Giant Microbes!

We had our weekly visit to The Children's Museum so the kids could climb the rock wall. Aiden graduated to the intermediate wall and found it to be quite the challenge!

 We don't usually visit the gift shop but Aiden had birthday money burning a hole in his pocked and he wanted to buy a Lego Lantern so we went in to check those out.

The kids found bins of stuffed creatures that we found were actually diseases and microbes. Ummm...kind of disturbing if you ask me but to each his own. Ha!

 Mono looks cute enough but I hear it can be a real pain in the neck...

 E. Coli does not look very pleasant and I wouldn't want him swimming around in my lower intestine, for sure!

I guess these guys would be a great teaching tool but I'm not sure that I would want them in our toy box. 

I've been horrible about posting anything here so....here's to another start. Oye!

Reasonably Dining Out

I am a dining out failure. I have zero portion control. I'm like the honey badger, man! I just takes what I wants! In all seriousness though I used to have myself trained to know what I could have BEFORE I went to a restaurant and I knew what I would drink, and I adjusted my activity levels and calorie intake that day with the expectation that I was eating out.

These days...Oh girl just doesn't care! I have got to get a system in place for dining out. I went to Qdoba with my husband for lunch. I ordered a burrito. The Angus Steak 3 cheese queso (which, by the way, makes no sense! 3 cheese cheese?) and I was looking at the nutritional menu they had so responsibly placed at the front of the store which I so irresponsibly chose to read after I had finished my burrito as big as my head. Guess what? 1,250 calories. My entire days calorie intake in one freaking burrito. Are you kidding me? It really should be illegal to sell such a portion. I think the government just might need to put out some regulations to protect stupid. Like...if my fat ass really wants 1,250 calories worth of burrito I should have to order 3. I'm just sayin'.

I should have only eaten half of it and in reality...even half of it was way more calories than I should eat for lunch. That's a dinner!

So, the next time I visit Qdoba I will have a Naked burrito with pulled pork (which is surprisingly less calories than beef or chicken), with pinto beans, 3 cheese-cheese, pico de gallo, and lettuce for just 400 calories, and a water to drink.

In my defense I had just finished Zumba 500. 2 hours of straight Zumba will make a girl think she needs to eat a whole cow!

So...I am going to work on making myself a list of restaurants I frequent in my travels, and choose one or two menu options and find out the calories and keep that list on me at all times. I may even make a copy of it for my cell phone so I really ALWAYS have it until I memorize it.

I know for breakfast at McDonalds the only thing I can really have and feel satisfied is the Egg McMuffin. At 300 calories it is a good calorie range and not too awful in fat.

A hamburger is 250 calories.

A Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich is 350 calories.

A side salad is 20 calories, a Premium Caesar Salad is 90 calories, and the new tiny bags of apples are just 15 calories.

A small fry is 230 calories. Have you SEEN their "new" small fry? It's the tiniest fast food french fry portion you will ever see and yet it is still 230 calories. Ridiculous. Just say no to fries!

The snack wraps are 250-270 calories, but I really don't feel like they are as filling as a hamburger. They might be a better option as far as carbs and fat are concerned but if I dont' feel satisfied I will eat more sooner rather than later!

4 Chicken nuggets are 190 calories, 6 are 280 calories and yes, I am well aware of what they are made of. My fat ass really doesn't care, They are delicious chicken pieces parts. Unhealthy as they may be. Gross as they may be. Yum!

So, for McDonalds my best bet for Breakfast is an Egg McMuffin and a black coffee at around 300 calories. For lunch I should opt for the hamburger, side salad, apples, and an iced tea at around 285 calories for a lunch and a decent dinner could be a Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich, a side Caesar salad, apples, and an unsweet iced tea at around 455 calories. I never eat fast food 3 times a day so this would just be one of the above per day.

I know it is possible to eat fast food and stay on target. I have traveled for my job for 6 years and have managed to stay on target before while eating out. I just need to get back to setting limits and adjusting my day accordingly.

I am sure that once we close on the new house, and get settled in it will be more feasible for me to pack my snacks and I really do better at calculating my foods at the start of my day so...just 6 more weeks or so and hopefully I can see some results by Christmas! Ha!

Painting the house

We are painting the rental house to prep for listing it this summer. I am hoping to have it 100% ready when we move out so we don't have to come back for projects here and there. We have a few pieces of siding to replace, and then the scraping, and caulking, and the power washing. It's a lot of work but we will save a ton of money by doing it ourselves.

My goal is to have it done by the end of May. This was the 1st weekend and we got the front 98% completed. We still have 1 trim board to replace, and I need a 2nd coat of paint on the deck.

Here are some pics from this weekend's progress.

This is a close up of the front entry before and after

This is the front of the house near finished!

So, what do you think? I'm pretty happy with it. I may add a few things if time permits. I'd like to do the trim around the garage door in that dark brown and also the window trim or perhaps add shutters to the window to carry out the brown to each side. For now it is greatly improved!

Getting back to life as usual

With the house sold, the move completed, and a few months before we can close on the new house I finally have some time to breathe, and get the daily life tasks back in order.

Today was super productive! I was expecting an all day rainy day, but instead it stopped raining in the mid morning and stayed dry the rest of the day. It was just cool enough for a hoodie which made for great yard work weather!

The front landscaping beds are cleaned out and new perennials have been planted. The grass has been cut, and edging was completed. The sandbox got a new bag of fresh sand, and the mud pit by the road got fresh dirt in preparation for seed.

The most exciting task of the day was planting some veggies. I am not going to get to have a garden this year because of waiting to close on the house so I am trying container gardening this year. I planted 2 patio tomatoes, 2 bell peppers, and 4 jalapenos. I would love to plant some zuccini as well but am not sure if I can get a large enough container. We'll see!

Rest In Peace Elias

I was going to blog about a new book I had started this weekend. I hadn't had much time to pull my thoughts together when I heard the news. One of our Original IndyMom members had lost her son. His name was Elias. He was 3 years old...just a few weeks shy of his 4th birthday, I do believe. His momma found him in his bed, unresponsive. He died in his sleep.

I cannot imagine what Amanda is going through right now. My thoughts and prayers to her entire family. My heart goes out to Indy Moms. Hundreds of them are hurting with and for Amanda tonight. Many of them holding their babies a little bit tighter. Taking extra hugs and kisses goodnight.

As I watched my 5 y/o skip off to bed after I forced some extra hugs and kisses on him I couldn't help but feel guilty. Amanda will not get that opportunity with Elias again. Elias will not get to receive anymore hugs and kisses, "sugars" as we call them in our home, from his mamma. The very thought of that makes me cry.

I'm just such a fixer. It's in my nature to swoop in and help others. There's no amount of help that will ever fix this. Nothing that I can say or do will make this go away.

Ever since I nearly lost my Aiden 5 years ago it has been one of my biggest fears to find my child had died in his sleep. There were so many concerns about Aiden's breathing after the accident that I instantly became a master at waking from a deep sleep when his breathing patterns changed. I never thought I would be able to pack away the baby monitors ever again. I still check on the kids frequently when one is coughing or raspy in their sleep. After today's events I am sure it will be along time before I sleep sweet again.

It is totally cliche to say it but Life really is too short. I've wasted a lot of life lately with the distraction of the Internets. The loss of Elias has really resounded in my heart...it's time to make some changes in my life.

Thoughts and prayers to Amanda, her husband, children, and the rest of their family.

Inner Peace

A friend of mine shared a post from Symptoms of Inner Peace today on Facebook. Upon reading it I realized that I have been way more at peace this weekend than I can remember being for a long time. Months!

I've been working on accepting life for what it is, and people for who they are. I've come to understand that I cannot change these things. I have to just accept them and move forward. Go on.

Getting upset with someone over something that I cannot change is a waste of energy. I don't have any energy to spare right now so I've been trying to conserve, and it is working. I actually had a really great weekend. I enjoyed time out with friends, did some DIY projects with my husband, and we had a lunch date.

I'm hoping this trend continues for me. I've been praying that we get this house sold and that our family can be reunited. I am hopeful that tonight's home showing produces an offer, and that it is enough to pay for the mortgage, the Realtor and closing fees!

I leave you with the post I read on Facebook last night.

Signs & Symptoms of Inner Peace

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears, based on past experiences
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment
A loss of interest in judging other people
A loss of interest in judging self
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others
A loss of interest in conflict
A loss of ability to worry
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation
Contented feelings of connectedness with others & nature
Frequent attacks of smiling
An increasing tendency to let things
happen rather than make them happen
An increased susceptibility to love extended by others and the uncontrollable urge to extend it

Starting over. Again.

I have been blogging (more off than on) under the handle U8MyCrayons for many years now. I've tried re-branding myself. I've tried following memes. I've tried a lot of things to control my bloggy madness.

Recently I deleted my old Google account. I didn't think I needed it. I forgot that Google owns the world now and in the process I deleted my blog along with a few other accounts. Oops!

For weeks I have been trying to think of a new name to blog under. I felt like losing my old account was a blessing. A chance to start over. I've toyed around with a large spectrum of names. I've had a few suggestions along the way.

Spiritual Heathen
Heathen Mom
Indy Mom of Four
Mom In Indy
Maternal Disobedience
Which Craft
Midwest mom

The truth is...there really probably isn't a name that could even come close to describing who I am and what I do. My interest are too broad. I'm a lot of things. I DO a lot of things. I WANT to do a lot more things.


Things on my agenda are posting more of my cooking adventures, sharing about my spiritual path, helping you simplify your life with life organizational tips, and of course the occasional update about my crayon eaters.

I less than those of you who have followed my madness over the years. I promise to try harder to give you something to read more than once a quarter.

So...here's the deal. Today is Super Bowl Sunday. The Super Bowl XLVI is in MY city today. By all rights I am supposed to give a hoot.

I don't like football that much.
I have little interest in crowds, and hoopla...unless it is the heathen kind of hoopla.
I feel like I should have been blogging something about this once-in-a-lifetime event for weeks now.
I haven't. I'll use not having a blog as an excuse.

So, here it is. MY Super Bowl Sunday post. The day that I resurrected U8MyCrayons. The day that my blog came back to life. Again.

Let it prosper and be dusted off more often than the past many years.