Eating more veggies and Evan's favorite place

One of my goals these days is to eat more vegetables.  I scarf so much fruit down (last week I ate 2 pounds of grapes in two days), which I don't think is bad, but I hardly ever eat any veggies.  Like none.  Sometimes I eat carrots and I eat cabbage in my eggs, but that's about it.  I'd really like to start incorporating more veggies into my meals, particularly lunch and dinner.  Maybe eventually I'll get veggies into my breakfast, but I'm not quite ready to go that far yet.  So, my first step in this plan was to actually buy vegetables!  On Friday, Evan and I walked (or ran, since I tend to turn any opportunity into a running opportunity) to my doctor's office so I could get my TB test read (I got a TB test last week but then totally forgot to actually get it read - so this was actually my second test).  On the way out, I spotted a Farmer's Market in the parking lot.  Perfect!  Since I had been at the doctor's and needed ID, I had my money with me (normally I don't carry my wallet on runs) so I could actually buy things.

This is what I ended up with:

Instagram: @mapleandmud

Some carrots, really, really sweet tomatoes, and string beans.  I also bought an Australian Crystal Apple Cucumber, which is a rare heirloom seed.  The guy selling it said that it tastes similar to honeydew.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know what it's like.

The string beans are purple and green, but when you cook them the purple ones turn green.  It's funny, but at least lets me know when they are done cooking.

Instagram: @mapleandmud

I sauteed the string beans in coconut oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  They were pretty tasty.  I even cooked extra and brought some in my lunch today.  The tomatoes are good to snack on because they are so sweet, but I've also been eating them in salads too.

After the farmer's market we headed to the playground, of course.  The playground is always on our agenda when we are out for a run.  I feel like it's only fair that after sitting for an hour in the stroller Evan gets a bit of time to run around.  He loves the playground, until someone else shows up.  It's funny really - he'll be playing and running around and then the second someone else shows up he wants me to pick him up.  Randomly, our friends came to the playground while we were there and he totally clammed up.  After about 15 minutes he got enough courage to go play though, so that was good.  He loves this little yellow car.

He rocks it back and forth so fast.  I love this playground because it's fairly simple without too many large structures that he could fall off of.  Plus, it's often completely empty.

The see-saw or teeter-totter (not sure what the appropriate name is) is a great thigh workout for me because Evan likes to go up and down but I have to be sitting on the seat or he gets mad.  I tried to just push one side down, but that didn't work.  Of course not.  I need to be sitting and working my thighs.

The rest of the weekend was spent teaching golf, watching my nieces again, and getting household chores done.  While watching my nieces we made Power Packed Fruit and Veggie Muffins.  I found the recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it out.  They turned out really good and all the kids liked them, even though they saw me put broccoli and zucchini in the batter.  The only problem was they really stuck to the muffin baking cups.  The recipe noted this and suggested using parchment muffin baking cups, but the girls really, really wanted to use pretty baking cups.  So, we used the pretty ones and all the muffins stuck.  I did notice that when I put all the muffins in a zip lock baggie and the moisture kind of built up a little, the paper got damp and peeled off much easier.

Yesterday I didn't get a run in because it was pouring out in the morning.  I may have gone in the rain, but I wasn't going to make Evan go in the rain.  I was bummed because on top of running, the hubs and I had a date to go golfing together.  Oh well, hopefully we'll go next week instead.  Instead we put our bed back together, cleaned out a few closets, and did a lot of laundry.  Fun times people!

That was my weekend - nothing spectacular but still a good time.  This morning I got up to do PiYo Sweat but the DVD machine wasn't working very well so I only go 15 minutes of it done.  I guess better than nothing - but, I could have used those extra 15 minutes of sleep!

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What was your best moment this weekend?

Do you say see-saw or teeter-totter?

Splashing in the Stream

This is going to be a long week.  On Wednesday, rather than working from home, I have some kind of Summer Success Immersion program for school.  What does that mean?  Not exactly sure except that we are going to be reviewing Anatomy & Physiology stuff and learning drug calculations.  Something about how these things will help us be successful during the first semester and beyond.  That means that I won't get my extra hour of sleep though.  Or a relaxing evening after work where I don't have to stress about a commute and arrive home at 7pm.  Of course, there was a time when I went to the office five days a week, so I shouldn't be such a baby about it.

This weekend was like all the others: it went too fast but it was filled with fun times. On Friday Evan and I made it back to the Nature Center.  It wasn't too hot out and I felt like a mini hike was in order.

We didn't get too far because he found this little stream and wanted to play in it the entire time.

I ignored all rational thought and let him get his pants and tennis shoes soaked.  I had made him wear pants to try and avoid ticks.  And Lyme disease, a huge fear of mine.  He really had a fun time and was throwing rocks in the water, digging in the dirt, etc.

He also enjoyed playing on the stumps.  

And, best of all?  He didn't pitch a fit when we had to leave.  

After a fun time in nature we then headed out for a run.  The stroller is really starting to weigh a lot.  Or I am really weak.  I felt like it was so heavy and that I was really shuffling along.  Especially on the up-hills.  We stopped at mile 3 to play at the playground for an hour and then headed back home.  

Evan was pretty good sitting in the stroller but did start saying "All done" on the way back home...like he was all done in the stroller and please remove him.  It was cute but he was stuck in there until we got home.

Sunday was a busy, busy day.  We got up and went for another run.  This time we took a shorter route because we had made pancakes first and were on the late side.  Of course our run took us to a playground and we played for about 40 minutes before heading back home.  Again, super heavy stroller!  We survived though.  Then we showered and headed to Costco.  I have decided that Costco is really like Target.  Your go for one thing and come out $100 poorer. I love Costco though and they are a really great company (unlike Target), so at least that part makes me feel better.  There were a ton of samples and Evan and I enjoyed sampling sausage, salmon cakes, wantons, perogies, quesadillas, coffee (I sampled this alone), and Belvita cookies.  Evan really liked the salmon burgers so we bought those (he will probably change his mind and I'll have 20 salmon burgers to eat alone).  Along with a million other things even though we just wnet for coke, eggs, and chips.  Oh well, at least our fridge is stocked now.

There is no room for anything else!  Ivan keeps saying that we better enjoy it now because pretty soon we'll only be able to eat eggs, beans, and tortillas.  We had some cubed steak this weekend and Ivan was like...pretty soon we won't be able to afford meat so we better enjoy every last taste.  I said we could probably buy cubed steak every once in a while since it is only $2.55 a package.

Evan and I also made sure to put on our USA jerseys for the game on Sunday.

We were very excited.  Ivan invited our golf friend over to watch the game too so I made 7-layer dip (of course because Ivan LOVES this and asks for it as often as possible) and tacos.  Everything turned out and I even managed to do the laundry, fold the clothes, and clean the bathrooms.  Nothing short of a miracle.

Now it's back to work and off to sleep for a bit.  Hope you had a fabulous weekend too and didn't look this pathetically tired when you work up this morning (we are both looking pretty rough)!

Playgrounds and Play dates

We had some serious playtime this weekend.  Well, Evan did at least.  I had some too I guess, but not nearly as much as Evan.  Friday night we headed out for Ivan's soccer game.  We don't usually go because it's been cold and his games are in the evening, but this game was at a different field 30 minutes away and I was afraid he'd get lost.  It was a tad bit chilly and very windy, but not unbearable, so we decided to stay and hang around until his game ended.  There also happened to be a huge playground so I was hoping it would keep Evan entertained for a while.  It keep him entertained for two straight hours!  It was helpful that there was no one else playing so we had the park to ourselves and he could wander all over the place without out worrying about getting run over by big kids.  I was still shocked that he played for so long. It was too dark outside for pictures, so you'll just have to imagine it.

The next morning we woke up and headed out to meet my Team In Training (TNT) friends and their kiddos. We all got pregnant around our TNT training time and then spent the following summer all walking together.

One of my TNT friends when she is 39 weeks pregnant and I am 29 weeks!

Evan and I ended up walking the 1.5 miles or so there and back, so that was a nice outing.  Evan didn't even ask to get out of his stroller so I was happy about that.  We had so much fun hanging out there.  Evan was super shy again and clung to me about 97% of the time but I was still able to chat.  We had breakfast and then headed to the park for some more playground time.  It was cute watching all the kids play on the playground.  Evan than proceeded to fall asleep so. I stayed for a few hours until he woke up...until my friend's daughter started throwing up actually.  Yikes!  We are hoping it was just something she ate and not Norwalk virus or something.

And I managed to get the grocery shopping done on Saturday, which was nice because that hasn't happened for a while.  I kept having to go on Sundays which always makes my Sundays busier.  It was an expensive day at the grocery store but I had a few random things to pick up.  And for some reason I had put down to buy flank steak and chicken breasts and chicken thighs all on the same trip.  That adds up fast.

Everyone went to bed early so I stayed up eating cookies and watching Call the Midwife by myself on the sofa.  I really cherish the few evenings of quiet I get around here!

Sunday was a bit relaxing on top of crazy cooking.  We went out for breakfast and Evan behaved the entire time.  That was a miracle.  Ivan wanted to order everything off the menu, but that's normal.  Then we got home and I did some cooking.  I made Morraccan Lentil Stew, which I've made before and enjoyed, and Shrimp-Stuffed Shells, which is one of Ivan's favorite.  Ivan had snuck out to go golfing so Evan and I were just chilling.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that while I was putting Evan down for his nap Ivan came home and washed the dishes.  It was a great feeling!

Then I did four loads of laundry, folded them, and even managed to out them away.  But not before Evan got stuck in the laundry basket.

He was not thrilled.  

I also made some Beef and Snow Peas with rice for Ivan (and dirtied a billion more dishes) and gave Evan a bath.  Ivan was at indoor soccer so the house was semi-quiet.  Except for Evan racing around with his toys.  He kept starting by the front door, shouting "go" and racing to the sofa holding his two stuffed animals.  It was adorable.  For our night time snack we shared a blood orange.

Yum!  I was very surprised that Evan even ate it.  Blood oranges remind me of Italy because I remember eating them there all the time.  This orange was from the US and much more red than the blood oranges I remember from when I was little.  It was tasty though!

Then it was off to bed and ready for another week of work!

The yummiest thing ever

This weekend went by in such a blur.  It must be because it was 70 degrees out on Saturday and nice days seem so fleeting.  It started off with a last minute dinner invitation on Friday.  Ivan couldn't go because he has soccer on Fridays now, but Evan and I went to eat dinner with my friend from anatomy class.  It reminded me why we don't go out to eat very much anymore.  Evan sat in his high chair for all of ten minutes and then he wanted to sit with me.  And then he wanted to get up and run around the restaurant (don't worry, I didn't let him do it).  Luckily a balloon man came and made a few balloon animals and that kept his entertainment long enough for me to scarf down some pizza.  But yeah, eating out is kind of stressful with a little one (at least my little one).

Saturday I lazily woke up to go running with Team In Training.  Ivan was a grump because he had wanted to sleep in and Evan woke up while I was changing (before 7am).  So I ended up taking the little guy with me.  It worked out fine, he didn't have any meltdowns, but we only went about four miles.  One of those miles was the biggest hill ever!!  It was steep and kept going on and on and on...I could see the end but it never seemed to get closer.  Pushing 45 pounds up that huge hill was exhausting and at times I totally felt like I was walking, but I made it jelly legs and all.  

That afternoon I took a two hour yoga/deep relaxation/meditation class with a friend from high school.  It turned out to be a lot of fun and I only had to do downward dog twice so I was thrilled about that.  I hate downward dog and find it to be the most uncomfortable position ever.  If we have to do it for too long or too often I start to hate yoga.  Afterwards we grabbed a coffee and ran some errands.  My errand was to buy a new charger for Ivan's phone because I accidentally sucked it up the vacuum.  Whoops!  And now the rolls thing doesn't work on the vacuum, which is a great since we just spent $40 to get the vacuum fixed.  And I thought it would be a good idea to buy the charger before telling him about the plight of his old one and then come to find out - he had an extra charger at home.  Grrrrr!

And Eavn has started doing some adorable things.  Every once in a while the house goes quiet and I wonder where Evan is...and this is where he was every time.

Hanging out behind the curtain.  Yup, his new favorite secret hiding place.  He bring books and balls back there, it is really adorable.  You just see his little feet sticking out.

Yesterday was a bit crazy.  I went grocery shopping early in the morning, which I don't normally do.  I didn't have time to go on Saturday so I had to squeeze it in.  Then I did five loads of laundry, Skyped with my mom, and cooked three meals.  One for today, one for yesterday, and a vegetarian meal for me for when I cook meat during the week.  And then I did dishes.  And while I did dished I stupidly chose to start watching the last season of Army Wives which was a big mistake because I bawled my eyes out the entire time.  That show is so sad all the time.

And then I ate this.

It really is bliss.  It's like chocolate fudge in a package.  It is sooooo yummy.  It's a good thing I just bought the package and not the whole jar, because I couldn't stop eating it, it was so delicious.  You should definitely buy some.

And now I'm exhausted because when I set my alarm it said I had 4 hours and 59 minutes before my alarm went off.  Boo.  Good thing I bought that planner because I am not doing very good at getting to bed early.  I also woke up on time today because I am determined to blow dry my hair every day now that I paid $200 for my haircut.   I am still sad/mad about that.

What is something delicious that you ate this weekend????

Spring Ahead People

I was going to post about the rest of my Disney trip, because I still haven't even told you about the race, but I am too tired.  Those posts take me a long time because I have to get all the photos organized and I have a lot too tell you, and my energy level is a little to low right now.  I am completely blaming daylight savings time.  Guggenheim (I am leaving this auto-correct word because it is so funny - I have no idea what I typed here, but it definitely wasn't Guggenheim!!!), I really dislike the dreaded spring ahead.  Somehow it makes it much more difficult to get up in the morning when it is 3:30am instead of 4:30am...even when my body adjusts, I am always a little more tired.  I enjoy the later daylight hours, so it's not all bad, but I need my bus nap today.  And, I am waiting for the bus in the dark again.

This weekend was a bit hectic and crazy, starting with Friday.  Evan had his 18 month appointment in the morning and I am in denial that he is already 18 months old.  That is a year and a half.  How in the world did that happen??  Where did my baby go??  He is still a peanut, weighing a whopping 18 pounds and some odd ounces and 33 inches tall, but he is not really my baby boy anymore. We are going to have to stop calling him Baby Evan soon. Boo.  And he wasn't really talking at all before we went to the doctor (just a few words like hot and gracias) and since that appointment he has started saying more things!  Yesterday he started saying "all done" and "book" and "ball".  I have a feeling his vocabulary is going to explode soon.

I also had my Hopkins interview.  I don't really want to comment too much on how I thought the interview went, because it's so hard to say when I am being compared to everyone else.  Maybe I did great but everyone else did better.  Who knows.  The woman who interviewed me was the same woman I had been communicating with during the application process so I was glad to meet her and be able to thank her in person for her help.  Here is what I wore for the interview.

This is a pretty bad photo and a pretty bad photo of me, but I made Ivan snap it as I was rushing out the door and there was no time for repeats.  I had run to TJ Max before the interview to get a new dress and I was quite happy with this one.  It looked better in person.  

I also picked up a few other things at TJ Max.  We needed a new pan because one of mine had seen its last days.   It was actually my favorite pan and one I had brought back with me from Peace Corps.  So it was at least 7 years old, but I know it was older because my friend Sarah had give it to me when she left so it had been used when I got it. 

I think all those scratched are due to Ivan stirring his eggs with a regular fork instead of the wooden utensils!

 I was sad to see it go, but love my new pan.

The lighting is a bit off, but it's a porcelain pan.

I also finally picked up some new work socks.  Ivan was making fun of my old as dirt socks and I found some for cheap, so I finally got them.  Time to throw away my threadbare socks for some nicer ones.

These pepper socks are pretty old.  I think I brought them to Honduras with me!

Straight from the interview I went to my sister's house to babysit the nieces.  I was excited because I love those girls and I hardly ever get to see them.  We had a blast watching Frozen, eating all the food in my sister's house, and hanging out.  It was a bit difficult with clingy Evan and my sister's baby both wanting to be held, but we managed.  I don't think I want four children anytime soon though.

Saturday was a blur but it consisted if grocery shopping and dinner at my bus friend Jacqui's house.  We grilled burgers and caught up on our lives.  I brought a veggie burger, since I gave up meat for Lent. 

On Sunday it was pretty quiet with some cooking, cleaning, and laundry thrown in there.  I made butternut squash and black bean enchiladas and then a teriyaki chicken (both recipes I got from Pinterest) for hubs.  And hubs polished my shoes.

He's been wanting to do that for a long time.  He thought my shoes were deplorable.  And ignore the sofa in that picture...I take the cushions out so Evan can pretend he's at a jungle gym.

Late last night I also realized that I had washed and dried Evan's clothes with a piece of chocolate.

I hope it doesn't stain! And a now I have to wash all his clothes all over again.  Boo!  I tried to take out the clothes without chocolate on them, but I didn't find any.  It's amazing what one piece of chocolate will do!

What's one fun thing you did this weekend?

Pumpkins, Parenthood, etc.

It's dark when I leave for work now.  Pretty soon it's gonna be dark when I get home too.  Yesterday I went to walk the dog at 7pm and it was dark.  How sad.  It's not that I haven't experienced the days getting shorter for my entire life, but it still surprises me.  And it really surprises hubs because the days don't change in Honduras.  The closer to the equator you are the less the days change, so there it was pretty much light out from 6am-6pm and during the winter it might differ by half an hour.

What feels extra weird is that we've been having a hot spell so it was in the upper 80s all week and weekend.  And our air conditioner broke and the landlord doesn't want to fix it very quickly.  So we were pretty much roasting all weekend, in October...while the days get shorter.  Feels strange.  I think cooler temps are on the way though, and day light savings time is going to end in a few weeks too, so it will be lighter in the morning at least.

This weekend we went to the pumpkin patch!  Last year I skipped a lot of the holiday festivities because Evan was so young, but this year we are trying to enjoy them all.  It was lots of fun, but hot.

Yes, I'm holding a teddy bear.  It was teddy bear party day so if you brought a bear you got a free hay ride.  I'm all for free hay rides so I carried the bear around all day.  The hayride was itchy but fun.  They also had a petting zoo, fun slides, pony rides, face painting, and mining for gems.  We didn't do too many of those because they cost extra, but we did do the petting zoo.  Evan loved the goats and wasn't afraid to pet them or feed them.  I think it's because we have such a big, fluffy dog.

Then we walked to the pumpkin patch and snagged a mini-pumpkin.

Yesterday was filled with grocery shopping and cooking and some laundry.  First we went for a walk  though...my favorite thing.  The colors here are a little bland these days for autumn.  I'm hoping they perk up a bit.  

We took a different path and it was so pretty.

We stumbled upon this canoe and it made me think of Anne of Green Gables. 

I actually managed to cook three things yesterday: chili, tomatoe sauce, and meatballs.  All those things cooking didn't help my kitchen from exploding from heat though. Then I was determined to fold all these clothes and put them away before going to bed.  They'd been around for two weeks.

I succeeded, although it was 11:30pm when I crawled into bed.  And I have to get my run in today.  I think it's a half-caf coffee day.

And I can't put into words how excited I am that Season 4 of Parenthood is on Amazon Prime now!!!

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Do you go to a pumpkin patch or do you just buy your pumpkin at the store?

How often do you do laundry?  And do you fold your clothes right away?

Baking cakes and dancing in the rain

Ok, so I didn't actually dance in the rain.  Or even come close to it.  But it did rain, a lot, on Saturday.  That was just what came to me when I was writing the title, so I went with it.  

This weekend was jam-packed!  I know I say that every weekend, but this one was extra busy.  Maybe because I signed up to make my co-workers baby shower cake.  I don't know why I did that.  I have NO TIME to bake and decorate cakes these days.  I just haven't done a cake in years (since my other co-workers shower cake) so I wanted to do one for the shower.  Not the smartest idea though because it was a bit hard to squeeze in...and I still haven't decorated it.  I made all the frosting though.  And dyed it.  And I don't have a present for her yet.  Boo.  I will soon though.

On Satuday I feel compelled to mention that my golf girls were so well-behaved.  I was so impressed.  Both classes were hitting really well and paying attention.  It was great.  It made the class so much more fun to coach.  Ivan had a golf tournement in the morning too.  He'd been looking forward to it for months.  I think he had a good time, even though he was hoping to win and didn't.  Thursday night golf league is finally over!!  I am so relieved.  It wasn't that I minded Ivan golfing, it was that we had no one to watch Evan.  It was so hard to find someone and eventually Melissa started watching him but she watched him all day too so I felt badly asking her to do it again at night.  So, we are now done that chapter of our life, until next year.

We were going to head to the aquarium or zoo Saturday afternoon but ended up running errands instead.  We had a bday party in the evening and we needed a present and Ivan wanted to buy a new phone.  And then, while at the mall I bought new glasses and picked up my contacts.  It rained all afternoon too so not the best weather to drive into the city in.  Maybe another weekend.

Sunday was beautiful and I took Dolce and Evan for a long walk.  It was perfect.  I've been going running with my sister in the mornings on Sundays and have really missed my walks (although I love running too).  Being pregnant really helped me enjoy the simplicity and relaxation of a good walk.

Is that not the prettiest thing ever?  The mist was rising off the lake as the day was heating up.  The temperature was perfect.  Evan and I hung out on the benches taking in the beautiful site.

This is my Instagram photo - follow me at mapleandmud

It was a lot of fun.  I love walks with my baby and doggie.  We had to make sure Evan was warm so we finally found socks to put on him.  And you can't tell from this photo, but I put his outfit on backwards.  Whoops!  It had snaps and usually the snaps go down the front...but then when I got home Ivan said it was on backwards and when I looked...sure enough, the tag was in the front.

And notice his snack container hanging off the belt (that belt is really to make sure the car seat doesn't fall out when you have the adapter in, but I think it works well to attach things too), he was munching on snacks and sharing with Dolce the entire time.

The rest of Sunday was a blur of cake baking, frosting making (I accidentally flavored the frosting with almond extract instead of vanilla extract...), dinner making, lunch-for-Ivan-for-the-week making, a bit of Chemistry studying, laundry doing, brunching, grocery shopping, and a small attempt to stop time (which didn't work).  And I must mentioned that our dryer squeaks so much when we dry clothes it's almost deafening.  Something must be done before I dry any more clothes.  Oh, and on Friday the heat shield fell off our car.  At the gas station.  We drove around with an extremely loud rattling for a while until my husband just took the heat shield off.  Hopefully our car doesn't blow up.

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What was your weekend like?

What did you have for dinner last night?

Do you make cakes or buy them?

Lunch boxes and rude kids

The weather this weekend was amazing!  I'm a little sad that autumn is already here because I didn't feel like I got to fully enjoy the summer, but I love the fall so I will adjust easily.  The leaves are already falling and the cooler temps are here.  Yesterday I went for a run with my sister in the morning and I had to put Evan in pants, socks, and a sweatshirt.  And toddlers in sweatshirts are adorable.

The fall also brings about football and this means I don't have to worry about what I' going to wear two days a week.  On Friday I make sure to wear my football shirt for my brother's-in-law team (he's a high school football coach and we go to his games every Friday) and on Sunday I wear a Ravens shirt (or purple shirt).

Hubs just bought me this shirt on Friday when we went to the mall.  He bought one for himself too, but obviously not the same style.  Now we have official Ravens outfits.  Last year I just wore purple (not that this shirt would have fit me anyway).

This weekend I was determined to get caught up from last weekend when my parents were here.  I had clothes that needed to be folded that had been sitting on the floor for weeks.  I finally got it all folded and hung up and I feel SO much better.  Ivan kept trying to go to sleep but I refused to budge until everything was put away.

Yup, I told you it was a lot.  For some reason in the photo it doesn't look as impressive as it did in real life though.  I'm not sure if I had any clothes left in my drawers.  I even folded the baby clothes!

I also tried to be a bit more organized when it comes to Evan's eating.  He is not gaining weight consistently so I want to make sure I'm giving him enough opportunities to eat.  So, I made a list of all the possible food items we have in the house for him to eat and then made some meals.

 I just did breakfasts, snack, and lunch because that's what he eats at my sister's, but I might add dinner because another change we are making is having Evan eat dinner earlier (like 5pm), and then have a snack before bed (around 7pm).  I left some food for Ivan to give him, since I don't get home until 6:30pm, so hopefully he eats a bit more.  I also bought a cute little lunch pail for Evan.  Isn't so cute??  Sometimes the food I put in the diaper bag and give my sister gets lost or buried under diapers and clothes and I clean out the bag at night and find string cheese or something.  So, I felt like this would make it easier for everyone.

And switching topics from kids' lunches to just kids, can I tell you about the kids I encountered on my walk on Saturday.  I was out walking the dog (Evan was sleeping and at home with Ivan) and as I passed the playground two boys (about 11) were swinging on the swings.  I was on the sidewalk, so a decent distance from them, but I hear them yelling "What the $&*#!" really loudly.  I just keep walking and ignoring them, but they were obviously trying to get my attention.  Then they start yelling "I'm gonna kill your *#$@&*% dog!".  Now I realize they are yelling at me (because no one else had a dog), but I refuse to look over and let them know that I heard them (because this is obviously what they wanted).  So then they start yelling "*%*#&^@ piece of white trash!".  I still continued on without looking over, but I sure wanted to go over there and pop them on the head.  I mean, seriously, that was a bit over the top.  I realize they were just looking for attention and felt so "tough" because they were using the "F" word out loud (I could tell by the tone of their voice that they felt really cool using that word).  It still made me mad and took all my self-control to continue ignoring them.  I had half a mind to find out where they lived and talk with their parents, but most likely their parents' could have care less.  Right?  Parent's who care don't have kids that do that, do they?  I kept thinking that my Evan had better NEVER grow up to act like that.  I was so appalled by their behavior and the things that came out of their mouths - and they were only 10 or 11!  

Ok - my eyes are slowing closing so I better snooze at bit on the bus!

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Do you pack lunches or eat out every day for lunch (if you work outside the home)?

What do you do when kids act completely inappropriately in public places - like the playground - and their parents are nowhere to be seen???

First Day of School

Chemistry might not be so bad.  I can't believe I'm actually typing that, but it's true.  I had my first class on Tuesday night.  It's a late one, from 7:30pm-10:20pm.  My bedtime is supposed to be at 10:00pm, so a class that ends after that is just bad news.  It means that by the time I get home, get ready for bed, and unwind, it's practically midnight.  And then I have to get up again four and a half hours later.  And I do that twice since I have class twice a week.

It wasn't that miserable though.  Much less miserable than it could have been.  My friend recommended a set of professors (one for lab and one for lecture) and it turns out, they are great.  The lecture guy is from England and has an accent (and chemistry talk with a British accent is way more interesting than chemistry talk sans accent) and is so nice and excited about Chemistry it's funny.  He actually shook our hands as we came in and asked us our names and then stood by the door and shook our hands as we left.  And the lecture woman is funny and relaxed too.  So, it really could be much worse.  

Last night we got out of lab early so I got home around 8:30pm.  And guess what??  Evan was asleep and Ivan was washing the dishes for me.  It was the best thing ever.  I was happily surprised.  It made the rest of the evening so much more relaxed.  And let's be honest, relaxed evenings are not common in my household.

And in completely other news.  Look at this big boy who lives in my house.

He is growing up too fast.  He practically looks like an adult.  Maybe because we cut his hair.  I didn't want to but since it was always in his face and he was constantly rubbing his eyes because it tickled, I figured it was time.

Here he is before (don't mind me - I look tired 24/7).

And here he is after.

Look at how much older he looks! 

And can I complain that a haircut at Cartoon Cuts cost $16.99.  That's practically highway robbery if you ask me.  Really?? He had like 30 snips.  He's 11 months people!  My husband gets his hair cut for less than that and he requires a razor and they give him and neck and head massage at the end.  Yes, they gave me a certificate congratulating him on his first haircut and put some snippings in a baggie, so maybe it was worth it for the first time.  But next time?  No Cartoon Cuts here, we are just going to the regular barber shop where Ivan goes.

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Are you taking any classes this semester?  When was the last time you took Chemistry?

When was the last time that someone surprised you and did your chores for you?