Thinking about TV

One of my besties, calicobebop, wrote some interesting things on her blog about TV today, and it got me thinking about this addiction that I suddenly have.

Over the last few years, I cut back on TV and was reading more. But it is hard to read with a little one in my arms, so I am now suckling the glass teet. (I can't take credit for that. Stephen King coined it) I have to admit, last year I only had one or two shows I was hooked on, mainly 30Rock and the Office. I am not a big drama/mystery person. I have dabbled in them, but I never get hooked. I crave a good comedy like a crack addict craves a 24 hour crack binge. (did I really just say that? Yes, yes, I did!)

The season though has shocked me with some really exciting new shows!The comedy has returned in full swing. Shows like Modern Family, Community, Parks and Recreation and Glee are just dominating my world right now and thankfully so. I no longer find myself jones-ing for Tina Fey's one liners or Steve Carell's pratfalls because I am content all week long.

First, I would like to discuss Glee because it was on last night and is fresh in my mind. It is about a developing high school Glee club who are struggling with all of the teenage angst and typical high school stereotypes. Their leader Mr. Schuester, the Spanish teacher, is adorable and presents a very underdog hero type of character who is married to a lying, conniving, mess of a wife. He has a budding rivalry with Jane Lynch who has played in movies such as, Best in Show and Role Models. She is just hilarious! Her role as Sue Sylvester, the cheer leading coach/Nazi is brilliant. Each of the students has their own story line too and they are all diverse individuals. Each episode has highlighted the diversity and struggles teens experience because of their diversity, but in a humorous way. This is the first time I can ever remembering seeing an openly homosexual male teen on a TV show. Sure we had Matt on Melrose Place (the original), but I am talking about a teenager who is so confident of his sexuality he really epitomizes most of the gay male traits that make them so different and "laugh with us not at us" funny. Then they have the physically handicapped as well the Jewish, the African American and the Asian ethnicity's all represented extremely well. I haven't seen a South American/Central American representation yet, but I'm sure that will pop up soon. I think as far as the story lines go, they just get better and better every week. I do have one small criticism though.
I don't care for the lip synched, over processed songs. It is a bit too obvious.The actors are really signing, but it is pre-recorded and I think it would present better if they were actually singing while taping.
However, most of the music is from my generation not theirs, so it is nice to travel down that forgotten road. I mean, do the kids today even know who Young MC is? I do, because I have rocked Young MC not once, but twice in a public Karaoke forum. Just a quick Breedale fact for you!
I like watching the dances they perform too, but I tune in mostly for the amazingly suspenseful plot lines. I am anxious to see what will happen when all of the twists finally come out. Like, will Mr. Schuester find out the truth about what his wife is up to? And will someone ever throw Finn a clue as to how he is being manipulated by Quinn? Will Rachel ever not get the lead role and will she and Finn ever be together? Finally, will the OCD guidance councilor, Emma, marry coach Tanaka or will she tell Mr. Schuester how she feels about him?
I love the beginning when they recap the last episode. It reminds me of the comedy Soap from the 80's. I used to love that show as a kid. It sort of has the same plot twists as well, but with signing and dancing. Ultimately, I just find Glee to be a very fresh show that allows me to escape for an hour and relive my high school experience without actually having to see those awful people again.

I have plenty more new TV shows to discuss, but I will only do one blog at a time about them. So, look for my next post when I will tell you all about my absolute favorite parody of my career, or one that comes the closest.

A challenge, to say the least

Ok, so calicobebop threw down the gauntlet and challenged me to complete this list. For a wordy person such as myself, this is not an easy feat. I will give it a try though.


Here are The Rules:

USE ONLY ONE WORD! It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit yourself and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers so try your best.
Let all of your blogger friends know that you think they are 'Over the Top'!

1. Where is your cell phone? hypothetical
2.Your hair? clean
3. Your mother? capricious
4. Your father? complacent
5. Your favorite food? pineapple
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? smoothies
8. Your dream/goal? published
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? nagging
11. Your fear? Aliens
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? rich
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. Something that you aren’t? thin
15. Muffins? Where?
16. Wish list item? Vitamix
17. Where did you grow up? North
18. Last thing you did? E-mail
19. What are you wearing? Skirt
20. Your TV? Overworked
21. Your pets? boundless
22. Friends? dwindling
23. Your life? repetitive
24. Your mood? snarky
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Escape
27. Something you’re not wearing? Earrings
28. Your favorite store? Target
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Class
31. Last time you cried? Movie
32. Your best friend? afar
33. One place that I go to over and over? Work
34. One person who emails me regularly? Gram
35. Favorite place to eat? Lovey's

I really wanted this to be humorous, but then it wouldn't have followed the rules. So, give this a try. It is much harder than it looks!

100th post for my slacker blog!

Yes, it is true. I am a slacker when it comes to my blog. I have become more of a blog reader, less of a blog poster. I find myself not posting because I don't always have pictures uploaded and ready to go. I find myself not posting because I am censoring what I write because I know so many of my readers personally, and I don't want to insult or upset any of them. I find myself with so many things to say on a daily basis and too much fear to allow me to post freely. Fears like, I'm not really an expert at that so I shouldn't post about that, or no one wants to read about that, or posting about that will confuse my readers because my blog is about this. Then I think well, what really is my blog about. It is about me isn't it? It is not just about my kids or the food I eat, but about me and my life. I ask myself what can I do to get more readers, more followers and I find myself feeling like I did in high school, wishing to be the most popular girl. What is that about? That is not the purpose of my blog and that is not the purpose of my life.
I guess it goes along with my last post about who I am. I started my blog in an effort to uncover more of the real me through all of the spiritual, crafty, food related endeavors in which I was participating and somehow I keep feeling like if it is not related to those things I shouldn't post. I feel like my blog should be witty and discuss things people think about most often. It should have funny pictures and sayings and it should draw attention. I think my readers should know what is coming next and have their expectations met as far as what my blog is about.

But I am sick of that. I have so much to say about me, about being a thirty something woman who happens to be a mom. I know I shouldn't look backwards but I used to be so cool, at least in my mind. I used to do fun, awesome things. I went to concerts A LOT. I met famous people, I went to lots of parties and I danced all the time. I can't remember the last time I went dancing. I used to run and take yoga classes. I used to swim and try to surf. I used to have a life a participated in fully. Now I have a different life. I change diapers and grade papers. I make meals that fit our budget and feed all of us. I clean up cat puke, dog puke and kid puke. I worry about money constantly and I worry about the kids and the pets. I want to do all of those things, but I want some of the glory days back too, where I could dance whenever I wanted. I want my blog to be a place where I can reminisce one minute and dream the next. I want my blog to not be categorized into some neat little box. I want to unabashedly talk about whatever comes up.

I think what I need and what this blog needs is for me to just be me with no limits or set expectations. I need to just write what I want and not worry who is reading and I need to dance wherever I am no matter who is watching.
For those of you who do read my blog. I thank you for sticking with me and supporting me. It means the world to me to know there are people out there who care!

Who am I?

I know that is such a deep question for a random Tuesday but I find myself staring off repeating "Who am I?" over and over in a Brian-esqe way ala the Breakfast Club sans pencil in mouth. I recently watched a very powerful documentary, Crazy, Sexy Cancer that got me a little fired up. It is about a woman, Kris Carr, who was diagnosed with an incurable type of cancer. She documents her journey as she finds life rather than accepting death. It has stayed with me for many days because while most of us take life for granted she received a renewal warning, so to speak, and sought ways to spend her time engaging life rather than hiding from it.

I wonder, am I too attached to the traditional beliefs about what a life should be. I have the husband, the house, the two kids and six pets. Am I happy? Of course, but am I content with that? No. I want more. I want something greater than the surface life. I believe we are meant to live a life of experience and working ourselves sick and still not having money to have experiences is not a life. It is a prison sentence. I feel like I have stopped living. I go to work. I try to spend as much time as I can with my family and then I go back to work. I need to know who I am though before I know what will make me happy and that is where the dilemma occurs. I told you it was too deep for a Tuesday!

In other happy news, I have released 7 yes, 7 pounds in two weeks!!!!

For me, it was extremely easy because I had some kind of severe cold/flu/bug thing and I knew if I ate it would take longer for me to heal. So, I went on a sort of fast for two days. I drank water, juice and broth. Then I was better and I stuck to just fruits, veggies, nuts and beans and a little amount of cooked whole grains. I eliminated all meat, dairy, pasta, bread, sugar and processed foods. I went back to starting the day with green smoothies. I have a salad and a non fat soup with veggies and beans for lunch. For dinner, I have another salad and brown rice or quinoa and some steamed veggies or beans. I make my own salad dressing. I drink water or green tea in between my meals.

I started this because I am sick of saying I want to be a person who eats healthy, runs and does yoga. I am going to become the person I keep saying I want to be. What has made me happier than the weight loss is the way I feel. I am calmer. I have more mental clarity. I have more energy and I don't feel so emotionally up and down. I enjoy being a raw/vegan. I am not starting off 100% raw because I don't want to detox too fast and I really like cooked grains and beans too much. I am taking it slowly. But I feel better. That is what counts! I will keep documenting this but I am not calling it a diet. It is a way of life and I am now living the life I feel in my heart is the life I have been called to for sometime. I know this is just the beginning of finding the answer to the question of who I am.

Gifts and things

I have received some of the nicest things for the girls from my fellow crafters and I thought I should share some pictures.

This first picture is of baby J with a gorgeous knitted blanket from her auntie Amy. Amy is one of my best friends and we began knitting around the same time last year. Her skills already surpass mine and I am thrilled to be a recipient of her wares! The picture doesn't do it justice because the yarn is white mixed with all different pastel colors and it is very soft. It is just the right weight too. It is an absolute perfect gift!


This week, Justin's aunt Cyndi sent us these absolutely gorgeous quilts for the girls. I am still a beginner seamstress, but I hope one day I will excel at making quilts like these. I am honored and that aunt Cyndi thought of us in this way. I also feel so elated when someone makes something by hand for me or my family. It is just such a caring sentiment. I recognize that so much more now that I make things myself, because I realize all of the time and energy that goes into the gift. Aren't these just gorgeous?
Little J had stayed home from school sick the day the box came and she scooped it up after ooh and aahing over it, wrapped herself up in it and went straight to the couch. She is calling it her blankie and she even begged to bring it to school with her the next day. She has slept with it every night since she got it. She said, " How did aunt Cyndi know I love pink? This is the prettiest pink blanket I HAVE EVER SEEN!" (the capital letters are to show how her voice raised an octave and about three decibels in volume)
Cyndi was worried that baby J's quilt would not be big enough for her. So, I spread her out to show how she fits perfectly on it. I think it will be the perfect size for a snuggly blanket when she gets bigger. Just to prove how special it is, J decided to roll over for the first time on it too! We took video of it, which I hope to post later. Her teacher told me she had rolled over from back to belly at school, but we hadn't seen it yet. We put this gorgeous quilt on the floor and she rolled over to look at it herself. I wish you could see the ragged edges in between the squares. It is just amazing. I can't even fathom how she did that, but I hope one day she'll teach me :)
And now for some funnies... Baby J has this new habit of opening her mouth really wide at me and lunging for my face. I guess it is sort of kiss style. She has gotten into the habit of doing it whenever she sees me or little J. So, I managed to capture this picture of her lunging at me with mouth open. Little J decided to join in too!

I thought this was so funny. The cat was rubbing her face on Jinjee's tail and Jinjee was kind of shocked by it.

I liked this picture because the dogs and the cat are all squeezed onto the dog bed and the fat boy cat, Jett was happy to have the couch all to himself! Yes, with all of the creatures and children at our house there is never a shortage of laughter.

I will leave this post with a picture of the mums growing in my front yard. I love the pink and orange combination! More fall pictures to come!

Still lots of healthy eating going on!

Despite my recent post lamenting my frustration with weight, I still try to make the majority of our meals healthy. I thought I would post a few of my favorite recent meals that were raw vegan or just raw.

This first one is a combo of so many I have seen before. I was craving taco's so I made a taco meat out of almonds, Braggs, cumin and chili powder. I am really bad at measuring because I enjoy doing everything by sight. I used a cup and a half of almonds which were soaked overnight. Everything else was just to sight and taste. I also added a sprinkling of water to make the "meat" feel a little more moist. In the food processor, I chopped up some mixed greens that were left over, diced some tomatoes and mashed avocado to use as toppings. We used Romaine leaves and/or whole grain wraps to roll it all in. It was a tasty last minute dish to fulfill my cravings.

This is a typical easy and cheap vegan meal. It is just plain brown rice, sauteed zucchini and squash with onions and on the side just some plain ole' black eyed peas. I top my rice with a little tamari and it is just awesome!

As much as I hate eating pasta for health reasons, it is cheap, filling and versatile. This is garden rotini w/ my herbed tomato sauce with zucchini, squash, and spinach. I also added pinto beans and light kidneys for extra protein and fiber. The leftovers provided lunch for the rest of the week.
I have started using my Sundays to prep two soups. I package some to eat during the week and put the rest in the freezer in single serving sizes so we can take them for lunch on days there are no leftovers from dinner the night before. My freezer currently has about 8-10 servings to last through the month. These are pictures of the soups I made last Sunday.

This is vegan cream of potato soup. I used Bianca's recipe from her Vegan Crunk Test cook book as a guide, but I didn't have enough of the necessary ingredients so I improvised. The creamy base is supposed to be soy milk, but I only had a tiny bit. So, I blended some potatoes with broth and Braggs and it turned out really well. I made my own broth for these soups because I have been avoiding MSG and extra preservatives. I just use end pieces from various veggies, boil them down and drain. I add a little olive oil to the broth so it has some added fat, but not much. I added a bag of frozen mixed veggies, chopped potatoes with skins scrubbed and rosemary and garlic. It was good. I just finished a bowl while writing this. I season it with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
OMG! This is the best soup I have made so far. I had cooked some dried black beans for a recipe and I had a lot left over. I pureed what was left and added them to a large can of diced tomatoes. I diced some carrot, celery, onion and garlic and sauteed in olives oil and then added those and some broth/water to the mix. I seasoned with chili powder, cumin and dried coriander. I would have liked to use fresh cilantro but I didn't have any. I also used some red pepper flakes for the heat. I surprised myself when I tasted it. It was that good! I wish my presentation made it look more appealing but I snapped that picture as an afterthought while packaging it.

Below are some basic salads that utilized a lot of the fresh veggies our family and co-workers passed on to us from their gardens. I think all of my whining about not having a garden this year made them feel sorry for me. I am glad it worked though because I enjoyed the fresh goodies immensely!
I have discovered what I have been afraid to admit. It is not the food I am eating that is preventing me from losing weight. It is the amounts. I need to focus more on portion size. If I can control my portions I will probably drop pounds without trying too hard. So, I will continue to make great dishes like these but will just put less on the plate! I am thinking about what to make with two acorn squashes, so hopefully I have pictures from that soon.

Live like a dog

I got this as an e-mail today and I thought I would share it. I put a picture of my own dogs because it made me think of them and I love them so much! Jake and Jinjee.(PS: Cats rock too! I am not biased.)

Dogs are born knowing how to:

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

* * *

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!