The Mess That Just Won't Go Away: Part II

I wanted to include some pictures of what the room looks like everynight for about a minute before it is torn apart again.

The Mess That Just Won't Go Away

I estimate that 95% percent of the time my daughter Ainsley's (4) room looks like a bomb went off and then a hurricane blew in. I truly think her goal is to make sure that not one inch of carpet is showing. What's impressive is that she can get her room into this state in seconds! It is truly a skill. One that I wish she had not learned. Today's mess was no exception.



And every night we tidy up. There is space for all her toys. We have a dress up trunk, ample storage for toys, a basket for stuffed animals, and a large bookshelf. There is a place for everything. However, it seems that one must dump the basket over to find the one toy you are looking for. Or throw every single item of clothes out of the dress up box to find the perfect costume. And one can't just read one book, one must read them ALL.

I remain optimistic that the girls will one day grow out of their tasmanian devil stage and start to want a clean room. I hope it comes soon.

Who's Sick Of Being Sick?

I am! I've been told by many people that this is apparently the worst year for illnesses in a long time! I can only speak for myself on this subject and this has been the worst year for illnesses for me in my whole life! I have been well for 10 days in the past 40 and that is not a great ratio!

However, I have a plan. I will be attacking these germs and leaving no survivors (I hope). I like to be organized (as you can probably tell by Glow Baby and our products) and so I will be using my special organizational skills to help me beat the flu and any other illness this winter throws at me.

The first step was to start eating heathier. That meant more vegetables and fruits, less pre-packaged meals. So far, I am on week three of this and it is going really well! It helps that I am relatively healthy at the moment. When I took the girls to McDonald's last week, I didn't order anything for me!!!! Talk about will power.

The next step was to meet with a nutritionist to put together a plan of attack. Or rather a plan of prevention. I was lucky enough to meet with Marina from www.zenbeginnings.com. She not only provided me with a plan for prevention but also gave me non-medicinal options for when I did get sick. The main goal with this was to work on getting my immune system back into fighting shape. I am now just waiting for my supplements to arrive but am hopeful that this will give me a chance for being healthy for the remainder of the winter.

The third step is to join a gym. This is going to be the toughest one for me. I hate the gym! It is my least favourite thing. I find it boring. I have found a gym near me that has classes and I'm hoping that this may hold my interest. Maybe I should look for some other moms who would be willing to go with me....

How are you doing this winter with illness? Are you finding this year worse than previous years? Are your kids sicker than usual? What are you doing to stay healthy?

Harlem Globetrotters Discount

Week One - Success!

Last week was a good one. We made all the recipes I had listed on my menu plan and they were delicious! The recipes were easy to make and it made me feel better that our family was eating a very well rounded diet with new tastes. Juliet loved the fish and the enoki mushrooms (to my surprise). For this week I am using recipes from Rose Reisman and here is what I have planned for our dinners:

1. Fillet of Beef with Creamy Sesame Sauce
2. Chicken Chili with Barley and Black Beans
3. Salmon Stuffed with mixed olives and Sundried Tomatoes
4. Make your own pizza

I'm also planning on making a Fig and Cinnamon Loaf for snacks and for side vegetables Roast Onions and Sweet Potato and Yellow spilt pea soup with Goat cheese.
Yum!

I still haven't signed up at a gym mainly because while I was sick with the flu, I bruised my ribs and they still hurt!

This week's goal is to go to Zen Beginnings and meet with a nutritionist to get tips on how I can boost my immune system.

The Start of a Healthier Lifestyle

I have been sick for way too long! I feel like as soon as I get over one illness, I get another. I have now been well for only 10 days during the past month. That is not a good ratio. To combat my seemingly sickly constitution, I have decided to make a conscious effort to eat better and to make time to get more excercise. I am also going to be meeting with a nutritionist next week to help me figure out what else I can do to boost my immune system.

My first step as I am finally feeling better from my recent Flu, was to menu plan for the following week and create my shopping list. I do have a number of healthy cooking cookbooks, as I love to cook and I do try to cook healthy meals. I just had gotten off track of late so need to refocus on this. I pulled out my Heart Smart cookbook by Bonnie Stern and started leafing through the recipes. I decided on the following recipes for this week (as we had a lot of the ingredients already in our freezer):

1. Sweet Chili Chicken
2. Moroccan Meatballs
3. Cod Baked in Tomato Sauce with Onions
4. Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Bocconcini

Most of these recipes are fairly easy so are a good choice. I also want to introduce new flavours for the girls to expand their palate.

Wish me luck on my first week towards eating better. Next step: Join a Gym!!!