Profound or just lack of sleep..

Brian gets totally frustrated with me during the summer. I am always doing a million different things, and I am constantly tired. Yet, I have a tendency to stay up until all hours of the night (1:00 am right now). I am not sure why this is. I have talked about this very trait with other moms only to find they do the same thing. Part of it is probably the peace that comes from a quiet sleepy house. For me, part of it is just because I can. During the school year I could never get away with staying up this late. 5 am comes early, and teaching middle school takes a lot of energy. Johanna has become quite the early riser this summer. Lately, she has been waking up between 6 and 6:30. I guess this is not that much of a difference from the school year, and taking care of a toddler definitely takes a lot of energy. Yet, here I am....still awake.

I go back to school full-time on Friday. That is not to say I haven't been working already. I have been working in my room almost everyday..including weekends. It is going to be hard to transition Johanna back to the craziness of the school year. Not that the summer hasn't been crazy. This summer has been especially hectic. But, school year craziness has a life all it's own. Plus, it reintroduces the age-old dilemma that many mothers face-

I feel torn between who I am at work and who I am at home. I am a confident, capable, knowledgeable professional who loves nothing more than nuzzling tousled hair and pretending I'm a kitty. I want to make a difference in the lives of children and show them what is truly important in life while showing my family that they are what is important in my life. I want to teach children to learn and show them that they truly have the ability to achieve their dreams and that their mind is a powerful tool, if they would use it. I want to teach them to dream big and that while they cannot control their circumstances, they certainly can control how they react to those circumstances.... may we all rise above. I want to instill these same values in my own child and show her the importance of helping others while still ensuring her that she comes first. I want to be able to hear her say "I woked up, Mommy" every morning and sleepily say "I can't take a nap" before drifting off to sleep in the afternoon. I want to play playdoh, bake cookies, go to the library, and watch Little Einsteins snuggled on the couch at 7 a.m. I want to go grocery shopping at three stores in one day and buy Jo a giant cookie at one of the stores. I want to always have time to find and let her drive the "car" cart and try to find the moon during the day. I want to draw sidewalk chalk, play at the park, and have picnics with special treats. I want to dance at storytime, and watch her take gymnastics. I want to pick berries and stop at the park to eat some on the way home. I want to read all the children's library books, push trains through the tunnel, build things with blocks, and put all the dolls to sleep "just like mommy." I want to be there for the student who has been hurt and abused by others, who feels they have no one else who believes in them. I want to show they that they can do it; they are valuable. I want to be there for the students who get evicted and lose everything they have or the student whose parent abandons them for a life of selfish indulgence. I wanted to be there for my student who committed suicide. I want to show them that there is hope, God loves them, they all have something to hang on for. I want to do all this without having to hear my daughter say "I miss you really much when you go to work mommy."

These are the things that keep me up at night....

Things to ponder...

I have learned a lot while enjoying my summer of cooking and baking. Brian and I have both become much healthier (minus the occasional day or two of splurging!) while participating in a weight-loss challenge that I helped to organize. We have become much more aware of what we are putting into our bodies and it's overall value, or lack thereof. We were kind of healthy before, but I definitely have felt convicted to take it to the next level. So.... now you all get to hear about it! My convictions have moved past the use of white flour, potatoes, and bread and have once again focused on foods that are good for our bodies as well as the world around us. Johanna and I love going to the farmers market on Saturday mornings. My little early riser (she's usually up by 7) makes it easy for us to be there when they open at 8. I have to admit that I am extremely blessed because I never really have to buy produce. My dad has 4 gardens this summer, and I am one lucky recipient of MUCH produce!! We get to eat lots of fresh veggies with every meal.

Beyond supporting local farmers who use safe practices (no use of pesticides or other poisons), the farmers market encouraged me to become an avid researcher about our food industry. Most recently, my research has centered around our meat industry. What I have discovered has scared the living daylights out of me! To learn more, check out this movie trailer, and if Food Inc. is still playing in a theater near you then you should definitely go see it. If the movie trailer peaked your interest then you should read this.


All I can now say is that I have a renewed conviction to buy less but of better quality by supporting farmers who offer foods that are safe for me and Brian, but most importantly foods that are safe for my growing baby. Who knows what the developmental effects of these horrible practices will be down the road? My goal is for me to make these changes without increasing my grocery budget, but by changing a few things around. So far it has been a success! I will keep you posted....

Feel free to ask questions, or let me know what you think!

Yuummmm!

I have been cooking up a storm this summer and enjoying every second of it! I already have my freezer meals pretty much done (minus freezer coleslaw) for the end of August (this is a rare moment, so let me enjoy it.....ahhhhhhh.......ok, I am done now). Johanna helped me make one of the recipes yesterday- Multi-Grain Waffles. Brian and I have both been pretty focused on trying to become healthier. Not that we were extremely unhealthy before, but I am becoming very diligent about what my family puts into their bodies. I wanted to do a waffle for freezer meals. They are great because you can just take out what you want and pop them in the toaster or oven for a quick and tasty breakfast. So, I felt like I should share this recipe. They were delicious and not difficult to make. I used a Belgium waffle iron, but a regular waffle iron would work fine.

• 2 cups buttermilk ( or 2 cups regular milk and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)
  
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour(I use unbleached of course)
  
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ or cornmeal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Tips: I doubled this recipe to make lots to freeze. To make even healthier you could use half brown sugar and half splenda. You could also use ground flax seed in place of the wheat germ or cornmeal. You could also use only half the egg yolks and sub in extra whites.
To make vegan: substitute the buttermilk with 1 c soymilk + 1T apple cider vinegar for every cup buttermilk. Then substitute egg with Ener-G egg replacer (or other egg replacer), or for a healthier version, 1 egg = 1T ground flax seeds beat with 3T hot water. This adds a nice flax taste. You may want to use the equivalent of 1 egg though (not 2 as recipe calls for) because flax is very gummy and could make the batter quite dense.

We're Baaacccck!

Many of you know that we recently returned from our trip to Florida. Overall the kids really did great. Driving that far with three adults and three kids 5 and under was quite an adventure. I will break it down to save you the 100 page post of details.

Day 1:
Left at 11:30 am. BAD IDEA! This meant that we didn't get into the hotel just south of Columbia, South Carolina until after midnight. This resulted in a huge mental breakdown by Johanna. She woke up when I got her into the hotel. She was so disoriented and scared (didn't know where she was) that she just screamed and cried for about 20 minutes. She kept trying to leave the room. It was horrible. She eventually settled down and slept with me until she fell off the bed at 5:30 am. Day one also involved numerous potty stops and us rearranging the van seating arrangements about 3 times. The good news was that we knew it could only get better!

Day 2: Much better than day one. We filled up on the continental breakfast at the hotel and were off. We made less stops since we had a potty chair in the van. GOOD IDEA. It is slightly dangerous, but with three potty trained kids, you'd otherwise be stopping every hour for someone to go. The van arrangement was much better. We got into Grandmas (just north of Fort Meyers) by about 7:30. We set up bed for the kids and let them get some sleep while we tried to decompress.

Day 3: We went to the beach which was a huge hit with Johanna. She LOVED the ocean! I had her in a life-vest and a waist float. She lover holding on to me while we jumped over the waves. She never wanted to get out, and still talks about going back to the beach!

Day 4: We went to Jungle Gardens in Sarasota. The kids loved it. It rained really hard right after we got there, so we left to eat lunch hoping that it would let up. It did and we went back and enjoyed the rest of the day there. It was hot and kinda crazy, but good. Johanna got to feed flamingos (she calls them "mingos"). It was so adorable!

Day 5: We tried to go back to the beach, but it was so windy. I was actually way to scared to take Johanna in the water. Luckily we found our way to a local pool where the kids had a blast all morning. We left just in time to avoid some rain.

Day 6: We hung around the house a lot more because we were leaving early the next day. With the thought of trying to pack wet clothes giving us morning nightmares, we decided to keep it low key and played around the house for the morning. We had an early birthday party for Sierra after Johanna's nap. It was a surprise! Grandma brought a cake and made goody bags for all the kids. It was a blast. We then went out to dinner and played at the mall until it was time for bed (for the kids that is). We stayed up late to pack and load the luggage rack.

Day 7: Thankfully Johanna woke me up at 2:30 in the morning. Yes, I am serious. Since I didn't want to wake up the whole house, I basically just tried to keep her quiet (and pointlessly tried to make her sleep) until others got up. We were on the road before 8, and got to our hotel in North Carolina by around 8 or so. We finally got the kids to bed...thinking Jo would sleep well after getting up so early.

Day8: Johanna woke up at 4:50 in the morning. I think this girl is allergic to sleep away from home. Luckily I could just take her out of the room so we didn't wake anyone else up. We hung out until the front desk lady graciously opened the continental breakfast early just for me (at 6:00 am). By the time we were done eating, others were up and we could get loaded. We made it back to Wooster by about 5:30 pm. Needless to say, I was glad to be home......and TIRED!

The next day (July 4th), Brian, Jo and I went out of town (because I am nuts). We went up to Mespo, Ohio for the annual ox roast and flea market. It was a good time, and Johanna did well (minus peeing all over her car seat while sleeping on the way home). We made it back to Wooster to go to our annual hangout for a cookout and fireworks (yay cicconetti's!). All in all, I survived. That's all I have to say about that.

I took all my pics on my new phone, and can't quite figure out how to get them onto my blog. So, until then, here is one of the only pics I took on my actual camera-

Funny Story and Insanity...

Let's start with the funny story...
Johanna was eating lunch and watching Micky Mouse Clubhouse while I was cleaning up from a play-date. While I scraped Playdoh off my floor, I remember watching her eat her grilled cheese as she was engrossed in the storyline. After her show was over, it was time for nap. She promptly said "No no mommy. I have to finish eating first." She proceeded to look at her pretty much empty plate (only a few small remnants of cottage cheese). She look right at me with suspicious eyes and asked "Mommy, where my sandwich?" I told her that she already ate it, but she obviously didn't believe me. Next came "Mommy, where you put my sandwich? You eat it?" Now apparently I am a lying mother who steals food from her child. I think maybe she eventually believed that she ate it.

Now to the insanity- Friday morning I leave for Florida. Going will be my mom, my sister and her two kids (ages 3 and 5), as well as Johanna and myself. Did I mention we are driving? I am not packed yet. I can't seem to get past the enormity of the whole trip. So, please hold us in your thoughts and prayers. I will be back to blogging upon my return. I am sure that I will have stories of the trip as well as stories of how Brian spent his week of man-time at home all alone. Until then, have a great summer and a HAPPY FORTH OF JULY!

Conference Momference..what I learned about math and dads

I just got back from a week long intense conference surrounding our math curriculum called- Connected Mathematics 2. It was up at Michigan State University. It was Monday through Friday ALL DAY each day. It was awesome, and I learned a whole lot. In fact, I learned so much that I still am not able to process through a lot of it. I think I need more time to decompress. If any of you teachers are interested, I definitely recommend checking out this very progressive curriculum. It is all inquiry based and totally different than what I ever experienced in math class growing up.

While I was gone, Brian and Jo were left to fend for themselves. I am happy to report that they are both still in one piece. I resisted the urge to ask Brian what she ate everyday (although I did notice that no veggies seemed to have been consumed by Johanna while I was gone). I took a step back and realized that this week would be good for Brian, Johanna, and their relationship with each other. I was totally correct on that one. While Johanna did miss me (our daily conversations consisted of her telling me she loved me, missed me, wanted me to come home, and talking about her "countdown until mommy comes home" that I left for her) , she totally LOVED all the daddy time. I know Brian did too. He kept talking about how lovey she was to him all week. He totally ate up all the "no mommy around" attention, which is good. So, while she was so adorably happy to see me, she also wanted Brian. When I was putting her to bed last night (she always wants mommy) she cried for daddy to come too. He was running an errand, so I let her call him on the phone. She promptly told him that he had to come home, and he was on his way! We waited in her room and did the usual bedtime books and songs. When he got home and walked up the stairs she shouted "My Daddy, My Daddy, That's MY DADDY!" and ran to give him a gigantic hug. It was priceless. Thankfully, she still wanted mommy to give her the last goodnight "hug kiss", but her relationship with daddy has changed in an extra special way. I am so thankful that she has such an amazing daddy- one who loves her soooooooo much and is so supportive of mommy and her job. Even though I know you probably won't read this- Thank you for all that you do. You are the love of my life- HAPPY FATHER'S Day!

Like Promised...

Don't miss my update below this post.

Here are the first two recipes. For you Amanda and Sam!!

Mexican Lasagna

1 pkg. cream cheese (I use low fat)
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I use whatever I have that would be good with Mexican)
1 can enchilada sauce (28oz) (I make my own using McCormick seasonings packet and tomato
sauce...cheaper)
12 (6 in) corn tortillas
3 cups dices or shredded cooked chicken (I use black beans for a vegetarian version)
2/3 c. chopped onion- divide into 3 equal piles

Place cream cheese in a medium microwave safe bowl, and micro on high for 30-45 sec. or until very soft. Add cilantro and 1.5 cups of the cheese, mix well. Spread 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 3 qt. baking dish. Pour remaining suace into a large bowl and set aside.

TO assemble the lasagna, dip four tortillas into the enchilada sauce in the large bowl and arrange over the sauce in your baking dish (you may want to use tongs), overlapping as necessary. Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture over the tortillas and spread evenly ( I actually use my hands and then a spatula to do this). Top with 1 cup of the chicken and 1/3 of the onion (1 pile once you have divided). Repeat layers one time. Dip the remaining 4 tortillas into sauce and arrange over the second layer. Top with remaining chicken and onion. Pour remaining sauce over lasagna and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese (I sometimes add a little more!).

Bake covered at 350 about 35- 40 minutes, or until center is hot (depends on your oven). You may want to remove the cover for the last 10 minutes or so to make the top cheese nice and bubbly! Feel free to garnish with more fresh cilantro.

Freezer- I made four of these at once and froze all of them. Just assemble the lasagnas, cover with plastic warp and several layers of good foil and keep in your freezer. When ready to eat, thaw completely in fridge and cook according to the regular directions.

Big deal- if you happen to have a pampered chef deep covered baker (totally worth the money) I hope you know that you can use it in the microwave. You can use the stone to cook this lasagna in the micro in 12-15 minutes and it turns out perfect.

P.S.- I have more micro recipes for the deep covered baker. Let me know if you want them. Using this piece you can have dinner and dessert on the table in 30 minutes. YAY!

Chicken Neapolitan

This makes 2 (8 serving) meals for a total of 16 servings

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 c. chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minces
1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered (I have made this without mushrooms)
2 cans (10.75 ounces each) condensed tomato bisque soup (I have used regular tomato when
I couldn't find this. I just added a little cheese and a splash of cream)
3/4 c. red wine or beef broth
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium- high heat. Cook chicken for 8 minutes. Turn chicken; add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook for another 8 minutes or until chicken juices run clear (Mine look less than 8 minutes per side. Watch out for hot oil splashed. I had to turn my burner down slightly). Pour into a large bowl and cool (I removed the chicken and veggies with a slotted spoon to get rid of some of the grease).

In a bowl, whisk together the soup, wine or broth, basil and oregano; pour over the chicken. Pour evenly into 2 gallon freezer bags (make sure each bag gets 4 breast halves). Freeze flat.

To use frozen chicken: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Pour into a greased 2.5 quart baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes or until heated through. Serve over noodles or rice (I just make a side of minute brown rice to go with this). Feel free to garnish with olives and parsley if desired.

By request...

I have to start out by saying that summer is FABULOUS! I have been super busy, but I have been getting so much done. Our yard is slowly starting to look better, and my house is staying much less cluttered. I also managed to have a pampered chef party, actually clean my whole house, and make my June Freezer meals (sorry that were a little late, ladies!). Jo and I have been enjoying walks, bike rides, trips to the park, and lots of snuggles. Both of us are really glad I am home, which has made things extra nice. Unfortunately, I will be gone at a math conference in Michigan for the next week :( I am not sure how Johanna will do. I think this conference will be very beneficial and will save me TONS of time throughout the school year (it is a conference specifically about my math curriculum), but it is still hard to leave. The good news is that I think we found a full-time babysitter for when I got back to work in August. She is a Christian so she has similar values and discipline strategies as well as rules about what the kids can watch etc. She has two of her own (ages 3 and 1). She will be watching Jo one day while I am gone, so please pray that it goes well. Those of you who work know how difficult it is to find quality and consistent full-time childcare. It is hard enough to leave my baby, let alone not be totally comfortable about who I am leaving her with. This is one area we will not compromise, so I just hope that things work out as good as it seems like they should. I actually haven't been taking many pictures lately, so I need to get on that. I have just been enjoying being in the moment with Johanna. Throughout the past year, I have had a lot of people inquire about my freezer meal group. It truly is AWESOME! We are actually in the process to begin writing a book about how to form your own group, keep it organized, and of course many many tried and true recipes. I am going to include some recipes from my meals this last month. I also plan to start including recipes from previous months that I know are delicious. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

For fun- Jo at my great grandma's 95th b-day party



and Jo hanging with her buddy Katelyn (sorry about the red-eye...I am being lazy right now)

humph........

I am sure that you can tell I have been doing some rearranging. I even spent two hours the other evening learning how to write html code and was able to add my widgits back to my new page. There are still some kinks to work out, so bare with me!

For some reason I have been feeling a little grumpy lately. I guess it is just one of those weeks. I was really sick with a sinus infection, but I am feeling a lot better. Overall things have been good. I only have 8 days left with kids (at school). I am so ready for summer. I will be spending some of my summer working on school stuff (at least one week long conference), but I still plan on spending lots of quality time with Jo.

Jo is doing pretty well. She struggles with spring allergies. I feel so bad for her! She has had a lot of drama surrounding her naps and bedtimes lately (that's probably why I am grumpy!). She cried before her nap, but then sleeps for a long time. She also has been waking up once a night. It started with scary dreams about spiders, but now it is just so we will hold her. So, I've started refusing to pick her up. I just tell her to lay back down and give her hugs and kisses in her crib. I hope it gets better soon. I think we will transition her to a big girls bed soon. I want to redo her bedroom this summer. I will have to enlist some ideas from you all!

Easter and Mothers Day were great. We celebrated Easter with both families which was really nice. On Mothers Day Jo and Brian brought me breakfast in bed, and took me out to dinner and dessert. Jo was so cute when she gave me her card. She even said "Happy Moders Day!" The rest of the day she kept telling me "Happy Easter Mommy" which was pretty funny too!

We have lots of stuff coming up. Brian and I leave for Boston on Friday. I have a shower and bachlorette party to attend for my friend Mere who is getting married this summer. YAY- I can't wait! Brian lived in Boston for a short time and is excited to get to visit for the weekend. I will also be taking a trip at the end of June to visit my Grandma in Florida. Don't be jealous yet because I am going with Johanna (age 2), my mom, my sister, and my sister's two kids (ages 3 and 5). Did I mention we are driving? Yes, I am nuts. Yes, I will be taking sedatives.

At the end of July I will have Mere's wedding. I decided that I need to lose like 20 pounds before then. The bridesmaid dress doesn't come with a corresponding jacket to cover any flab ;) I kept telling myself to lose the weight now. I would lose like 10 pounds and then gain it back. Who am I kidding....I have always been a procrastinator about that stuff. I am coming down to the wire soon though, so I'd better start!

I think that about covers a general update on the miller clan. I am sure that I will get back to more regular posting with school letting out. YAY!! Anyone who thinks that teachers have it easy to have summers off should spend 180 school days with seventh graders. I dare them to make it a week without needing to be sedated or going postal! Oh, and they should probably be reminded that many teachers work 60- 70 hours a week during the school year (grading papers, planning lessons, etc. on your own time).

Ok, I am really done this time...but here are some recent pics for your viewing pleasure! The last one is nothing less than....SUPER JOHANNA!

Party Time!

.......a Potty Party that is!!! Here are some before pictures. I'll post some during pictures at the end of the week.

Here is the main potty party set-up

A sign to remind her about using the potty

Her sticker chart and stickers



Let's not forget the prizes!! The orange bag candy treats are for tinkles, and the black bag bigger prizes are for the big deuce!!

Last, but not least...the snacks to make her want to drink a lot. I am so cruel!


We started out day one (Monday) by gathering all the diapers and packaging them up for the "diaper fairy" to take to all the babies who still need to wear diapers. She was very into this! We then put on a pair of "big girl" panties and she got to open her "potty presents." She started playing with the doll right away. She was very into feeding the doll and then making the doll go on the potty! We watched the potty time Elmo video which is actually pretty cute. She was very into the idea, but I knew she really didn't understand yet. She held it most of the morning, but between 10 and 12 she peed through 6 pair of underwear! Luckily, after lunch she had a success. She started recognizing the she was going right after she started and I was able to get her on the potty before it all came out! I later found out from other moms that this was pretty good for day one!

By day two she was having a more of what she did on day one. I was beginning to question whether or not she "got it" or if she needed to have more time (wait until summer), but that evening she had a HUGE success. She told me she had to "tinkle potty" and she made it to the potty for the whole thing. This was VERY exciting!!!

Today (day three) was great in my eyes. She had only one minor accident this morning while we were baking cupcakes. She peed in the potty the rest of the day (Praise the Lord)! She even stayed dry on a long trip to pick up Brian's truck from the mechanic's house.

I know that we will still have set-backs, and I am not trying to night-train yet, but I am soooooo proud of my little girl. She is such a trooper and didn't give up, even when she got frustrated. I pray she continues to have perseverance throughout her life.

My little girl is growing up.

Potty Time

The time is finally here. I am going to start trying to potty train Johanna starting tomorrow. I have everything ready (I even took pics which I will post later) including candy, prizes, elmo potty book, elmo potty dvd, salty snacks (like pretzels) to ensure lots of drinking, flushable wipes, juice boxes, a couple potty's, and hopefully an extra dose of patience! I will keep everyone posted!

What do you all think....

I have been saving this article to post here. I am sure I will make someone angry. Let me know what you think!

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-block24-2008dec24,0,102434.story

Big Helper

I have to admit that the winter blahs have been trying to get me down. The weather warmed up some last week which helped. I was able to get out and exercise three days last week! However, the temperature took a typical Ohio winter plunge on Saturday evening. We are back in the teens with single digits tonight, and the wind chill is enough to want to keep everyone indoors. I guess I shouldn't even mention the stomach bug that has been bothering Brian and I the past few days....ugh

On a happier note, Johanna is cuter than ever. She is at such a fun age. I'll admit that 2 can be a challenging age, but overall I think it is a blast!! I had to write to mention two things that have been cracking me up.

First, Johanna is such a helper. She LOVES to help cook, clean, and do dishes. She helps unload the dishwasher and does a pretty good job! She can put her silverware away and sets all the other dishes she gets out on the counter. She especially loves to help mommy clean up after we make treats together. She loves to play in water, so washing dishes is a treat to her ( I wish I felt the same way!).

The other funny "two year old" behavior involves Johanna dancing, spinning, or walking around the house with her eyes closed. She thinks this is hilarious! She will sometimes "peek" to see if she is going to run into something, but that doesn't always save her! It is pretty funny to see. I got a video which kind of shows this, but it is hard to see that her eyes are closed when she won't hold still. Hopefully, the video will upload, but no promises since I can never get videos to upload on here!

New......

I just wanted to point out a few new things I have added to my blog. You can now check the weather at the bottom of my blog. You can actually just enter your own zip code (click the edit tab next to the city), and it should give you your local weather. Also, I have added a list of what I am cooking for dinner at the right. I get a lot of people inquire about what we eat for our meals, especially becuase I do the amazing freezer meal thing with some friends. I will try to update this part daily so you all can witness how much the freezer meals help and save time (and not to mention money!). I will put an "FM" next to any item that is a freezer meal item. Feel free to ask questions!

So Long...

Ahhhhh! I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. Well I guess I can considering it has been the craziest couple of weeks I can remember having. Here's a quick run down...

1. Johanna sick- fever
2. Brian working opposite shift (4pm- midnight) with only Sundays off to fill in for someone having surgery. So, we don't see each other.
3. Car breaks down on the way home from school
4. Johanna still sick
5. Try to tow car ourselves- bad idea.... Erupts into crazy afternoon landing Johanna and I in tears
6. Mommy now existing on the brink of insanity
7. Johanna still sick, so a doctor visit ensues....bronchitis it is
8. Lets just say I had a crazy week at work due to some stuff with another teacher in the district. You may have heard about it on the news....
9. Johanna is feeling better, but Daddy is getting sick
10. Mommy takes another day off of work to take care of her family (this is a good thing minus writing sub plans).
11. Daddy sick with infection and doc thinks maybe mono. FUN TIMES AT OUR HOUSE!
12. Car is still not fixed
13. Computer crashes

Ironic that this all ended at the number 13 right after Friday the 13th!

All things considered, we are terribly blessed. Things could be so much worse. Johanna is feeling better and almost back to being herself. I had to cancel her friend birthday party, but she was well for the family one (it was a week earlier). She had a GREAT birthday and loved her ELMO cake. Thanks for the many birthday wishes. I will post pics soon. We have our computer up and running to try and save all our info. Windows keeps crashing, so we'll see. There might be a new computer in our future. I just hope nothing else breaks. Our washing machine and stove will probably need replaced within the next year or so, but I hope they hang on for now!!

Kinda sad...

Johanna is turning 2 in a little over a week. Hard to believe, but true. She is changing so much everyday. She talks like such a big girl now- using three, four, and sometimes five word sentences regularly. She can count to 10 and sometimes 15. But, something happened the other day that made me realize she is officially not a baby anymore. Up until now if you asked her what her name was, she would say "Hanna." Well, yesterday when I asked her what her name was, she said...........................
.....................pause, and dramatic tear............"Johanna."






More to come- my blog got tagged as an interesting blog (thanks Amanda!). So, there is more about that to come. I will also tag some of my favorite blogs, so beeeeeee ready!

Weekend to remember...

Brian and I wanted to celebrate his birthday (this past Wednesday) tonight, so we asked Brian's parents to babysit. We also will be heading to Michigan tomorrow for my grandma's b-day party. So, Brian's parents are keeping Johanna overnight. This is not the first time. She has spent several nights at Brian's parents house and at my parents house while Brian and I were still in town. I think it is good for us and good for her. I love that she loves all her grandparents, and I love when Brian and I get an evening together. I must admit that we almost don't know what to do with the freedom. Each time we feel like kids again and talk about how we can't imagine that this is how it used to be all the time. Having Johanna is TOTALLY MORE than worth it (I don't even need to say that), but it reminds us of the daily sacrifice that parents make. It reminds me of how selfishly we lived before we had Johanna, and how different our life is now. I must admit, the thing we look most forward to is.......sleeping (get your mind out of the gutter!)!! I spend a lot of our alone time thinking.......WHAT IN THE WORLD DID WE DO WITH ALL OUR TIME BEFORE KIDS????? I mean really??

Anyhoo, we really enjoy the time, but we are always to happy to see this little mug again! This is Johanna on Christmas morning. She is wearing the apron and hat we got her (she loves to help in the kitchen) and playing with the toy diner that was her main present from us. Hamburger and fries anyone?

Bathroom reading...literally

I am totally tired from staying up to late to watch football, but I couldn't wait any longer to post these. I still have some major Christmas to post, but these were cracking me up!

Bathroom reading anyone?


I wonder who she gets this from?


I love the "foot rest" technique

Happy reading everyone!