and little odds and ends.  Once I put everything where it belonged, I noticed I had TONS of counter space!!  Week 2 just started and I’m working on my cupboards and pantries.  It’s great because someone has given me a defined task and a defined time frame.  I’ve found I can accomplish a lot in a small amount of time because I’m just focusing on one thing, not getting distracted by tons of other tasks.

I’m already less stressed which is WONDERFUL!  It’s nice too because now that it’s been really cleaned, it doesn’t take much to maintain the space.  Plus I’m being a good example to my kids (who I constantly hassle to keep their rooms clean and help pick up around the house).  I’m noticing I have the desire to do other small tasks too. Like today, instead of worrying about cleaning the whole bathroom, I just cleaned the toilets.  It was small, but it was an accomplishment.

Part of my desire for 2012 is to live a healthier lifestyle.  A clean house = less stress = less cortisol.  Cortisol is a basically a “stress hormone” which can really negatively affect your health and even contribute to increased abdominal fat.  INCREASED. ABDOMINAL. FAT.  That is definitely something to avoid! 

So here’s so a year of less stress, a cleaner house, and maybe even a little less belly to jiggle come next Christmas. 

Interested in joining the 52 Week Challenge?  It’s not too late!!  Either click on the link in the post (it will open in a separate window) or click the button on the sidebar of the blog. 

This is my Monday.  This is my every day!  I get all organized and “Super Homemaker” for like a day and then I find myself watching the Food Network (or worse, Bravo) and wasting an hour or six doing nothing on my list.  I really really REALLY hate that part of me.  The worst part of it is that I feel like I never have any down time.  How is it possible to check Facebook statuses and read food blogs but not have any down time?  Could it be those menacing ever-present tasks that shadow over every moment?  Wouldn’t it just be better to complete something on my list, to silence that voice and take a moment to revel in the quiet moment of triumph?

Procrastination.

Determination to avoid frustration.

Procrastination.

It won’t work itself out.  I just need motivation.

Wasting time on this poem… it’s an abomination.

The dishes and laundry pile up a visual condemnation.

This domestic bliss starts to feel like obligation.

I need a vacation, a new vocation

(and if I dare clean out the fridge, probably a vaccination!)

These menial tasks pile up… my explanation?

I find it hard to avoid procrastination!

There… that wasted another 10 minutes…

Need vs. Want… it’s a concept I try to teach my kids, but that I’m not very successful at myself.  I’ve made a decision and starting today I’m going to put my wallet on a diet.  I’m going to choose to forgo the WANT for the NEED.  Big talk, I know.

One of the first steps is going to be in the area of groceries.  I don’t know about you but I am a habitual impulse shopper.  I try to write a list, but then I get to the store and fill my cart with all kinds of things that don’t belong there.  I love cool packaging (it’s a downfall, I know) and although I have nothing against buying generic, pretty packaging often finds its way into my cart.

I’ve been doing some research on feeding my family inexpensively and one area I’m going to try to cut down on is cereal bars/oatmeal bars.  My kids love having a granola bar or oatmeal bar as a snack and so I buy boxes of them.  I’ll be looking for a good recipe to replace the processed version (bonus benefit – healthy snacks!).  I’m also going to get out my sewing machine and sew up a couple of re-usable snack/sandwich bags and save on the cost of ziplock bags for the kids’ lunches.

Another way I’m going to start spending less is the entertainment part of our lives.  Friday Funday has become an automatic fast food meal and video.  Why can’t I start cooking with my kids and playing board games?

I’m excited about this, but scared too.  What will it mean to change these ingrained habits?  Can I do it?  Will I be able to bear the complaining from my kids (that’s assuming they complain, which who knows?  They could surprise me!).  Can I still give my family a full stomach with a skinny wallet?  I’m willing to give it a try!

It just feels like we’ve been yelling at them every 5 minutes.  I HATE feeling like that.  It seems like nothing we are teaching is actually getting through.  Between the kids and the normal stresses of life (bills, laundry, dishes) and the major amount of clean-up we still have to do from the hurricane I am at the end of my rope.  I wake up tired, I go to bed tired… there is no rest, there is no peace.

One thing I seem to be doing well at is working out.  I’ve been able to fulfill the commitment I made to myself.  I was hoping that it would help to make me feel renewed and energized at the same time, but I just find myself being even more exhausted.  I’ve continued to stick with it though, so that’s something at least.

Today I took my frustration out on a big pot of potatoes.  I had a bag of them that I’d been needing to use so I decided to make mashed potatoes for dinner tonight.  I mashed the ever living schmidt out of those potatoes.  I may or may not have cried a little as I mashed… I’ll never tell.  When they were done I had a little taste and I swear I almost ate the whole big pot.  Comfort food rocks my world.

Well, here’s hoping that the weeks to come bring some rest, some peace.  I could use a fluffy place to land.

The whole family

If you’ve read my blog with any regularity you know that I suffered from a car accident, a pregnancy and subsequent birth of the Pork Chop last year. 2011 has been filled with craziness including a scary run in with Hurricane Irene.  With everything that’s been going on I’ve hardly had a moment to myself.  I took to my journal to really look at what my life had become.  I realized just how unhappy I’ve been.  While I love being a mother, not spending any time pursuing a hobby or interest has made me pretty one dimensional.  If I do anything it’s for my kids or my husband, not for myself.  My body is certainly showing the after effects of my pregnancy and depression in the form of 40 lbs that need to take a hike.  I easily turn to junk food and picked up my bad soda habit again.  Writing this out for anyone to see is difficult because it showcases everything I don’t like about myself lately.

The upside to this is that I decided to finally do something about.  I wrote a list of three specific large goals and broke it down into easily accomplished steps.  It was inspiring!

And then I let it sit there for three weeks.

I didn’t do anything.  I kept eating junk food, I kept burning myself out on trying to be super mom, I moaned and complained when I looked in the mirror.

That all changed today and I couldn’t be more excited.  I got off my butt, threw on my running shoes, strapped the Pork Chop and Bubba into their seats and drove to the gym!  Well, first I drove to KMart to get a new lock because my old one was clamped to the side of my gym bag and I couldn’t remember the combination because it had been over a year since I last used it.  But then I went right to the gym!  I dropped the kidlins off in the child care room and hit the treadmill.  My completely awesome playlist and my Kindle kept me busy and the next thing I knew, 45 minutes had passed!  I decided to stop there not wanting to overdue it on my first day back.  I felt so good to just walk and walk and walk.  I didn’t have anyone crying or saying “heymomheymomheymomheymomheymom…”.  I had a smile on my face when I saw the kids again.  I went home and ignored the soda and poured a nice glass of water instead.  It’s a promising start and I’m ready to get back to a happier, healthier me.

If you’re in the mood for something fresh and local, try googling farmers markets in your area… or just go for a little road trip – you never know what you may find!