Pencil Thin

It seems like just when I think we are done fixing things around our house something breaks. My poor husband has been on what seems like and endless parade of repairing things. Last weekend he declared that he was done with all of his projects. Sometime this week one of our tv stands got pretty badly scratched up and needs to be repainted. It isn’t anything major but really calls you eye to the stand. We have so many people coming and going lately that I really like for the house to look very nice and pulled together. You just know that people who are visiting your house for the first time are going to notice how well you take care of your house. I am kind of anal about stuff like that when it comes to meeting people for the first time.

So far I am loving my Wii fit and everything is reading more or less right BUT on the downward dog my board wants me to be in almost a push up/handstand pose to get the weight right.

1) I’ve done yoga for years and that is super poor form and I know it isn’t right.
2) you can’t get the same position as the trainer if you get the bar into the blue section.

So has this problem been reported? I’ve gone out and in of the exercise to see if the board needs to be calibrated again and it didn’t fit it ?

In down dog your armpits are supposed to be open. I’m not sure how this is measured but I can’t get it to read right even when I know I’m in a good position or in one that even attempts to resemble the trainer.

There are days where every parent feels completely stressed out by raising children. I have had my fair share of these days. The other day I met a family who really made me stop and think about how lucky I am to have the kids that I have. I already knew this but meeting them cemented this further in my mind. This family is dealing with taking care of a seriously ill child. When I think about their young son, who is the same age as my own son, it makes my heart ache. I am so thankful not to be worrying about medical travel Mexico or the newest treatment advances being made. It truly is a blessing when your biggest worry is whether you will ever master potty training. It makes me even more thankful when my son acts out because I realize that there are parents out there who only wish their children were healthy enough to throw a tantrum.

We always have a few pumpkins sitting around during this time of year. have made pumpkin puree from the pumpkins I used to decorate with–not carved ones. All I did was cut the top out, scoop out the seeds (save) and then chunk up the pumpkin and peel the skin off. I boiled it until soft, strained in the collander and then ran through the food processor. I measured out 2 cups and placed in freezer bags and froze flat. I use it in place of canned pumpkin in my pumpkin muffin recipe.

With the reserved seeds, I washed them off and then patted dry. Tossed with some olive oil and salt and roasted them in the oven. YUMMO!

I use the puree to make these muffins:
This is the easiest recipe for Pumpkin Muffins and in my opinion the best!

1 box of spice cake mix
1 can packed pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree)
1 egg

Bake according to box directions for cupcakes! That is it!

I add chopped pecans and it is awesome! I have also added miniature chocolate chips at times. Yummy too!

I was skeptical at first but my boys like them WAY better than the from scratch muffins I used to make. Let me know what you think.

The other day I happened to look in my spam mail box and spy an interesting email. The notice came from the place where we order our medication from. It offered me a 50% discount on my first online order from their new store. This sounded to good to be true but I went ahead and place a huge order. Surprisingly my entire order arrived in several boxes in just a couple of days. My son gleefully helped me find a box cutter to open our packages. Expecting something exciting he instead found a one year supply of toilet paper, shampoo, cold medicine, vitamins, and various other supplies. In hindsight I wished I had ordered even more because I got such an amazing bargain. I will definitely be on the lookout for more emails from them in the future!

Wii Fit Plus has the new style of Body Test where you can choose the short or regular test. I like it OK, but I wish you could still opt out of the balance test if you do the regular test. The data from my regular Wii Fit transferred when I started using Wii Fit Plus. However, if I use the Wii Fit Channel to do a Body Test (the one you can do without a disc being in the console), the data does not appear in the I have arrived at a couple of thoughts on my Wii Fit Plus results. It is like it keeps two separate logs for me since I got Wii Fit Plus. Is there a way to make the Wii Fit Channel body test sync with the regular Wii Fit Plus data? I noticed other weird data transfers as well. For example, my Jackknife data did not transfer at all. Everything on final score was a zero. But in Torso Twist, ALL of the data transferred (so I didn’t even get a high score). Seems to be a bug in their program somewhere.

This week I have been doing a great deal of work that requires me to be on my feet. When I finally make it to bed at night I am aching from head to toe. It makes me wonder if I need to get insurance quotes because there is something wrong with me? I can feel so much pressure in my lower back that I have to bend over to relieve it while I am working. I was diagnosed with a herniated disk, arthritis, and a couple other issues in my back several months ago. I had been feeling pretty good up until now. It seems like I need to focus on strengthening my back rather than other things right now and maybe the pain will go away.

Cooking dinner is one of my least favorite things to do. I have heard that using a pressure cooker can make getting a meal on the table an easier process. I love the idea of being able to decide at the last minute what to cook and still being able to make it that night. I need help choosing a pressure cooker. I have an old one from years ago and I want to buy a new one with my cashback bonus award. I can purchase at Bed Bath & Beyond, Ace Hardware, Cooking.com, or Overstock.com.

What brand? Aluminum or Stainless steel? (I was thinking of stainless steel.) Electric or stove-top? What size? Should I get one that is a pressure canner too? (I’ve never canned before but need to learn how within the next few years.) HELP!

In the morning a friend of mine and her children are coming to visit. It has been almost a year since we last got together. Her visits are some of my favorite because everything is so casual. There are some people I know who just make me nervous when they come to visit. I know that they are visually inspecting everything from the kitchen faucets to the wall covering and silently taking mental notes. We all have those friends who are more than happy to tell everyone they know the good and bad points of our homes and lives. That is not the case with my friend who is coming tomorrow. I know that she could care less if I have the newest things or whether they came from Goodwill. She is like family and I can’t wait to see her.

Yesterday I spent some time looking at a blog about food storage. It was interesting to learn that for some religions it is a requirement to keep a one year supply of food on hand at all times. I know many people are like myself and keep a stockpile of staples on hand and buy according to sales and bargains. I can’t imagine trying to keep the amount of food and water on hand that some of these religious groups feel is necessary. My husband laughs at some of the things I have on hand but looking at the pictures of some of the storage areas people have I now realize I am by no means out of control.

I am very much aware of the fact that I need to exercise more. Now that we have swapped our summer clothes for our winter clothes this is ever so clear. As I sit here debating what to make for dinner the reality is I should just start downing diet pills. I am able to get into last year’s jeans but the truth is I need to lose about 5-10 pounds for them to be comfortable. I don’t feel like I am any less active than I was last year at this time but clearly I am. The best thing would probably be for me to convince my family to join me in a plan to eat better and become more active. I wouldn’t point it out but I believe my husband and my older son are also experiencing the same sort of “jeans” related discomfort.

We are a family that is prone to allergies and eczema. I had hoped that my youngest son would somehow escape this tendency. Until recently he really hadn’t shown much in the way of allergies. Last week he broke out in this rash that has spread to most of his body. I tried to determine what might be causing his allergic reaction but nothing has really changed in what he is exposed to. The doctor prescribed prednisone to treat the rash and hopefully calm things down. After a week of treatment the rash seems to have slowed but is just as visible. I am hoping that this is not a sign of things to come.