Bring in the New

I am so glad that Christmas is over. I know that it's the "most wonderful time of the year" and all that, but...I almost had a full-blown panic attack the first time I heard Christmas music on the PA at Wal-Mart. (The day after HALLOWEEN). I am easily overwhelmed by the hype, expectation, and frantic pace that has become associated with the holiday celebrating the quiet birth of our Savior.

I did enjoy my children's growing awareness of the true meaning of the season. We talked often of God's love for us and sending His son to earth as a baby to someday die for our sins. I also absorbed every second of the magic of Santa, and loved to see things through their eyes.

One night, as is our family's tradition, we rode around in our pajamas and looked at Christmas lights. There is a really spectacularly tacky one about 20 miles from here that we visit every year. When we passed a huge nativity display with a spotlight, Fat Baby surprised us by singing in his booming toddler voice, "Away in a Manger, no crib for a bed, the wittle Word Jesus lay down his sweet head..."
I didn't even know he knew the whole song! Those were the blessings of the season.

I enjoyed Christmas shopping and lunch out with my dad every Friday. (To be replaced in the new year with just lunch out!)

I bought a pre-lit Christmas tree last year, and it is just right. I love the way it looked, and made the room so cozy. The ornaments I collect each year tell our family's story. And I love that.

So, while I often felt like a total Scrooge, it was a great Christmas with many blessings. We were all healthy and happy, and got to see all our family.

In the new year, I have resolved to concentrate on living by the fruits of the spirit. They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). I'm working with the boys on this, too.

Since things have slowed down, I have made it a point to take time to enjoy my boys while they are still "little boys." Of course, Fat Baby always has something to make me laugh (or cry, often both at the same time).

During breakfast one morning, he had MAN GAS. I mean, I could not believe this big poot came out of his little body. Of course, he and The President found it hysterically funny. When I composed myself enough to remind him to say, "Excuse me," Fat Baby told me, "that was my bubble poop."

And yesterday morning when he came to snuggle with me in my bed, he slipped as he was trying to climb in. He said, "Oh, I dropped me!"

Remember to take joy in the small things in this new year!

Holiday Cheer

We took the boys to visit The Jolly One a few weeks ago. That's the one part of holiday insanity that I checked off the list early. Wanna hear what's not done? Christmas cards, most of my shopping, any gift wrapping, house cleaning, online ordering, and magical moments of merriment. Whatever.

So we're waiting in line to visit St. Nick, about six people from the front of the line. Fat Baby waves his arms and yells with his booming voice, "HEY SANTA!!!!! IT'S US!!!! THE PRESIDENT AND FAT BABY!"

I think it's cool that my kids have never been frightened of Santa. I have great pictures of both of them every year. Of course, being the kind of mom I am--I would love the screaming in terror pictures, too. (Maybe even more).

Apparently the preschool is using the whole "most wonderful time of the year" thing to bribe the munchkins into behaving well. Who can blame them? If I had to be up there every day, I'd pull out every kind of bribery known to man. So, yeah Santa's watching, who's on the good list and all that...and here's proof.

I pick up the boys from school and it's an immediate and constant battle.

"He's touching me!"

"Make him be quiet!"

"That's MINE!"

So when I heard "Fat Baby won't let go of my ear!", I pulled down my rear-view mirror and said, "Put your hands in your lap. Do not touch your brother. I am watching you."

To which Fat Baby replied, "You're not Sanda Cwause and you're NOT watching me!"

And a bonus, since I missed the Halloween time frame:

Me: "What do you say when you ring the doorbell on Halloween, Fat Baby?"

FB: Dick or Treat!

Back...by popular demand

Kind of. My friend Amy e-mailed to say she missed the blog. Only then did I realize another month had passed without a post. I am constantly blogging in my head. Too bad I didn't get it on here, y'all have missed some great stuff!

Indulge me a little while I catch you up with all the latest Southern Fried Family happenings.

I traveled out of state alone with the boys for the first time the 4th of July. My Baby's Daddy had some previous work commitments that kept him from being able to attend a great holiday weekend at my aunt's house on the lake. The road trip was pretty smooth, but being the only parent on hand with Fat Baby loose on an open body of water...not so much fun. I did get some great photos & memories...which I've been scrapbooking in my head. (I've accomplished a lot in my head, if not in real life!)

My Baby's Daddy & I enjoyed mindless appointment television by watching The Bachelorette this season. As long as creepy, stalker Jeremy didn't win I was okay with any other choice she made in the final three. I was relieved when she sent Graham home, too. She was so trying to make him be something he wasn't just because he was smokin' hot-a-licious. Eye candy does not a relationship make. I was rooting for Jason, but I'm okay with Jesse, especially since they did a little something with his hair.

In light of the recent sucky economy, I've been really paying attention to our spending and wasteful or unnecessary habits this summer. I sacrificed monthly pedicures in the name of economizing, and My Baby's Daddy gave up our lawn treatment service. I know I watch way too much Jon & Kate Plus 8, but I think that anything that works for a family of 10 could also benefit my family of 5. She feeds her family organic foods as much as possible, and takes a little time & effort to not just give them cheap crap.

One thing that really makes things easier for me is planning menus. I found a template on this website for simple menu planning. It makes shopping more efficient & helps my week flow more smoothly. I write any scheduled events on that day's grid (baseball 6:00 p.m., picnic lunch at pool, etc.) So I can look over the week & see that dinner should be easy & early on Tuesday, and I need to have sandwich ingredients on hand for Monday and Wednesday. Since I usually work on Tuesdays, I try to plan a dinner with left-overs Monday night to take for lunch. I've also been concentrating on using the perishable items I purchase each week. I actually made banana bread on Sunday rather than letting some fruit go bad & throwing it away.

I really feel good about making things fresh for my family instead of buying the quickest (and almost always less healthy) alternatives. It did occur to me in thinking about this lifestyle make-over....Kate is kind of forced to be at home all the darn time. Not the Southern Fried boys & me...if we get the house clean, we've gotta hit the door before somebody (or two somebodies) trashes it again. We like to get out & do things together. It's very do-able to participate in lots of fun activities with only two boys. If it took half the day to load my brood of kids in the car, I'd probably find more fun things to do with them at home. (They'd probably get more hot breakfasts & home-made treats, too....Monkey Munch anyone?)

Finally, we just celebrated The President's 8th birthday. We hosted a sleep-over with 6 boys. It was great! Even though my outdoor activities were rained out, they still had a blast. There was a karaoke talent show, movies, and lots of video games. I had the cutest red & white striped popcorn boxes for movie time...and the biggest hit of the evening was the make-your-own trail mix. I labeled red plastic cups with each boy's name & they could fill it with their choice of cereal, marshmallows, goldfish, raisins, gummy worms, milk duds, m&ms, etc. We all had so much fun. After a pancake breakfast, all the boys were picked up by 10:00 a.m.

On his actual birthday, The Pres wanted to make a new Build-a-Bear for his gift from us. So, we did that & had lunch at a Japanese steakhouse (also his choice). We were seated with a couple of older ladies who were less than thrilled to be sharing our festivities. One of them said, "Cute kids." Just like that. That was the extent of their enthusiasm. Even after Fat Baby walked in & said, "Excuse me wadies....it's the President's birthday!" How could they resist?

Need to get my Blog on...

So, it's been a while. Again. I can't believe I did not post a single time in May. May is a blur. Beach trip. End of year stuff at school. New summer routine. Memorial Day week-end hogfest. I cooked my ass off that weekend. Fabulous. So, now it's list-making time again as the Southern Fried Family is headed to the beach. I heart the beach. Summer is my all-time favorite time of the year. Is that why my brain is turned to mush, and I can't think of a single entertaining thought to write about? Maybe.

Here are some hot topics I've been meaning to discuss:

Grey's Anatomy season finale. I don't hate them (the characters, because you know they're all real to me) as much as I did at the end of last season. I'm tired of them all being so whiny, wishy-washy, and so bound to screw up every good thing that might ever happen to them. Seems like we might be taking a step forward, which means there will probably be three steps back next season. I love McSteamy. I'm kind of over the DerMer thing...I really don't care if they stay together or not. They do kind of deserve each other.

Sex and the City movie. Loved it. Saw it with some girlfriends at the late show on opening night. Could watch it again, definitely. Would see the sequel. Just like watching the tv show for 2 1/2 hours on the big screen.

On a personal note, I'm getting ready to reunite with some girlfriends from high school at a party in my hometown later this month. I'm beyond excited. I haven't seen some of them in more than 15 years! Thanks to technology, I've connected with many old friends lately...so fun!

Now I have to get my kids out of the house, before they trash the place. Please leave me some love to inspire to get back to my blog!

Valentine's Day and the Future MILF

I really am not a big fan of VD. Basically, it just adds a few more things to my already too long to-do list. Buy the kids a treat, chocolate goodies for My Baby's Daddy & Pop, parties at the kids' schools, a little gift for their teachers, cards & treats for classmates, and the obligatory sex for the husband...and so it goes. Tomorrow night The President has karate and I have Weight Watchers (happy freakin' chocolate whore holiday to me!) so the festivities will be....um, not happening. I I love to buy gifts and chocolates, and do enjoy an occasional round of bow chicka wow wow....but, geez the pressure of it all! And on a school night!

In other news...the year of "I've got to take care of myself or I'll be dead in six months" is still moving right along. Since I started back to Weight Watchers (January 8th), I've lost 11 pounds. I did not, however, get to the gym one single time this week and weigh-in is tomorrow night. I could sneak in an a.m. workout...maybe, but I do have the whole VD party thing to contend with.

I've started getting my tan on...so when the winter clothes start to come off, I won't be shockingly pasty. And until I reach my goal weight, brown fat looks way better than white fat.

I haven't been very consistent about posting about my weight loss efforts since I signed on with Lotta as a "Future MILF." But, I know the support helps me and maybe someone could use a tip that I have learned in this never-ending process. Here are a some of my favorite new discoveries:

Flatout wraps---only 1 point! Great for making rolled sandwiches. I like to get the light whole-grain wraps and fill with hummus, chopped rotisserie chicken (no skin), roasted red peppers, baby spinach and a little feta cheese. It's really good and totally a treat for lunch.

My new favorite favorite things are Fiber One bars. They have 9 grams of fiber (35% of your daily value). These are only two points, delicious, and really big. It's almost like having a candy bar!

Ziploc Steamer Bags are fantastic. They steam vegetables perfectly, and there is absolutely no mess to clean up! They come with some yummy, healthy recipe ideas, too.

Please let me know what works for you...it gets so boring doing the same things all the time.

And even though I'm not a fan of the VDay hype...you know how much I love you!

This is how my mind works...

I am so tired of that trick-or-treat post, I can't even tell you. I wish I had time to post every day. This time last year, I was doing NaBloPoMo (national blog posting month). Great fun, got a lot of new traffic, can't commit this time. Too bad for me. I seriously wish I could clone myself, as I really don't have time to be sitting here right now.

Because I know all 6 of you who read this blog are on the edge of your seats...here's the news around here:

*We've all been in bed by 8:30 every night this week. Thank you, Jesus for the time change!

*I can't believe that Sabrina was voted off Dancing With The Stars. She was seriously the best dancer.

*Recently overheard, The President to Fat Baby: "I've got three words for you, Fat Baby---SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE!!!! Actually, that's two words and a compound word." I'm so glad he's learning something in school this year.

*For the first time in my life, I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner at my own house this year. I feel like such a grown-up, I'm totally excited! My Martha-genes are working overtime. The only other time we've not traveled to visit relatives for Thanksgiving was the first year we were married. We lived about 4 hours away, and My Baby's Daddy (who was just known as My Hubby then) worked as the director of dining services on a college campus. Their football team was in the playoffs, and consequently he had to be there to supervise their holiday meal. I spent the day alone in a town I hated, and when he got home (late) we had turkey subs from Subway. That's love, people. We did have a family thing later in the week-end, so you don't have to feel too sorry for me. I felt plenty sorry for myself! Anyway, I am going to rock the house with my first ever Turkey Day meal!

*I've kind of started a little borderline holiday shopping. No lists yet, though.

*I have two ideas for our Christmas card picture. Coming soon.

*I'm considering a pre-lit artifical tree. Where's the best place to go? We usually have a live Frasier fir, but I've heard there's a tree shortage, and since they're going to be $$$$, I might as well invest in something permanent and convenient. I'm willing to entertain arguments for and against. Offer up your opinions!

Southern Fried Update

I really am still here!!! Sorry for the unannounced little blogging hiatus. I really didn't intend to go so long between posts, but I have had a lot on my plate (understatement of the century), and life happens. I'm not going to post about anything specific about my family's situation for a while, but know that my faith is strong, and we are doing very well. Thanks for your prayers, good wishes, and concerns. I am happy to correspond individually through e-mail about the more personal stuff for the time being.

Cool stuff that's going on in my world: I'm working on my tan, and I wish I were working harder on my weight loss. I'm getting there, though. The countdown is on to my annual girls' beach trip. Woohoo! I didn't think we were going to do it this year, but we are & I am so very ready for some mindless sunning, drinking, shopping, and trash-book reading. I even found the cutest baseball cap (brown & pale turquoise) with the Mailbu rum logo! Regular readers (if I have any left) may remember that my signature beverage of choice is a Route 44 Diet Coke with lime from Sonic with a big ol' shot of Malibu---yum-my! Spring Break was last week for The President, and he had a great time. Went to the zoo, a little camping, saw TMNT, and hung out with the family. The weather has been gorgeous (80s) and we took full advantage of it.

Some stuff that sucks: Monday morning, trying to get everyone back in the groove after a week off, I'm pushing the limits of time...go to wake up Fat Baby at the last possible minute...nasty, stinky puke all over his crib, all over him...dis-gust-ing! Change sheets, bathe kid, know that he won't be attending his only weekly day of Mom's Day Out, and my ability to work on my grant-writing will be compromised at best. Along with the fantastic weather here in the Deeeep South comes about 3 inches of thick, yellow pollen. I can not walk to the mailbox with out wheezing, coughing, sneezing, and itchy, watery eyes.

But did I mention that the Girls' Beach Trip is coming?!?! I am also going to book a condo this evening for our family vacation. I am going to be pretty worthless this summer. Anyone care to join me?