Autism Speaks Walk
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Rose Bowl, Pasadena
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Saturday, April 24th, 2010
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Helping to solve the puzzle
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One step at a time
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It takes a million tiny steps to make a HUGE stride ~ we are honored to take part.
Thank you to all who donated.
Until next year…
Good Workout
Last night I drug myself to the workout room and put in almost an hour and 45 minutes on the elliptical ~ 10 miles. Wasn’t planning on it…but the Real Housewives of New York helped me get through!
You know, I really like Alex. I think she’s my favorite. Maybe it’s because she’s the only one with kids around the same age as mine, but she seems just more “no frills” than the rest. And, I really wish Jill & Bethenny would make up already!
{Photo: jimhalterman.com}
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Glee
I finally watched this week’s episode of Glee last night ~ ode to Madonna.
{Photo from www.telegraph.co.uk}
Dear Glee,
I’m “Crazy For You”.
I thank my “Lucky Star” that you came into my life.
I want to tell the world to “Open Your Heart” and watch you if they aren’t doing so already.
I was beginning to think my week was “Borderline”, but after watching you, it’s FANTASMIC!
Thank you for showing me “Where’s The Party” on Tuesday (or Thursday!) nights.
Your trying-not-to-be-so-“Material Girl”,
Amy
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Autism Speaks
Tomorrow morning we’re heading to the Rose Bowl for our 2nd annual walk with Team Intuit. It’s supposed to be gorgeous this weekend and I can think of nothing better than doing a 5K for a great cause with the sun shining, the blue skies surrounding and the beautiful San Gabriels in sight.
If you would like to make a donation, please click here.
Thank you!
Autism Speaks ~ It’s Time To Listen
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Rx: DVDs
On another note, a good friend of a good friend just received the devastating news that their 3-year old son has been diagnosed with Acute Childhood Leukemia. My friend, Alicia, is looking for friends to donate their gently used DVDs (suitable for 3 year olds, of course) to this sweet little boy to help him as he goes through treatment at Denver Children’s Hospital. Once he is through his treatments, they will be gifted to the hospital so that other children can enjoy them during their stay.
I know that we have more movies than we know what to do with, so we’ll be packing some up and sending them off.
If you’re interested, please leave a comment, e-mail or Facebook me and I will let you know where to send them.
Again, many thank yous!
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Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
{Photo: allrecipes.com}
A new, healthy recipe coming your way this evening. This one is for my friend, Lisa and it comes from one of my new favorite blogs! Lisa, let’s see how it compares to Sabor’s soup! It looks muy delish!
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Happy Friday!
P.S. Can’t figure out how to turn the text black on this post!?!
I just want to wake up, jump out of bed, hop in the shower, apply my make-up, dry and flat iron my hair BEFORE noon.
I don’t want to cut the crusts off the PB&J’s.
I want to go to a place where the mac n cheese has lobster or truffle oil rather than neon orange powder.
I don’t want to have a Border Collie nipping at me when I am on my way to the bathroom or to answer the phone.
I want to go to a place where the floors are free of bits and pieces of games, puzzles, doll clothes, blocks and books.
I want to listen to something in the car other than the Kidz Bop CD from last summer’s Mickey D’s Happy Meal.
I don’t want to wait 10 minutes while pajamas get picked out.
I just want to go a day without carrying around a sippy cup in my purse or with syrup or peanut butter smeared on my shirt.
I get tired of looking at dinosaur chicken with a side of ketchup on a plate night after night.
I just want to eat raw cookie dough and not care (which I just did!)
I get tired of telling a 3 year old to stop tormenting the dog.
I just want to get from Point A to Point B unhindered 56 times.
I’d like to hear an automatic “Please” after the, “I want more milk!”
I want to say what I feel, but remind myself, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Can you tell what kind of a week it’s been?
Looking forward to tomorrow night’s rum and diet with a squeeze of lime visit with Gramma and the Autism Speaks walk on Saturday morning at the Rose Bowl.
Sometimes…..
I need to remind myself that I have 2 happy, healthy children.
Even though we aren’t even half way through Spring, I can’t help but think about Summer. I know it’s going to sneak up on us and in just 9 weeks from Monday “Beach, Pool & Popsicle Season” will be upon us.
Off the top, we don’t have much planned. No trips to Capri, Italy or Disney World or anything. Just a good, old-fashioned, simple Summer, but guaranteed to be fun for all (and frugal!).
It’s hard to keep the kiddos busy and happy for the whole summer and not spend a wad of dough. Fortunately there is a local movie theater that shows free movies two mornings a week (albeit OLD, outdated movies, but the kids don’t care!) in an air-conditioned building! That is heaven here in the SCV during July! We pack our own movie treats and this makes for a cheap day once a week.
Then there is the Saturday night Summer Concert Series that is also FREE and lasts for a good portion of the summer weeks. We went to several last summer and had the best time packing a picnic dinner, sitting in our lawn chairs, visiting with friends and listening to music while the kids ran, squealed, jumped, chased and played with ice!
We hope to take our annual trip to beautiful Wawona, Yosemite to visit my uncle and Jill. We went over 4th of July last year and had the best time ~ stagecoach rides, lunch at the swimming hole, walks along the meadow loop, wine on the deck, train rides, BBQ at the beautiful Wawona Hotel, a barn dance, s’mores by the campfire with wonderful neighbors. Hoping to recreate that again this summer minus these:
Souvenirs from the ‘squitos!
I imagine we will take a couple trips too the LA Zoo with our passes, too:
I also want to get one of these:
Yes, preferably in RED!
And get my hands on the pink lemonade ice cream recipe from Mel! Yum, and SO summery!
I see a lot of sidewalk chalk, hopscotch, bubbles, root beer floats, water table play, homemade lemonade, popsicles, flip flops, wet bathing suits, damp towels on the floor, sandy feet, the smell of sunscreen, cannonballs, beach balls and iced americanos in our future!
Looking forward to keeping everyone HAPPY for about 9 weeks before both my babies start school in mid-August…one to Kinder and one to preschool!
Looks like I will need to work lots of Kleenex into the summer budget, as well…
I love me some sloppy joes.
I used to think that the only way to make them is to buy a can of Manwich and brown some ground meat. But then I came across RR’s recipe for “Super Sloppy Joes”. I think the preceding “Super” is unnecessary and sounds silly, so I will just call them:
They are so delish ~ you will never want to buy another can of Manwich ever again. When I first read the recipe I was a little “huh?” … the red wine vinegar and brown sugar threw me off, but I went ahead and moved forward. They were fabulous! I have served them at 2 birthday parties as minis with little potato or dinner rolls and they were a big hit. I do use ground turkey rather than the ground beef, though. I love that there is a whole red pepper in the sauce…I throw a whole, seeded pepper in my mini processor and get it all finely chopped and it just blends in with the tomato sauce ~ the kids won’t even know it’s in there, folks!
Here is the line up:
Here is the meaty goodness:
And here is the final ‘wich:
So yummy I could’ve eaten another….but I didn’t because I had to go to “Boot Camp With Carmen” this evening!
That is where the “Oooowww!” comes in.
Ay Carmencita! It is night one and I am already feeling it.
OK, this may sound lame, but the whole time I was there, I was pretending that I was on Biggest Loser and that I was on camera. I made certain that my form was on point ~ standing with my stomach in, knees slightly bent, the whole nine. This really worked. I held the full body plank extra long because, afterall, I was on television in front of millions and I wanted to look like a rock star. Held the lunge like a statue because I didn’t want to look weak.
But then I reminded myself THAT THIS IS THE FIRST DAY and that it’s OK to have something to improve upon for goodness sake!
I did learn 2 things, however:
1. I have absolutely NO core strength!
and
2. I def need a better bra!
Jumping jacks and I have never been the best of friends, but if I’m going to turn this boot camp out, I need to invest in some serious sports bras. I’d better do it quick because I report back on Wednesday night to do it all over again!
A far cry from Jillian, but I think if I put my all into it I will see some good results after 7 weeks with Señorita Carmen.
Man, I must be a glutton for punishment this week ~ 2 nights of boot camp, a mammogram tomorrow morning and a scheduled 13.1 on the elliptical tomorrow night.
Ay Caramba!
Saturday was full of impromptu events…
The Albertson’s down the hill was having an Easter egg hunt ~ the “golden egg” being a pass to Disneyland along with some other goodies for the little ones hidden inside certain eggs. Mr. Easter Bunny made a brief appearance which I was thrilled with because that saved me a trip to the mall and $25 for a photo!
The “hunt” took place in the produce section and it was hardly a hunt at all….just piles of candy filled plastic eggs under the apples, lettuce and potatoes! Super duper obvious and lasting a grand total of 3.5 minutes! My little chickens only walked away with mini Twix bars, Reese’s and mini Hershey’s bars…thank goodness the candy was good because I would’ve been real disappointed. But they had a great time and Albertson’s was nice enough to serve FREE hotdogs and sodas so this Mama didn’t even have to fix lunch ~ gotta love that. Here are some photos from the eggstravaganza…
Elliott gathering eggs:
The find:
Holden post hunt searching for the rabbit:
Emilie & Elliott with Mr. Easter Bunny:
Holdy with his new BFF:
Enjoying lunch:
Then, we organized a last minute redneck block party where a few neighbors parked their lawn chairs in the guest parking across the street, prepared some appetizers and enjoyed wine and chit chat while the kids ran amok, chalked the you know what out of the street and rode various modes of transportation including scooters, tricycles, bikes and the ever popular Disney Princess ride.
Here is the spread (yes, complete with boxed wine!):
I made a dip that I found on the back of the Mission Tortilla Strip bag…Black Bean & Roasted Red Pepper Dip:
It calls for cilantro so I was immediately sold:
This is my new fave $3.99 TJ’s wine find (and it’s organic!):
Holden decided to don a plastic bowl helmet:
Checking out the stars:
This morning we were up bright and early to head to a Scooter’s Jungle (bounce house place) birthday party for a little friend in E’s dance class, ran some errands to finish up shopping for Easter outfits, pick up some hand weights for my boot camp which starts tomorrow and then enjoyed an al fresco dinner of homemade crispy chicken tenders and mac n cheese (NOT homemade!).
I discovered this recipe in Parents magazine years ago and it is so easy and delish. I feel like I feed my kids dino chickens from Costco on a daily basis, so it’s nice to make them from scratch once in awhile. The recipe calls for corn flakes, but I used my leftover rice crispies from the treats earlier this week and those worked just fine.
Here is what you need:
12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I use frozen chicken tenderloins)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
1 cup packaged cornflake crumbs or 2 cups cornflakes, finely crused (or crushed rice crispies!)
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash ground black pepper
Dipping sauces: BBQ, Ranch or ketchup
1. Heat oven to 450F. Cut chicken into 3/4-inch strips. In a shallow dish, combine the egg, honey and mustard. In another shallow dish stir together cornflake crumbs, salt and pepper. Dip chicken strips into the egg mixture and then roll them in crumb mixture to coat evenly.
2. Arrange the strips on a baking sheet. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition per serving: 179 calories, 22g protein, 2g fat, 16g carb, 18mg calcium, 0 fiber
I sliced mine and put them into a salad…still desperately trying to recreate the CPK bbq chicken salad!
Finally, I will leave you with this cute image:
Future blogger?
Here’s to another busy week ahead…2 boot camps, mammogram, bro-in-law coming on Wednesday and then the in-laws coming on Good Friday to celebrate Easter with us. Egg coloring and frosted Easter sugar cookies to be made in between. Oh, and sloppy joes (not from a can!) on the menu for tomorrow.
Hope you have all sorts of good stuff on the agenda this week, too!
OK, so I’m going to devote 2 minutes of blog time to The Bachelor…
Did I want him to choose Tenley? Yes
Would I be upset if he picked Tenley and then broke things off next week? Yes
Even up to the last minute did I see him picking Vienna? No
I actually thought he was going to opt out all together and walk away still “single”.
After I watched The Final Rose, I had different feelings, though…they both looked so happy. I am a hopeless romantic and whether or not it’s “reality love” or “real love” doesn’t matter…really. I’ll still watch the show and always HOPE that real love comes out of it.
Am I wasting my time? Can I be doing something way more productive? Probably. But I will tune into Jason & Molly’s wedding next Monday and I will be there when Ali begins her journey as the next Bachelorette.
I will always be there hoping for a fairytale ending….
You can judge me if you want ~ I’m OK with it.
Am I OK with Jake choosing Vienna? Yes
Will I be pissed if they break up tomorrow? Yes!!!
‘Nuff said!
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I just signed up for boot camp.
I’m really excited.
Starting in late March on Monday and Wednesday evenings I’ll be busting my butt for 75 minutes and hoping for some results in time for Summer.
I’m going to take some “before” and “after” pics so I can track the progress. I think that by incorporating the boot camp into my usual elliptical training and sporadic running that I will see better results and enjoy a little variety in my workouts.
I’m actually looking forward to feeling sore and exhausted until the middle of May!
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How good does this salad look?
Thanks to Hollie for suggesting that I put my leftover pulled pork into salad form.
I love, love, love the BBQ Chicken Salad at California Pizza Kitchen so I tried to do a copy cat version of that:
Chopped iceberg lettuce (I know, I know NO nutritional value)
Slightly warmed pulled pork
Diced red pepper
Red onion slices
Chopped cilantro
Chopped jalapeños
Corn kernels
Just a sprinkle of colby jack cheese
…and a drizzle of Ranch dressing
{Y-U-M-!}
May have to make pulled pork more often……….
After devouring my heavenly doughy bagel from Noah’s yesterday morning, I got really lazy.
I had good intentions:
~ take down decorations from Holden’s party!
~ clean out/straighten up the garage
~ go to the grocery store
~ do some laundry
~ workout
~ make sushi for dinner
I managed to accomplish ONE of the above mentioned tasks…laundry!
Instead of carrying out the other five chores, I made some banana bread:
…and viewed this gorgeous rainbow after cuddling up on the couch and doing nothing ALL day:
Since I didn’t make it to the store, I raided the freezer for dinner and we feasted on Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken and some of Lola’s lumpia ~ not too shabby.
But today was much more productive. It was gorgeous and Jay played outside with the kids while I ran a couple errands. I decided to make pulled pork and potato salad for dinner.
I found this pork shoulder on sale and grabbed a BBQ pulled pork seasoning package. Thanks for the tip, Lisa!
Just trim outside fat off roast, plop into the slow cooker, combine seasoning packet with 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, mix and pour over pork….Voila! (Note: I am going off memory on the amounts above, but they’re close – just follow the EASY instructions on the back of the packet.)
8 hours on low or 4 on high and you will have this:
Hawaiian Sweet Roll Pulled Pork Sliders
Scrumptious.
I made some Spicy Ranch Potato Salad to go alongside. (Adapted from my sister’s Ranch potato salad recipe.)
This time I used 2 large russet potatoes (1.88 lbs.) since I only wanted a little bit of potato salad….uh, these 2 taters made a TON of tater salad! Normally I use a 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, quarter them and leave the skins on. This time I skinned the russets and cubed them before boiling. Once they are fork tender, drain, cool and add the following:
1/4 red onion, minced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (I use a mini food processor) My sister also turned me on to using the leafy parts of the inner stalks which I used to trash. These add a lot of extra flavor so I throw in some chopped leafy parts, too.
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3/4 package Ranch dressing mix (I swear this is the secret to this recipe)
10-12 jalapeño slices, chopped
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo depending on your mayo threshold (I’m a mayo girl, but don’t like my potato salads too heavy – if that’s at all possible!?!)
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix all together and chill in ‘fridge for an hour or so before serving.
I was able to go workout while dinner was in the crock pot!
No, I haven’t taken down the decorations or worked on the garage, but there’s always tomorrow, right?
This week’s recipes:
Salmon Cakes & Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
(I picked up a couple gorgeous bunches of asparagus today for 97 cents a pound!)
Oh, and what do you think about flipflopfollies’ new look?
No more cheesy red flip flops and candy cane border!
Kudos to my personal blog bling’er, Jay!
I {L-O-V-E} it, babe! Thank you!
I took this picture to show off Miss Elliott’s new tap shoes.
She looked so darling in her new navy blue unitard with hot pink hearts, silver sparklies and cute little ruffled sleeves. Her shiny new tap shoes tied with a neat bow.
Then there is the band-aid on her knee!
The adhesive bandages that she wanted NOTHING to do with months ago are now flying off the medicine cabinet shelves. We had Curious George, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street and Disney Princess varieties and still, about 8 weeks ago, there were NO takers. Now we’re just down to the “adult”, plain, generic, boring skin-colored version and, still, those are seeing popularity. Any little itch, pain, scratch, dry skin, you name it….they need a band-aid.
The same thing goes for those temporary tattoos…one day she wanted not a thing to do with them and now she wants me to apply them weekly ~ and those things stay on FOREVER!
Maybe she’s watching too much Miami Ink. {wink}
Jay captured this picture last night at dance class.
It’s the quintessential dance pose, isn’t it?
(I thought this was taken during the ballet portion of her class, hence the “Ballet” in the post title. Somehow “Band-aids, Tap & Battlestar Galactica” doesn’t have the same ring to it, so I’ll leave it as is. Just wanted you all to know that I noticed this discrepancy) {my OCD coming out}
Today is Holden’s big outer space birthday party.
We are heading to another universe this afternoon for some space travel.
I’m glad the solar system is working in our favor right now and we have SUN! Hip hop hooray!
More cosmic photos to come……
Happy Weekend!
I decided to go against the grain this year and NOT overeat on Mardi Gras.
I had some oatmeal & bananas, lentil soup, a Lean Pocket and some plain chicken yesterday.
Exciting, huh?
I also wanted to do a “half marathon on the elliptical” last night. I walked about a 3-mile loop in the morning and figured I’d include that mileage and put in 10.1 miles on the elliptical.
I got to the clubhouse, put on American Idol and went to work. I did two 55-minute sessions ~ 5.1 miles & 600 calories each! 1 hour and 50 minutes on the elliptical at a 10 resistance!
13.1 miles yesterday.
Next week I plan to do two 6.6 mile sessions for my true elliptical half marathon.
You know what….it wasn’t so bad.
Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to spring into action and take advantage of our amazing workout room, but what matters is what I’m doing NOW…
and what I’m doing NOW feels pretty darn good!