love/hate relationship...

So it was Kate's birthday on Monday, she turned 4, and it was alot of fun to see her so excited to turn off the lights and blow out the candles. I'd post a picture, but we only got it on video and it never works for me to post videos, so just imagine her running through the house yelling it's my birfday! and turning off every light switch that she could find. She got a pillow pet, something she's been talking about for a few months, and she loves it! She also made off with a lot of money which she plans to save! (her words not mine)

Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler also made the kids some marshmallow guns which were the highlight of the evening.

Maddie got the hang of it, although I must admit Allie had the best shot out of all of them. I couldn't shoot it to save my life, I kept sucking in and choking on marshmallows.
And Gavin has now discovered the stool. He has figured out it will get him into drawers yet undiscovered. Toothpaste and floss entertain for hours.

And to the love/hate relationship...cable t.v.

I have decided that the budget and our lives can do without it. I broke the news to our kids last night, and heard a lot of weeping, wailing and knashing of teeth! I couldn't believe how hard they were taking it! I think Maddie thought it was a bad dream, because when I mentioned it again this morning she looked shocked, and couldn't believe I was really going through with it. Oh, they'll thank me later when they've rediscovered their imaginations.

food friday...

Photo courtesy of Eating Well magazine. You won't find pictures like this coming from my camera.

So, we had something really tasty the other night. Barbecue Chicken Tenders from Eating Well Magazine. You can find the recipe here. They were delish! I couldn't think of anything to go with them, so we opened up a jar of canned beans from Grandma Stoddard's garden, and the meal was complete, and completely yummy! The barbecue sauce has high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives, but you can't skip it in this recipe, it was the star, and besides

we weren't drinking it through a straw, so I didn't feel too guilty.
This is one recipe that I will make again, and again, I liked it that much, and the rest of the family did too, Maddie included. That deserves 5 stars right there.

what's new...

Same old, same old for the Wheelers. We're just trying to survive the winter, enjoying the Olympics, which is so nice with the dvr, which is soon to be cancelled, because I am getting into the whole budgeting thing, which leads me to a funny story. Wow, that was a long sentence.

So I've been balancing the checkbook lately, and came across some interesting charges from a florist. I thought to myself, hmm, I haven't seen any fresh flowers lately. And being the pessimist that I usually am, I started to wonder, could Jared be? no, Jared is definitely not, but who's getting the flowers? So I called Jared, cause who wants to entertain those silly negative thoughts, right? He laughed and explained that two old ladies who he has insured had just lost their husbands, and he sent them condolences. Sweet right? Next time just send me a few condolences too, just a little cheaper please, cause I'm balancing the checkbook now, and flowers are not in the budget, got it?

So on to other happenings in this household. This is what happens when Maddie gets a hold of the camera. Crazy girl, at least she's got self esteem, right?

Just needs to learn how to focus. A little hard to do when you're the one holding the camera.
We had a great Valentine's day, complete with a package of treats from my Grandma and Uncle Reid. I've never seen heart shaped marshmallows. We felt so loved! Thanks!


Gavin is learning to feed himself with a spoon, I'm sure he could have learned this a while ago, I've just been trying to avoid the mess! I love his deep concentration.
And then he wanted to share with Kate. She wasn't too sure about it though.

And the March issue of Prevention totally sums up what I've been trying to accomplish in the Wheeler household when it comes to food! I loved reading it, and encourage you to read it too. They have it at the library, which is free, which is another reason for you to check it out. One article called "the case for natural foods" said, "There's one change every woman should make this year: Choose real, whole foods over processed, fake ones." Also, "Consider that the average adult loses roughly 300 billion cells to old age every day and must replace them. Our bodies are literally manufactured out of the food we consume. That's why what we put in them is of utmost importance. In short, our bodies are only as clean as the food we feed them."

And I'm typing this as I eat a chocolate cookie, nobody is perfect, but I am trying to make some positive changes in this house. I ate grapes and an apple before I had that cookie, and the subsequent cookie, and the cookie after that...

Anyways, check out the article, we could all use a few pointers, right? Here's to eating clean, with a few treats once in a while.

hooray...

I made bread, and it's edible! That is success in this house. I also made waffles this morning, and added flax seed meal, and the only one to notice the little specs was Colin. Maddie and Kate had no clue. Why add flaxseed? Well, for one the fiber, but also for the lignans (antioxidants), and for alpha-linolenic acid (plant version of omega-3's). Yay for flaxseed. Colin was worried he wouldn't make it to the bathroom fast enough at school. I'm going to have ask Jared what exactly he taught Colin about fiber. There must be a little misconception there.

Go here for the bread recipe, thanks to Kate Lees it found it's way into my house. It was super easy and fool proof, because this fool (meaning me) made it.

shades...

It's so bright outside we thought we'd find some shades. Actually these are the protective goggles from Colin's nerf gun set. But the sun is so nice to see outside, I'm trying to forget that it's still freezing and enjoy thoughts of spring and summer.

And in the future I'll be wearing some new spectacles, it took me an hour, but I think I've decided on a pair of glasses to replace the ones Gavin so lovingly tore apart. Stay tuned, I might even post a pic of them when they arrive.

success, and forgetfullness...

So I had some success last night. I made my mom's dinner rolls, and they turned out great! I got tears in my eyes smelling them baking, it just reminded me of home, but that wasn't unusual, as I spent a better part of the day crying to my mom on the phone. Nothing major, just that time of the month I guess. But here they are, and I would love to say that I'm taking better pictures because of all the fantastic info. I learned at my photography class, but that's where the forgetfullness comes in. You see, I checked the dates again for the class, and reallized that I missed it! It was a two night class, and it was last week. Lovely! But tomorrow night is the photography editing class, so hopefully I can learn how to edit my pictures to improve them.

I also made vegetarian chili, a recipe that I got from a professor while at ISU. I remember it being so super yummy, however, last night it was so super spicy! We had to cool it down with cheese and ranch to even get it into our mouths. I was searching for a fire extinguisher after a few bites, but don't tell Mary, we don't have one of those in our house. Insurance agent living on the edge I guess.

And here's a sweet picture of Gavin. He was helping me with the laundry, and discovered his blanket going into the wash. He gave it one last hug before we finished loading the washer. He is so funny, he loves to take the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and push all the buttons. I knew there was a reason to buy the front load washer and dryer! The great part is it has a way to child lock the buttons so he can't come back a few minutes later and restart the whole cycle.

al dente...

So I just caught 5 minutes of Rachael Ray, where a lady (I don't know who, cause I didn't watch long enough to find out) was giving little tips on how to make cooking easier, healthier, etc. I almost stopped watching because one of her tips was to sip your cup of coffee in little bits all morning to keep the caffeine high lasting longer rather than drinking it all at once and crashing a couple hours later. Thanks, useful tip!

But I held on a little longer, and she talked about how cooking your pasta to al dente, slightly firm, can help curb your hunger. Huh? I listened on. When you cook your pasta too long, it raises the glycemic index, which the higher the glycemic index, the faster you will get hungry again. So al dente will regulate the glycemic index, keeping you from wanting to eat sooner.

Now I'm wondering what the glycemic index for baking m&m's is, because I seem to want to eat them every few seconds. Yes, that's right. I have a craving and I'm filling it with little baking m&m's. Maybe if I space them out every few minutes I'll keep the caffeine high lasting longer. I should have listened to the lady a little better.

Chocolate, caffeine and the word of wisdom will be saved for another post, I'm still on the fence.