A Thanksgiving Scramble (Pic Heavy!)

So here we are... late November 2014 already. It seems like just yesterday that we celebrated Snowy's 4th birthday and now here we are, getting ready to haul another big turkey out of the fridge and into the oven.

What have been doing the last several months? More like what haven't we been doing!

Chasing kids around, cooking and cleaning house are a full-time job in themselves, but add on the kids and you get a circus! A circus that I wouldn't trade for the world, of course... ;)

For starters, Snowflake and Firecracker scouted the 'hood for candy as Elsa and Anna on Halloween and made out like a couple of little bandits. Their pumpkins were nearly full!

Crazy girls ready for a night on the town!

And now that you've received your dose of cute, let's fast-forward to our crazy time of year; I've decided to take on the turkey project again (Henry looks juicy yet again!) and host everyone (which is a rather light group for us this year; BIL is joining. We've invited his dog- the more the merrier!)

Yum! You know you want some... ;)

Last night I started the dessert tray- made a yummy rhubarb pie somewhat from scratch (I didn't make my own crust- ain't nobody got time fo'dat!). Amidst that I cleaned our living room, vacuumed, and cleaned out the girls' car seats. Man, those things were awful! I'm amazed that they didn't get up and walk out of the car, so sorry, no before pics. ;)

Trust me, these things were yucky. 

And this year we have a new oven, as the other one was just not up to par. It performs just as beautifully as it looks! Can't wait to see what it does to ol' Henry. ;)

 No it's not your imagination; the back-left burner is crooked. It didn't work. At all.

Much better. Four FIVE working burners and a CONVECTION oven to boot.

And since the oven is ready to go and I'm not, we all know what I must do. Stay tuned!

I Confess.

I think I may be addicted to Chipotle. You know, that clean-food, drool-inducing fast-food (or is it "fast-casual" these days?) that actually tastes good and in some ways is good.

The mouth-watering food is too tasty to stay away from. The flame-grilled and just-right-seasoned chicken (albeit not spicy) tastes sooo good in both burritos AND bowls. And we can't forget the seasoned steak, flame-grilled typically to medium-well and tastes amazing as it comes from grass-fed cattle. The barbacoa has a spicy kick that I've found best uses one of the huge burrito tortillas to extinguish. The carnitas also have their own spicy kick that can only be calmed down with an iced tea or ice-cold beer.

Don't like spicy stuff? Don't despair. The chicken is probably your best bet, next to the vegetarian flavor. The reason I use the term flavor here is that you can get these items in either a bowl, burrito or taco format. They have several hundred, possibly several hundred-thousand different ways to have your food. And probably the best reason to go there? They're making strides to go GMO-free. Yeah.

And I have experienced withdrawals if I go too long without my fave bowl or burrito. And I could go there... 2, 3, 4... days in a row.

I think I've just figured out what to do about lunch tomorrow on our journey over the river and through the woods... ;)

~~CrazyMom

Good Evening.

I'll admit it's been a while since I posted. Too long. But in case I have any audience left, ;) I want to air something out. 

I confess. I really don't understand folks who dislike daylight savings time. Yes, the time change is a bit grueling. But why can't we just stay on DST and forget standard time? 

Pretty random thoughts tonight, but had to get it out. Observe:

Our yard at about 8:20pm central daylight time. Note how light the sky is still. In standard time, this would be only 7:20 pm. 

I like my daylight! I'd never make it in Arizona. Hawaii, maybe, since it's closer to the equator. ;)

No Gym For Me.

That's right. I don't wanna go to the gym. But I want to lose weight and be healthy. Isn't that oxymoronic and crazy?

There is a laundry list of reasons why I don't want a gym membership, the number one being FINANCES. Even if it's only $10 a month, that's $120/year. Two or so of those could get me my very own elliptical. My. Very. Own. Elliptical. And I have room for it in my house. No reason why I couldn't slip my big toy in with the little girls' (eh, engines'- more on that later) toys, right? Or I could get 13 or 14 meals at Chipotle. Or a night out at Six Flags with the fam (which is awesome, especially when a mini-you likes the same rides you do). Or a bunch of clothing for the tornadoes girls. You get the idea.

Privacy. Yeah, there's just something about being seen in public as a sweating, winded hot mess, whilst enclosed in a huge, oft-crowded room. At least at home it's only my family (if them) that sees me.

The pool's not what it's cracked up to be, if there is one. Seriously. The last time I went into a gym swimming pool it was so ice-cold it took me 20 minutes to get in. And I could barely move, let alone get laps in, without fear of bumping into my fellow gym-rats. No thanks. It's like... swimming laps while playing dodgeball.

Bikes. They're a reason to join, and not to join. Our city is (believe it or not) very bike-friendly and you see TONS of cyclists when the weather is right. But let's face it, when it's cold/rainy/stormy, they have nowhere to ride. However, the seats are horrible. Even after buying a seat pad, I was still miserable unless I rode on a recumbent bike, which has a much more comfortable seat. But at least with your own bike, even if the seat is just as brutal, it's yours. No one else's sweat has been all over that thing, unless you let your SO borrow it.

Childcare. If the hunny is working or working out himself, I'm pretty much stuck at home with the girls. And if they're napping and the house is clean (HA!), I have nothing else to do! Even with a mile-long to-do list, I can probably whittle out some time, from somewhere. Even if it means plopping the girls in front of the TV to watch cute little dolls or choo-choos for a bit and they chill while I exercise, it can be done. And those cute little cartoons won't charge an extra fee or become overwhelmed, assuming the tornadoes don't join me in my little quest. And that right there is almost a reason not to join. At a gym, very rarely is/are one's kid(s) allowed to join in on the workout, leading to many potentially missed awesome memories. I'll shut up on that one before I get all sappy.

Weights. Store 'em in a closet. They're really not that expensive, until maybe you get to the benches and bars. Which I'm convinced I can live without. (See last sentence of bikes paragraph above.)

The Drive. Almost right up there with childcare. The gas costs alone are enough to make you break out in a nice sweat before you even get to the gym, depending on the gym's proximity to where you live. Of course, if your heart rate increases with said sweat, it could burn some extra calories, right?

Depending on how you think, as shown, these can easily be reasons for or against the case for a gym membership. I think I'll keep my tornadoes with me so that we can all laugh at my attempts to dance around.

~~CrazyMom

I need an exercise program.

Period. Yes, I just said that publicly. Why??

1. I have extra me that I want to lose.

2. My brain is about as foggy as London (which is about as foggy as foggy gets, right? I mean seriously- it is imperative that my head stay attached to my body at this point. Otherwise I will lose the damn thing.).

3. I want to firm up my arms and increase muscle mass.

Now, I started stair-climbing last Friday on a whim at my job while on a break. In this Texas weather, when it can be too windy one day and/or too cold the next (then too hot!), I needed something I could do away from the elements. Wow, it's challenging; much more so than I expected! Seeing as I have a two-story house, I expected it to be fairly easy. Well, getting to the second floor was. Beyond that, it becomes challenging. But let's re-visit last week.

Friday, I climbed up to the fourth floor (out of 10) and by the time I reached the mezzanine, I was out of breath and my heart pounded. Now, my heart still pounds a bit, but not nearly as much. Until I reach the fifth floor, that is. Then I am just as winded as I was last week at the fourth floor. I still haven't decided when I want to move up to the sixth floor (ha), but I think I'll take my time on that one, as I am in no rush and want to not only get in shape, but want to STAY in shape. Now, while I can't work on the arms this way, I can at least firm up the gleuts.

And now that I have discovered the goodness that is gelato, I really need an exercise program.

Wait, was I supposed to take the picture first?

I want to do all of the above, and not go to the gym (as for why, that's a whole other post). So please help me... what are some good home workouts I can do? Preferably not too noisy since I would be doing them either very early in the AM or while the girls are napping, assuming it takes place at home.

Keeping my gelato would be great, too. ;)

~~CrazyMom