The Strings Saga Continues

Remember a while back when I lamented that Jamie would have to drop Strings/Orchestra for next year so he could take Robotics II, Advanced Android Programming and Webmastery? And then I was actually happy that Robotics II got canceled, because it meant Jamie could take Strings again? Well, all that was before the powers that be decided to add a reading class as required for 8th graders next year. Now, normally I would be all excited  for Jamie to take another reading class. It is important. BUT - now we're right back to Jamie not being able to take orchestra next year. Which means that he'll have to take private violin lessons all year to be deemed "eligible" for orchestra in high school. This is on top of the guitar lessons he wants to take (and I've been able to put off because there's a guitar club at school), enough food to feed an army (he's been eating double lunches at school the last few weeks not to mention how high my grocery bill will be this summer when he's home all day), new/nearly-new clothes and new shoes every three months, his normal medical expenses each month and enough gas to haul him hither and yon. If you are a praying person, please pray that the S.D. actually starts paying his child support. Also pray that other things in the works will come to pass. My kid appears to be a money-eating machine.

On Growing Boys and Knobbly Knees

The other night, Jamie and I were sitting on the couch watching TV. The way he was sitting, I could see his arms from an angle I'd previously not noticed. His arms were skinny little sticks, and his elbows great big knobs in comparison. Then I noticed his legs and knees are the same way. Even with all his medications that kill his appetite, he still eats nearly constantly and obviously it is NOT enough. Oh, my poor child, you have been hit with the same metabolic quirk as your grandmother and uncle. I need to work seriously hard to fatten you up!


(This is a repost of a facebook note I posted today. Thought I'd share with my readers who do not get on fb.)

Thank You, Jessi

I want to give a big THANK YOU to my IRL and blogger friend, Jessi.  A while back, I was begging for slow cooker recipes I could make so Jamie and I could have healthful, home cooked meals that I don't have to spend all night in the kitchen to make.  Jessi responded with a quick, easy recipe for chicken and vegetable soup.  Thursday, I went home early from work sick.  I tried to eat some canned chicken noodle soup, and something about the chicken broth made the nausea worse.  So, I threw the ingredients she listed in my crock pot and let it cook all the rest of that day and we had it for dinner that night.  I'm very glad I made a double batch, because that's the only thing I've been able to eat every day since that didn't make me feel worse.  Again, thank you, Jessi, for giving me such a great, easy recipe!

In case any of you missed it, below is Jessi's recipe.  Changes I've made are added in italics.

Slow cooker Veggie Soup:


3-4 Frozen chicken breasts

2 Large cans mixed veggies (I like to do one cut small and 1 cut large)

1 Bottle of V-8 low sodium

Spices I added to taste:  Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, fresh ground pepper.  I needed to add these because I used low sodium versions of everything.  Jamie and I are eating too much sodium.


Put frozen chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour drained veggies and V-8 over the top. Cook on low for 8 hours. Use a fork to pull out chicken breasts and cut into smaller chunks, then toss 'em back in. Ready to serve. And fabulous. Trust me.

Calling All Cooks! HELP!

Firstly, thanks to you all for the words of encouragement and support on my foray into grad school.  And those of you whom are educators, your advice is much sought and appreciated!  Now, I'm calling on all of you for help again - this time, in the kitchen.

Lest my boy turn into one giant microwaveable chicken nugget dinner full of fat and calories, I'm collecting slow cooker/crock pot recipes that are healthful, nutritious and packed with flavor, but are easy to throw together.  I used to buy a lot of those pre-packaged Crock Pot meals at the grocery, but they never have any in stock, and those meals usually have too much sodium, anyway.  So, I'm trying to make them from scratch.  I will usually wind up prepping the stuff while I'm home on my lunch break during the day.  I do, however, have plans in the near future to see about getting either one or two more slow cookers or the three-in-one slow cooker jobby I saw at that club that belongs to Sam the other day (depending on cost) and cooking up big batches of different dishes to freeze and or refrigerate for us to eat on during the week.  Last night, I made a scrumptious beef stew, and - I have to say - it was 500 times better than all those microwave meals I have in the freezer right now!

So, please, if you are a listed contributor on our recipe blog, please go there soon and leave me some slow cooker recipes!  If you aren't, please leave me a slow cooker recipe either in the comments on this blog or the recipe blog.  My sanity depends on it!

Mountain Dew Throwback

I am a self-professed caffeine junkie. I have to have two HUGE cups of coffee in the morning before I can even start getting ready for work. I’ve been a good girl and made myself drink more water of late, but IMHO, if it isn’t caffeinated, then I have no use for it (unless we’re talking alcohol; that’s a whole different ballgame, folks!). But there comes a quandary. I love caffeine, but hate high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). So, imagine my utmost delight when I went to the store the other day and found 20 oz. bottles of –

It’s Mountain Dew, but it is made with natural sugar instead of HFCS. To me, it tastes so much better than regular Mountain Dew with HCFS. I did some Internet research, and discovered that this stuff just came out mid-April. The sad thing is, there hasn’t been much news about how long it will be available for purchase, nor in what quantities. So far, I’ve only been able to find it in 20 oz bottles. If I could find it in cans or 2 liters, I’d stock up. But it’s a bit cost prohibitive for me to keep buying 20 oz bottles that cost more than a 2 liter bottle would. So if any of you spot this product in cans or 2 liters, drop me a line to tell me where you found it and in what sizes, so I can go haunt my local store and beg them to get some!

Oh, and for those of you who hate HFCS but don’t like Mountain Dew, there’s also Pepsi Throwback, using natural sugar. Enjoy!

I'm Still a Bad, Bad Mommy

It's almost 7:30 p.m. By 8:30 p.m., my son is supposed to be showered, teeth brushed, all 500 medicines taken, school clothes for tomorrow laid out, backpack and shoes lined up neatly by the door, and be in bed waiting for me to tuck him in. There's just one problem - I haven't even fixed dinner yet. I just got done taking my last final of the semester, and prior to that, we had just gotten home from spending the night at my father's house. We didn't get home until almost 6 p.m. Needless to say, I'm exhausted (both mentally and physically), and I have no idea what to give my kid for dinner. Yes, folks, I'm a bad, bad mommy - but one who's glad she doesn't have to even think about school again until Jan. 20!

New Recipe on R.O.U.S.

I posted a new recipe on R.O.U.S.

Go check it out! Just click on the title of this post, and you'll be there. Go on! Go!

:-)