No Lessons Learned Here!

Ok, so apparently, I have not mastered the word, "no". I guess I need to go back in time and pay attention to my daughter when she was 3. Now SHE had that word down perfectly!  Ha Ha.

I found myself reverting back to my old ways...our Our GS troop was not able to meet at our normal location this week due to a conflict, so there I am, taking a breath and saying "well, I guess we can have the meeting at my house". Well, it's for a good cause. Any time we can get a group of pre-teen girls together and do something productive that helps them feel good about themselves and learn to help others, is SO worth it! 

What I cooked Sunday

Tonight, I'm making venison meatballs simmering in homemade spaghetti sauce. My family happens to enjoy venison, especially when it was from our hunting adventures and even more so when I cook them in sauce I made from scratch and canned myself. Now, this might not be enjoyable for everyone, if you don't like venison, but we do. 

Enjoy!

Military Moms Need Help Too

It pains me to no end that my sister lives half way across the country with my 2 nieces while by brother-in-law is getting ready to leave for Afghanistan (again). I wish I lived closer so I could help her out when she needs it. However, there is a great program for spouses of deployed military personnel. One such example is Outdoor Edge, MN. (see link below). It may seem simple, but my sister needed help with her bicycle, and Outdoor Edge fixed her bike for FREE!  What a great gesture! From a big sister, I say THANK YOU! I wish more companies paid it forward and offered such services!  You all should be VERY proud of yourselves, we are!

http://OutdoorEdgeMN.com

Sunday Dinner

So, I have decided I will write what I cook every Sunday for dinner. As it is, I love to cook and meal time is very important to my family and I. I try really hard to have sit down dinners every night, but there are those rare occassions that we have to improvise due to activities. However, Sundays are reserved for a full sit down dinner.

Having said that, tonight's meal was homemade chicken pot pie, (yes kids, with the chicken!) and corn muffins from scratch. Yes, there is an ongoing joke about Mom remembering the chicken because one time I totally forgot to add the chicken in the chicken pot pie. So, as you can imagine, my children, God love them, NEVER let me forget about it. It's all good though, because it will always be a fun memory for our family and that is what makes our dinner time special. So, I don't mind some fun at my expense....

Saying "NO" and Feeling Guilty

I have to say, I accomplished a great feat for me this week. Amongst the chaos of having two kids with Strep throat and the second week in of a Statistics class, I said "no" to something. (and will admit, am feeling really guilty about it). BUT, for the past 7 years at work, I have been the representative within my department to coordinate holiday donations for our local Head Start program. Although, I truly feel that it is a great opportunity to help out other families in our area, it is a lot of work. I spend hours of collecting gifts, buying gifts from money donations, and then having to wrap everything. Whew...with everything else going on in my life, I have declined to participate this year, but did offer up the names of others who may be able to help out this year. Hopefully, someone else will be able to fill in this year. I am just hoping I don't feel guilty for too much longer.

Get Ready for Flu Season!! Vaccinate TODAY

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Sanofi Pasteur Begins Shipping Fluzone® Influenza Virus Vaccine in the U.S. July 16, 2012 The first lots of Fluzone vaccine have been shipped to U.S. health care providers following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure of the 2012-2013 formulation. This initial shipment represents the first of more than 60 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine the company plans to deliver to health care providers in the U.S. this influenza season. The US CDC recommends health care providers to begin offering influenza vaccine as soon as the vaccine becomes available and continue vaccination efforts throughout the entire influenza season. Read the press release Top of page

See also ... The Lancet: World's First Efficacy Results for Sanofi Pasteur Dengue Vaccine Candidate First vaccinations with Sanofi Pasteur’s inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in Japan US Senior Organization Supports CDC Flu Vaccination Recommendations World Hepatitis Day – July 28, 2012 HIV – Sanofi Pasteur endorses the Collaboration for HIV/AIDS Immunological Therapy (CHAIT)

My Week....

So I have spent my week so far, going to the doctor not once, but twice for my two middle schoolers who have strep throat. So, what was I to do...of course made homemade chicken noodle soup. On top of that..I have to get shots of steroids in my lower back tomorrow for a severly pinched sciatic nerve that has been reaking havoc on my left leg for 5 months now! Not that I'm afraid of needles or anything, I'm just nervous with it being my back. I am quite confident that I have been driving everyone around me crazy with the amount of pain I have been in because it hurts to walk, hurts to sit, and bend over to tie my shoes, yeah, forget that! Thank God for slip on shoes!!

Great Advice!

Sssh, Don't Tell The Kids

Ok, so this has been a really hectic weekend. Made homemade spaghetti sauce and salsa, then canned it. Spent hours in the car driving around, kids' soccer pics..I didn't even do my homework yet today. BUT, don't tell the kids, but I'm actually sitting in the living room, candles lit enjoying a really big glass of Moscato wine. I figure, if I be really quiet, nobody will interrupt me, so sshhh, don't tell the kids. Happy Sunday!!

Happy Hectic Is Good

WOW!  Isn't it funny how some things just work out. It has been an absolutely crazy week!  Going to work after a holiday weekend is nuts! To top that off, the kids had a soccer game in the middle week versus the weekend, plus, I started another class this week.

Ok...now the fun stuff...I am super excited about our wedding planning process. We are visiting our first reception location in 2 weeks. Yes, I know it's a year and a half away, but I believe in proper planning. No sense in waiting until the last minute. We both want to do this right and have taken every step of the way slowly. So....we will take our time in planning everything.  However, wedding planning can be hectic as well, but it's still a happy hectic and well worth it!

Choices

A very good friend once told me that "everything is a choice". And, although we have debated over this thought multiple times, sometimes I will agree. As an example, we can either choose to be happy, or choose to be miserable. Having said that, today I choose to be happy. Life is too short and it takes way too much energy to be miserable and cranky.

As I say this, I realize I have so much to be happy for. I have my health, my beautiful children, my fantastic hubby to be, and all of the wonderful people that the good Lord has brought into my life for one reason or another. Not to mention the beautiful sunrise I was able to see this morning. So, as the choices we make define us as a person, I choose to be happy.............Enjoy!

Working Woman Frustration!

My future husband and I are both very hardworking people, as we both come from a long line of hard workers. So, what I am about to discuss boggles my mind. Forgive me, I am frustrated and need to get this off my chest!  It absolutely makes me crazy to see other people sitting at home, sucking off the system just because they can. Now, let me explain further. I am NOT talking about those people who have worked their entire adult lives, and have been given no choice but to take an early retirement. You are home, collecting unemployment....good for you, you DESERVE it, you've EARNED it.  I am also NOT talking about those people who are fortunate enough to be able to stay home because their spouse has an excellent job that affords the family to have that lifestyle, or also those people who are home with their families because their spouse is off on deployment. I know how difficult that can be.  However, I AM talking about those people (men and women) who manipulate the system because they can. Those are the people who will work for the minimum amount of time it takes to replenish their unemployment benefits, and then leave work with the intent to stay home as long as they can and milk off the system. And the worst part is, WE pay for it in the long run. Again, if you are unemployed but are actively looking for work, you are not included in this rant either. I am just sick and tired of working my tail off to pay for everyone else who does NOT deserve it. It's like those women who divorce their husbands after years of marriage and feel they deserve alimony. Why? Because you have been living off what your husband worked so hard for..I mean really. You should be ashamed of yourself. Get up and go get a job and support yourself! 
Too many of us are taken advantage of every single day and it just needs to stop.