Quick, semi-homemade meals

I love to cook. Unfortunately, most days I don't have time to spend hours cooking. Altough, I don't believe cooking has to take all day in order for the food to taste good. I am a huge fan of  "real" meals which do not require a lot of time to prepare. My favorite cooking show is 30 minute meals with Rachael Ray. The recipes I have tried off of her show generally turn out pretty good for 30 minutes of effort. Another cooking show I enjoy is Semi-homemade cooking with Sandra Lee; there's no need to always start from scratch when you can buy the same ingridients already mixed together.That bieng said - I do throughly enjoy  making slow, home cooked meals when I have the time. Usually finding the time is the problem. Although I look forward to the day when I have more time to spend in the kitchen, for now I think I'll stick to my quick, semi-homemade meals. I bets serving my kids fast food.


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Staying Fit

My body is not quite the same after having 3 kids. Things I once was able to eat without consequence now seem to show up in all the wrong places - like my butt, thighs, and especially my stomach. I was never big on sweets and snacks - now, suddenly I am. I know my metabolism is not what it used to be. With each pregnancy I seemed to have "kept" a few more pounds.
Exercise was not an important factor in maintaining my shape -- Now it is. I am making a conscience effort to adopt a healthier diet. I bake, broil and steam as oppose to deep-frying. I incorporate fresh vegetables and lean, skinless meats when ever I can. Although it is difficult to find time to stay fit, I know I must find the time for the sake of my health, shape, and self-esteem. I have found fitnessnhealthnow.com to be a good source of free health information and low cost fitness products. When you feel good about the way you look, you feel good about yourself. I don't expect to have my pre-pregnancy body, but my goal is to be healthy and look good in my clothes.



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Work vs. Kids

I would like to consider myself a "stay-at-home" mom, but the reality is I work quite a bit. My career does allow me the flexibility to choose when I work, - but work is work. Rather you work around a company's needs or work when you choose, work takes you away from your family. Working provides the monetary resources needed to support my kids, but how much time away from your kids is too much time away from your kids? We work to take care of our kids, - but at what cost? I have vivid childhood memories of both my parents working. However, I don't remember many family activities. I know my childhood actually was filled with family activities, - but I just don't remember many. I wonder why I remember the time away from my parents so much more vividly than I remember time with my parents. I don't want my kids to have a childhood filled with memories of their moma leaving them to go to work. I am diligently searching for viable work from home opportunities. Most opportunities I come across seem to be scams - I admit I have been taken by a few. It seems difficult to find many honest, solid work from home opportunities outside of starting a home-based business. I often check the Work-at-Home Moms magazine for opportunities. I hope to find a solid opportunity that suits me.



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Saturday in Shreveport, LA

Well, it's Saturday in Shreveport, LA. --- and it's HOT. The temperature is right at 100 degrees and the air is very dry. It is just too hot to take the kids out unless I absolutely have to. Since I have everything I need to get through the day -- diapers, wipes, formula, milk, juice and finger foods-- we won't be going anywhere. The kids and I will spent the day watching cartoons, playing, reading books and baking cookies. I will dedicate some time to potty training -- what great fun. I find potty training in much easier for me and the child if we use potty time as an opportunity for play time. We read books, review flash cards, and brush our teeth. I find activities such as these really help toddlers to tolerate sitting on the potty chair. Making a really big deal- like clapping and singing a silly song - when the toddler makes "pee pee" or "boo boo" helps make the toddler more excited and interested about potty time.

Here are some great potty training articles:
Potty Training Basics
The ABCs of Potty Training




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