Crankypants

Good grief I'm feeling cranky this morning.

(This quick missive would probably be better served on Twitter. However, the post I have been working on during my limited breaks at work using the Blogger app on my phone was apparently not saved. Boooo.)

Another day, another reason to drink coffee (or booze)

I wish I could make coffee that fancy

Mmm. Delicious coffee. Good thing it's Thirsty Thursday!

So. I was thinking it would be fun to do low-calorie, Weight Watchers-friendly drink reviews. I'm aiming to review both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, because although I'm not a big drinker, I do enjoy some booze from time to time.

Last night we went to a friend's house for a little impromptu cookout. Not only did I get to try the pineapple sausage that I've been thinking of buying at Costco (side note: why does pork pair so well with fruit?), but I also tried a Mike's Lite Cranberry Lemonade.

Now, Mike's Hard and I were inseparable pals in my college years. Well, not quite (I've never been that much of a lush), but since I'm (still) not a big beer fan and I hadn't yet discovered the wonders of hard apple cider, it was what I always would bring to BYOB parties.*

I haven't bought it in years, but when it was offered last night, nostalgia drove me to give the light version a shot.

Overall: not bad. I'd like to think my palate has become more refined since college, because it's not as great as I remember. The label notes that it's sweetened with Rebiana-A, another term for stevia, and it's definitely got that... stevia... taste. You know what I mean. But at 3 PointsPlus, it's not half bad!

*Sorry, would never touch that *shudder* Jungle Juice the frats would hand out.

I love my kids

We're having a family movie night due to the storm system that is making its way through our part of the state. Star Wars is the movie du jour, and the five-year-old is stretched out on the carpet, entranced. Little miss J is cooing in her pack-and-play, desperately trying to get her toe in her mouth, and Mike and I are cuddling.

I feel so bad because Mike's having some crazy sciatic back pain, and I haven't been able to adequately massage or stretch it out for him. I had to deal with that when I was pregnant and fell down a few stairs, but giving birth helped resolve that. Unfortunately, that won't work for him!

This weather has been so strange the past few days. It's been alternating between clear to pouring down rain, and it's supposed to be back to 100+ degrees in just a few days. It's nice to have a slight respite from the heat, but sheesh!

I'm so ready to kick this dang cold to the curb. It's been two weeks already! I haven't been able to work out at all, and I've been feeling winded walking up the stairs. This does not bode well for the running progress I had made. I feel like this is the only way I'm going to get back to working out:

Baby steps, right?

Friend-Making Monday again

I'm participating in Friend-Making Monday again at All the Weigh! I'd love to make some new bloggy friends, so welcome!

Ten Simple Questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
"Why can't my curls just stay nice overnight?!" The woes of having naturally wurly curly hair.

2. Do you prefer to pay for things with cash or plastic?
I rarely carry cash, so it's almost always plastic. I should have cash on hand more often because it makes me more conscious of the amount I'm paying. Plus, it's nice to always have money in the banana stand.

3. What is one word that you use too often?
I'm a Clueless Valley Girl at heart, so I say "like" an awful lot. I also tend to speak quickly, so my mouth ends up ahead of my thoughts and I stumble over my words. I'm working on it!

4. Who is the last person outside of your family who said “I love you” to you?
My best friend, though we're essentially sisters.

5. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone and mailed it?
A snail mail letter? Um... a long time.

6. Have you ever been called upon for jury duty?
I was summoned a few months ago, but took the breastfeeding year deferral. I'm sure I'll be called again next year.

7.  How many keys are on your key ring?
My everyday key ring has three. I like to keep it streamlined.

8.  List two characteristics that you want to change about yourself. 
I wish I was more patient and more organized.

9.  Do you bring your own shampoo and conditioner when you travel, or do you use what the hotel provides?
Last time I traveled I used the hotel's. It worked out okay. I have fussy hair, so normally I'm more picky, but since I was getting my hair done for my brother's wedding I knew it wouldn't matter so much. They ironed the heck out of it!

10. What is your birthstone?  Do you like it?
I'm a July baby, so it's a ruby. I love it! I'd love to get some ruby jewelry for my upcoming birthday (hint hint haha). 

*Howl*

Phew. It was a few crazy days down at the ER! I didn't know why it was so nuts until I walked out after twelve hours to see this:

(not the moon that night, but ya know)

Well, that explains a lot.

We're still all sniffly snufflepants over here, but on the mend. I'd like to get over this ish already. I haven't been able to run for almost two weeks now, and I want to get back on that! It's funny how much I miss it, but I miss being able to breathe normally more. I have a painfully clogged up sinus, and I'm about to neti pot the heck out of it.

No matter how much that neti pot scares me. The thumbs up guy is not reassuring me.

Recharge and refresh

Well, I didn't end up working yesterday after all. My baby girl, little miss J, has been fighting a cold for about a week now, and last night I took her into the ER because her fever spiked up and she was just miserable. Of course, once she was there she started acting more normal and charmed all my coworkers, but at least I got her checked out for my peace of mind.

We didn't get discharged until I was supposed to start my shift, and so my charge nurse told me to take the day off for kin care. Thank goodness, because I didn't really feel up to working and leaving the baby sick at home (although she would have been with Daddy, sometimes only Mommy will do), plus I'd been up for most of the night.

Little miss J seems to be feeling better now, but I'm ready for this cold to leave her alone! I'm fighting my own bug too. It's very annoying, but we got to snuggle and nap for most of the day. Sometimes it's nice to recharge.

Off I go to work this morning!

Food fun

Today was a pretty good day, in spite of my terrible sleep last night. I got a lot done around the house and did some fun recipe trials, so we should be good for meals for the next few days that I work. Since I work three 12 hour shifts a week, it's hard for me to get much of anything done on my work days. The 11.5 hours I have off between each shift are usually devoted to sleep, showering and spending whatever time I can with the kids. Meal prep falls by the wayside.

Last night, I made a delicious turkey chili, which was very filling at only 6 PP per cup, and tonight I made a baked penne lasagne type dish. The baked penne was tasty, but had a steep PP price at 11 PP per serving. Michael and the five-year-old liked it a lot, but I'm not sure if it's worth it at that PointsPlus value!

I also tried baking red bell peppers with a filling of eggs, spinach, onion, bacon and mushrooms. Again, it was successful, but needs a few tweaks for next time! Counting all the veggies as zero, each filled bell pepper is only 5 PP, which is great for a protein-packed, make ahead breakfast. It's a good investment for me, since I need a protein-focused breakfast to start my day off right.

At Costco yesterday, I picked up a tasty treat that I shouldn't have. Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Crisps. Mmm so stinking good, but pricey at 4 PP for only five pretzels. I count them out and savor them, but ah they keep calling my name. I just keep telling myself that I can have them all (eventually), but I can't have it all at once!

Mmm food. Why must I like you so much?! We have such a complicated relationship.

Anyway, I hope to nail down the specific measurements on the recipes and share them. They were too tasty not to share :)

Friend-Making Monday

Hello! I'm just starting this little blog here. I hope to get it more fleshed out soon, but I have to start somewhere and I figured linking up with All the Weigh's Friend-Making Monday would be a good place to start. Welcome to my place in cyberspace!

Just Wondering

1.  Do you wear glasses and/or contacts? Yes, unfortunately! I started wearing them in my freshman year of high school. At that time, I was able to get away without wearing them consistently and now I'm pretty darn blind without them. I don't care much for starting my mornings with the sentence, "Where'd I put my glasses?!" My brother just got Lasik and my envy knows no bounds. As soon as my prescription stabilizes long enough, I'll be next in line!

2.  Do you have summer vacation plans?  If so, where are you going? I just returned from Santa Cruz on Sunday. We spent last weekend down there for my brother's wedding. In July I'm going to San Francisco and Sacramento, and in August I'm flying to Albuquerque to be a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding! I'm also anticipating several spontaneous day trips.

3.  What is your favorite food to eat for breakfast? I've definitely developed into an egg-and-bacon girl. I find that I start my day best if I get a good investment of protein. Sometimes I'll have some toast with it. I can't eat carbs first thing in the morning anymore without some good protein to go with it. If I just have a carberiffic breakfast, I crave sweet junk all day.

4. Do you enjoy window shopping?  I like virtual window shopping because shopping with the five-year-old in tow can be an exercise in frustration. I do need to do it on a more frequent basis, so if I need something specific, I'm not in a rush and settling for something. This really drove home last week, when I needed to get something to wear to the rehearsal dinner last Friday. I found something that kinda worked, but overall I'm not thrilled with it and I'm not sure I'll wear it again.

5. What is your favorite candle scent?  I seem to gravitate towards vanillas and coconut scented candles.

6.  If you had to choose between going to a zoo or an aquarium, which one would you pick? Depends on the individual place! I would always pick the San Diego Zoo and the Monteray Bay Aquarium over all others.

7.  How many times do you plan to exercise this week?  I'm shooting for three. My baby girl and I are recovering from a cold, so illness+a non-sleeping baby is making me disinclined towards dedicated exercise. I'm just really making an effort to get my 10k steps in per day.

8.  Do you speak another language fluently?  Not really. I'm fairly proficient in Spanglish, and I took German in college... but I'm very far from fluent.

9.  What are you currently reading?  I’m not really in the middle of anything. I'm taking my son to the library tomorrow, so I hope to pick something up.

10.  What are you looking forward to most in the coming week? Getting back on track after a hectic weekend!