Going home again

I have decided to move back to my original blog, Jolly Green Mommy.  I thought that I needed a change, but I have found that I am just more comfortable at home. As most people who know me would probably agree, I am somewhat of a homebody.  Please follow me back to Jolly Green Mommy.

 

 

Saying Goodbye

Peace Will Come/The Time Has Come

Peace will come to all of us
Peace will come to all of us
Peace will come to all of us
And all of the world

Salaam, to all of us and all of the world
Salaam, shalom
Salaam, to all of us and all of the world
Salaam, shalom

The time has come, the time has come
Ki va moed, ki va moed
El tiemp a llegado, el tiempo a llegado

– Rick Recht

2008 Jewish Rock Records

I ask that you bear with me a bit because today I am saying goodbye to a beautiful person.

Saturday morning I found out that a dear friend passed away early that morning.  She was an amazing person, who definitely made my life better for having known her.  She was a great support for me when my mother-in-law was fighting cancer, the first non-family member to know I was pregnant with Peanut and the first to meet her too (in the hospital).  She was one of the strongest people I know, as she fought cancer herself.  Sadly, after Peanut was born and I was staying home, we lost touch and by the time Peanut was 2 we were exchanging greetings on Facebook, but otherwise had lost track of each other.

When I heard that she wasn’t doing well, I thought about trying to contact her.  I wasn’t sure how to do so after all this time, so I sent her a message on Facebook and then on Caring Bridge where she was helping to keep people informed of her fight.  Sadly, Saturday morning, her brother wrote that she had lost her battle and left us peacefully very early that morning.

My message to myself, and all of you, is:

If you love someone, tell them.  Don’t wait for that opportune time to tell them, for that time may never come.  Value every day and every person who comes into your life.  Remember the good and for get the bad.  Learn from your experiences and help them make you even better.

“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” – Another Day (Rent)

Transportation – Preschool Corner

After taking a year off (wow, did I really not do any “formal” schooling with Peanut for a year???), Peanut and I are trying to get back into school.  In another post, I will give you some background as to where Peanut is “ability-wise” and what I am doing in terms of curriculum.  For now, I want to talk about what we have done over the past two weeks.

What did we do this week?

I was inspired to do a unit on transportation.  Thank you Magic Mouse Schoolhouse!  So I went looking online for projects and units that were already compiled by others.  I’m hoping to get back into creating my own, but for now, I will offer a very heartfelt thanks to those who created the units we used: 2 Teaching Mommies, Homeschool Creations and KidsSoup.

Here is our week in pictures.

Transportation Words

Practicing spelling with word puzzles

Practicing our cutting for the left/right sort.

Sorting based on left and right.

Matching the number on the suitcase with the correct group of items to pack.

Sorting the different characteristics and uses for transportation.

Melissa and Doug See and Spell

Melissa and Doug Fire Truck Puzzle

We also thought that we would show Squeaker some modes of transportation too.

But he had more fun dumping them all out.

If you would like to see what other families have been up to this week, check out Preschool Corner.

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday was started by was started by Kailani at An Island Life.  She says

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.

Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and join the linky on her site.

My question for today is:

I promised a more lighthearted question after last week’s heavy one, so….

As I got up this morning, took care of the dog, heard little footsteps on the stairs (Peanut) and squawking (Squeaker), I thought of today’s question…

What is your favorite busy morning breakfast?  (Recipes get bonus points.)

My answer:

It would probably be Breakfast Cookies.  I mean who doesn’t want to eat cookies for breakfast?

Wordless Wednesday

To join in the fun go to Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

No Excuses

courtesy of iclipart.com

I’ve mentioned the FlyLady before.  She is helping me to care for my house as best I can one step at a time.  Connected to her philosophies, is Jonathan Roche’s No Excuses Work Out.  I had signed up for their community mailings a while back, and was hoping that would be enough to get me working out again.  After much debate, and Fireman saying he wants to do something to get in shape too, I decided to pay for the more personalized guidance and work outs.  My thinking was that if 2 of us would be using his suggestions, we’re still better off than joining a gym and we if we don’t like it, I can get a refund within the month.  He also has a free membership if you just need a little bit of help.

So today I did my first work out, took my measurements and did my fitness test.  I’m going to be brave and post my total measurements and my fitness test results.  He suggests that the 2 tests be done monthly (every 30 days or so).  Hopefully, I will stick with this enough, that I will be able to give you my new numbers next month.

Roche’s suggested training is to do 3 days of interval training and 2-3 days of strength training a week.  Watching his video was very helpful because I was able to see that (like cleaning the house) it doesn’t make a difference how I look while working out, as long as I do it.  I will try to do a weekly post to keep track of my work outs for the week.

How am I doing?

Starting numbers:

Measurements:

• Bicep: 11″
• Bust: 35.25″
• Chest: 31.5″
• Waist: 34″
• Hips: 40″
• Thigh: 23″
• Calf: 14″

Total: 188.75″

Fitness Test Results:

• Push-Ups (from knees): 10 reps
• Crunches: 23 reps
• Plank (from knees): 22.3 seconds
• Jumping Jacks (30 seconds): 29 reps

Total Score: 84.3

What do you do to work out?

Anyone have some great music suggestions for interval workouts?

Mexican Veggie Potato Casserole – Recipe

For dinner tonight I was trying to find a way to use the Southwest Hash Browns (BOGO deal) I bought by mistake last week.  Since Fireman is out for the night Peanut and I are having breakfast for dinner.  I looked on the Simply Potatoes website and one of the recipes caught my eye.  I altered it to meet my vegetarian needs, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Mexican Veggie Potato Casserole

based on Simply Potatoes’ Mexican Sausage Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Simply Potatoes’ Southwest Hash Browns
• 2 small zucchinis, shredded
• 1/2 broccoli, chopped (more would have been better, but this all I had)
• 2 1/2 cups Mexican mix cheese
• 4 eggs (more if you drop them on the floor like I did)
• 1 cup of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place 1/2 bag of Hash browns into a greased 9 inch baking dish.
3. Add 1/2 of the zucchini and broccoli.
4. Add 1 cup of cheese
5. Repeat directions 2-5.
6. Beat eggs and milk together and pour over casserole.  (Be sure to stay away from the edge, or your dog might enjoy licking up the mess like mine did.)
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
8. Add remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

What did we think?

I thought it was a pretty good use of the ingredients I had on hand.  I did think it was a little spicy for my liking, but that was to be expected.  Also, I would strongly suggest squeezing the excess liquid out of the zucchini as it was a little more watery than I would have liked.

Peanut ate the whole bowl with only one reminder that she was supposed to be eating dinner.

Overall, I’d say not bad, but in the future, I will make sure I get the regular hash browns instead.

Menu Plan Monday – Week 4

Last Week

We did pretty well last week.  I didn’t make it food shopping until Saturday, so that hurt us some.  We did a couple nights of take out, but we are hoping for a better week this week.  We are pretty well stocked and I have the week planned out.  Now I just need to stick to it.  Then again, I’m not really sure what to make at the end of the week.  I’m open to suggestions!

This Week

Monday

Breakfast – Cereal and Yogurt

Lunch – Pasta Salad

Dinner – Breakfast for dinner, eggs and Southwestern Hashbrowns (I accidentally bought them instead of the regulars)

Tuesday

Breakfast – Muffins

Lunch – Mini Pizzas

Dinner – Ravioli and Sauce, Garlic Bread and Tomato Mozzarella Salad from Cooking w/ Mickey

Wednesday

Breakfast – Cereal and fruit

Lunch – Sandwiches

Dinner – Chicken (don’t know what kind), rice and veggie

Thursday

Breakfast  – Yeast Waffles

Lunch – Black Bean Salad (Didn’t make it last week)

Dinner – Burgers (for the meat eaters), Potato Salad, Veggie

Friday

Breakfast – Leftovers

Lunch – Leftovers

Dinner – 

Saturday

Breakfast – Yogurt, Cereal & Berries

Lunch –  ??

Dinner –  Chicken, salad, veggie, rice/pasta

Sunday

Breakfast –    

Lunch  –

Dinner – 

This week’s Disney recipe(s):

I am going through Disney withdrawal and have decided that once a week I would like to make a recipe from Disney to help with my symptoms.

Mozzarella and Tomato Salad from Palo – Disney Cruise line

Key Lime Pie  from Olivia’s Café – Disney’s Old Key West Resort (have never eaten or stayed here)  If I can find key lime juice.

Squeaker

I make all of my sons food in addition to our family menu.  I did the same for my daughter.  I thought I would share what he is eating this week too.

• Peas & Rice Cereal
• Pears & Apples (w/ Oatmeal)
• Peaches (baked)
• Squash (roasted)

Most of the cooking methods for these come from wholesomebabyfood.com.

If you would like to join us for Menu Plan Monday, go here to join the food fun.

10 Years Later – The Lessons of 9/11

picture courtesy of iclipart.com

Ten years ago today life in America changed drastically.  Just as the New York skyline, lost the 2 towers from the World Trade Center, American’s lost the security and safety that had been built in this country since it’s formation in the 1776.

Over the past 10 years my life has changed quite a bit, but for now I will focus on 9/11 and the impact it has made.

Where was I when I heard?

I was in college, and had just walked out of my 8:30 class (that would make it around 9:15).  One of the headlights in my car was blown and I was calling home to find out if they had any suggestions about where I should go to fix it.  (Funny, how something so minor has stuck with me all these years, but it shows the impact of the day.)  I couldn’t get through to my father, so I tried calling my mom  to find out why.  While the phone was ringing, I remember staring out across the green and to the water and thinking what a beautiful day it was.  When my mom answered, she told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

I was in complete shock, and I remember going to find anyone (who would be awake at that time) to talk to.  I ended up at our student center.  The was a large group crowded around the big screen TV, so I went to watch with them.  I think I stayed there until my next class.  It was philosophy.  I remember the professor making some comment about what was going on, but that he lacked any sympathy for the events going on.  What I remember clearly, was that one of the students had not heard before class, and was very disturbed to hear what the professor had said.  His mom worked in “the City.”  I remember watching him walk out of class to go try to contact her.  (She didn’t work in the World Trade Center, so she was okay.)

I then spent the rest the early part of the afternoon at the Honda dealership (waiting for them to fix my headlight) and watching the news on TV with a roomful of strangers who did not say a word to each other.  Looking back, one would have thought that an event like this might have brought us together, but instead it seemed like people drew more into themselves.

While there, I got a phone call from Fireman who heard about everything as he was on his way home from his overnight shift.  He was calling to tell me that he wanted to go down to, what we now call, Ground Zero to help.  He heard that one of the EMS companies he worked for was sending people to help.  I remember being scared for him, but knowing that this is what he would want to do.  As it turned out, I think he ended up providing support to one of the areas in Connecticut that had sent their employees to New York.

I worked in the after-school program at a local Jewish Day School.  When I got there, most of the students had already been picked up, but we were there for the couple of students who remained.  I distinctly remember the police car outside the building, as their were rumors that synagogues could also be in danger.  I wasn’t there long before I headed home to watch the news some more.

I also remember that there was not a single station (that I can remember) that was not showing some kind of coverage New York and the aftermath.

Two Days Later

I was back in the same class I had on the morning of the 11th, and we were talking about what had happened during and after our class 2 days before.  The professor for this class was my advisor for my major in Religious Studies, so we had a lot to talk about.  Some of which was how the Muslim community felt like they were under attack, as everyone blamed them for what a small group of extremists had done.  We talked about the need for more understanding, and how any form of extremism could be dangerous.  This is something I had kept with me every day since.

Two Weeks Later

Fireman was flying to Florida to spend Rosh Hashanah with his mother.  I remember watching the flight tracker follow his plane all the way down the coastline.  He was also kind enough to call and tell me that “No one had stabbed him with a plastic knife.”

Two Years Later

If you noticed, most all of what I wrote about was New York.  As I lived and went to school in Connecticut, New York made the bigger impact on me.  I had always known that the Pentagon was hit too, but the impact was far less on me,  than the Towers in New York.  It was two years later, when I moved to Maryland.  I was teaching at a small preschool, and learned that my assistant had lost her father on September 11th.  He had been working in the Pentagon when then the plane had hit.  I will never fully understand what her family went through on that day, but I was impressed by their strength as they continued on each day!

This taught me to look beyond what directly impacts me, and to remember that there are others out there who are also impacted by the events that occur in our lives.

5 Years Later

I was working at small school in Florida.  My principal’s birthday was on September 11th.  I remember her talking to the school about how she was choosing to continue to celebrate her birthday on that day.  She said to not celebrate would be letting the extremists win and she wasn’t going to do that.

Ten Years Later

As I watch the coverage on the news, the images and emotions are all coming back.  However, it is the flight that went down in Pennsylvania that stands out with me more today.  The bravery of those people on board amazes me.  To stand up for their country and try to protect others is admirable beyond words.  I do wonder how I would handle a similar situation.  I honestly don’t know what I would do.  I wish that there were more people (myself included) like them.

Watching the stories of the children who lost a parent in 9/11 is also heartbreaking.  Especially, when I watched a story about a child who was 3 on that day.  I can’t imagine trying to explain such a loss to my daughter (who is now 3) or trying to not just to get through, but to conquer the days that follow.

To all those families who lost a loved one on 9/11, your strength and will to carry on is what can remind the rest of us that life goes on.  It is our job to embrace it and celebrate it.

So what have I learned?

I have learned

• that no matter how terrible or difficult the day or the loss, life goes on and should be celebrated as each day can bring amazing things
• even in the darkest of situations and places there can still be humor
• to judge each person based on who they are and not what their appearance or religion says about them
• everyone has great power inside them and when it can embraced, we can do amazing things

What have you learned?

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday was started by was started by Kailani at An Island Life.  She says

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.

Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and join the linky on her site.

My question for today is:

As I watch the news, I am often left thinking about where I was 10 years ago Sunday.  I will have a post about it on Sunday, but for now my question is…  Where were you September 11, 2001 when you heard the news?  (I’ll try to make next week’s question happier.)

My answer:

As I said I will post about this on Sunday, but as a start I was in college and had an 8:30 class that morning.