Slacking off...

For some reason, I didn't think about how much starting back to work, even part time (for now) would impact the rest of my life.  After all, I usually got a lot of stuff done after baby is in bed, and before I am.  Those two precious hours are usually my "grown up" time.  

What I forgot was how much I usually do during the day so I can have that grown up time!  Running errands, cleaning, meal prep...all of this is now either crammed in my too-short mornings, or that two hour window at night.  The time I get with my little guy should be play/fun time!

Funny story, my second day back at work, I picked up Levi around 4 from daycare (an awesome in-home daycare run by a friend).  We got home, I gave him a snack, tossed Curious George on the TV, and went to clean the bathroom, my Wednesday chore.  As I was on my hands and knees wiping the grout around the tub, he toddled into the room, took the rag out of my hand, and sat in my lap.  I melted.  We went back into the living room and snuggled on the couch for about an hour.  I'll do my cleaning at night.  

March Madness: 2012 Brackets, Mascot Style

First order of business:
I'm slacking on the de-cluttering.  This week I've started a new job, re-started an old job (bringing the job count up to 3 - each of which is like 8 hours a week...I should de-clutter my jobs!), started Levi in daycare, enjoyed 75 degree weather in Chicago in March, and made an amazing steak dinner using this recipe.  Do I get a pass?  I'm ahead of my 40 bag goal.  And I'm planning on spending this weekend clearing out the garage, which will more than make up for this week's craziness.  I do expect to get rid of some stuff tomorrow, as I have half the day off.  Whew.

Oh yeah, and I did my March Madness bracket.  A bit of history:  I know exactly zero about March Madness, but a few years ago, I wanted to participate, so I made a bracket based on which mascots would win in a fight.  This has continued for the past 6 years, and as always, I will do the same.  Here's how I see the tournament going:

In the south, The Witchita State Shockers dominate, because frankly, you can shock a lot of things, including Hoosiers (who beat Aggies because I feel like it, and no one knows what either actually are) and Kentucky Wildcats, who don't really understand electricity.  Speaking of Wildcats, they'll go to the Sweet Sixteen by trouncing the Hilltoppers in the first round (mostly by biting), and some other UConn Wildcats in the second. How does one determine which wildcat wins? Wildcats are native to Kentucky, but I'm pretty sure they're not hanging around Connecticut.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

Highlights from the rest of the south: the Duke Blue Devils will join the Shockers in the Elite Eight, because Satan is pretty powerful, even over worthy foes such as Mountain Hawks and the Irish (who, as we know, rarely conquer the devil that is whiskey, yet can beat the Musketeers because there's only 3 of them).  The Devils will have a good fight with the Baylor Bears, who have God on their side, but they are ultimately just Bears, and the Bible doesn't really address whether Bears truly have souls.   The Bears start out the tournament by beating the Jackrabbits for obvious reasons, while the Rebels will beat the Buffalo, because that's what happened during the 19th century.  The Rebels will, of course, be torn limb to limb by the Bears.  In the final epic battle between the Blue Devils and the Shockers, we learn that the Blue Devils are ultimately a hologram meant to frighten (a la the Wizard of Oz), and the Shockers will simply turn off the lights, making the Final Four.

Meanwhile, in the East, the competition heats up when, in a series of upsets, the Syracuse Orange beats a Bulldog, who didn't realize that his color blindness was his downfall, the USM Golden Eagle defecates on the Wildcats, blinding them, and the Commadores, using their skills learned while on tour doing early 80s R&B, overcome the Crimson, a color which is not appropriate for spring fashion.  Elsewhere in the East, the Badgers are dominating because frankly, they don't give a shit.  Not about R&B, and not about Golden Eagles, who beat the Orange with their keen eyesight.  Also, Orange is a color, and I can't see many ways that a color can win a fight.

The Bearcats also dominate because if Bearcats really existed, that would be super cool.  They'd be fast like cats, and scary like bears.  A Bearcat could easily overcome a Ram or a Seminole.  Side note:  I have no clue what a Bonnie is, but I'm pretty sure an Indian could take one out.  Meanwhile, the Ohio State Buckeyes are choking everything in their path, from Mountaineers (who can easily outlast Bulldogs, who have a shortened snout and are prone to breathing problems when climbing mountains) to Greyhounds.  However, like my cats, the Bearcats would rather bat around the small, round Buckeyes than attempt to eat them, effectively shoving them under the TV stand where no one ever hears from them again.  In an epic showdown, the Bearcats then face the Badgers.  As internet nerds hold up pictures of the Badger's pom squad (the honeys), the Bearcats realize that the Badgers don't give a shit that Bearcats are awesome, and thus lose in a truly psychological battle.  Know your (Honeybadger) meme.

Out West, Spartans are dominating everywhere, as both Michigan State and Norfolk enjoy a series of wins, realizing their no-frills lifestyle prepares them well for battle.  Michigan Spartans eat the blackbirds (in a pie, like the nursery rhyme), and spear the Tigers (who have recently destroyed Billikens...WTF is a Billiken?).  They then face the Lobos (another shout out to 80s music - Los Lobos) who appear to be wolves and i'm pretty sure that historically speaking, Sparta did  good job of beating down wolves.  The Lobos were pretty tired anyway, having taken out some Wildcats and 49ers, who were frankly underprepared to do anything but pan for gold.  I panned for gold on vacation once, it's not as fun as it sounds.

On their way to facing Norfolk, UVA wins out over Florida.  Although UVA is the Cavaliers, as in horse-riders, I choose to imagine them as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  Cute, right?  They beat out the Gators because the game takes place in Phoenix, and Gators don't thrive in that climate.  Unfortunately, the Spartans have no use for small, adorable, useless puppies.  The Murray State Racers easily outpace their opponents (Rams, Eagles) including the UVA Spartans, who have no horses due to their minimalist lifestyle, and simply can't keep up.  The Michigan State Spartans, however, have recently realized the advantages of owning horses, and are able to keep up with Murray State, fueled by Blackbird pie, and are victorious.

While all this is going on, there are some pretty epic battles in the Midwest.  The Blue Jays sail over the Crimson Tide, and the Tarheels outrun the Catamounts (seriously, who comes up with these things?).  The Wolverines, as awesome as their name suggests, beat out the Wildcats and the Owls (who trumped the Bulls in a nighttime showdown).  Meanwhile, the Azteks and Titans are dominating,   The Azteks come out ahead of the Boilermakers, who narrowly beat the Gaels (a team that nearly won based on the fact that they share a name with my street).  The Titans are able to squeak by a Wolfpack and some Bears (who again beat a Bulldog - this is a fairly common matchup over the years).  When it comes down to the Titans and Azteks, the Titans win out because they just sound fiercer.

So we're down to the final four.  The Badgers and Titans both fight bravely, but ultimately the Badgers overcome.  I base this on my slightly irrational fear of badgers, having read On The Banks Of Plum Creek as a child, where Laura is unreasonably frightened of a badger.  During the other game, the Spartans and the Shockers face off, a match up that proves to be one sided as the Spartans have no idea how to utilize electricity, and are quickly shocked to death or loss or whatever happens in these matchups.

In the final game, the Badgers and Shockers are matched up.  While one may initially think that the Shockers would employ their usual shocking tactics, they forgot one important detail:  Badgers don't care.  They cannot be shocked.  And so, the Badgers win the 2012 March Madness tournament of Mascots.

Frankly?  They're not impressed.

My complete bracket can be seen here:  http://apps.facebook.com/cbssports/brackets/64600515/1

Strange Things....

Today I am going to get rid of the strangest thing in my home.

A tin of dog ashes.  From a dog I did not own.

You may be wondering how I came to be the owner of this particular tin of dog ashes...so here's that story.

Squash Mac & Cheese

I love Mac & Cheese.  I think most people do.  Any opportunity to add vitamins and fiber to a crowd-pleasing dish is A-OK in my world!  I like this dish because the squash adds an extra layer of flavor, while cutting down on fat and adding lots of good vitamins.

Friday: The Shelf Fell Down! (Day 15)

At some point yesterday, my laundry room shelf fell down.

Let me first point out that I'm the one who "installed" the shelf.  And the one who hoards various laundry and cleaning products.  And balanced it all precariously on a poorly installed shelf.

But the fat cat is the one who jumped up on the shelf, unbalancing it and making it tip over, scattering everything around the room.  So really, this is 100% Faith's fault.

You're not pinning this on me.  

Speaking of pinning, after we cleared out the laundry room, got rid of a bag of stuff (including some boxes we didn't need, mostly empty bottles of detergent, and an extra iron), I reorganized my pinterest-inspired cleaning product storage.  

Yep, it's an over the door shoe holder!  I also realized that I have multiple bottles of most cleaning supplies...time to start using those up, instead of just buying new and forgetting about the little bits I have left.  

Days 13 and 14 - Running up against resistance...

Yesterday's purge was just about the same as Tuesdays...books, books, and more books.  I have two crates ready to go, once I find a charity book box, or the Salvation Army people set themselves up in front of Walmart again.  I figured, rather than bore you with another post full of pictures of books, we'd just move right along (ironically, one book that I kept is titled "Organize Yourself"...this same book was once in a bile of junk in my first apartment and my roommate took a picture of it and posted it on Facebook...yes, I've read it, and the author is insane...she advises that you alphabetize your canned goods...don't know why I'm keeping the book).

So onward to today.  I already need a break from the office...I get overwhelmed in there because about a quarter of the stuff belongs to my husband, and while's he's vocally on-board with the purge, I don't think he's truly on-board.

Case in point:  the kitchen.

I figured the kitchen would be a good place to purge tonight, because he doesn't really care about the stuff in there as far as I know.  One thing that's bothering me lately is the area on top of the cabinets.  There are a few things up there that I use (food processor, crock pot, cookie cutters), and a few boxes that we *may* need if we move again.  Then there's the other stuff...

Freezer meals (the basics, plus chili), Part 1 of many

So, when I go back to work, my husband is going to be on his own for dinner (for himself and baby) 4-5 nights a week.  I'm hoping to eventually cut that down to 3 nights a week, but while I'm building my caseload, I'll be gone every night.  

Like most people, he's so tired when he gets home from work that it's tough to get together a good, healthy meal without resorting to frozen pizzas and skillets.

Before baby, when we both worked, we did just that.  We'd generally have frozen pizza one or two nights a week, those Bertolli skillet things at least once, and something really easy like spaghetti with sauce or mac and cheese.  Then, once I was pregnant, I didn't go in the kitchen for almost 3 months.  To be completely honest, I have no idea what my husband ate.  Since the grocery store made me vomit, he did all the shopping, and as far as I know, he fed himself on like $25/week.  All I could eat was tator tots and iced tea.  I'm pretty sure he ate a lot of hot pockets, frozen pizza, and mac and cheese.

After Levi was born, I started changing our eating habits: more whole grains, fewer processed foods.  I try to limit our skillet meals...those things have a TON of sodium.  However, I was only working a few hours a week, so I had time to make good, whole food meals most days, even if it was in a crock pot.  Don't get me wrong, we still eat those skillets sometimes, or frozen pizza, but I make an effort to keep our diet low in processed food.

So all of this leads me to my freezer meals project!

I'm starting of easy: crock pot meals.  I love love LOVE the Reynolds slow cooker liners.  They make it easy to store and freeze food, plus they give me a happy husband because he doesn't have to scrub out the slow cooker.

So here are the basics of freezer cooking in Mindy-land:

1.  To store crock pot meals, I put the food in a slow cooker liner, twist it shut, and put that in a plastic gallon freezer bag labelled with the date, the food, and what needs to be added in the slow cooker.

2.   Most Crockpot recipes are pretty basic:  Add veggies, add spices, add meat, freeze.  Then add liquid or sauce when you put it in the slow cooker.  Easy peasy.

3.  The following things don't work well in a slow cooker or freezer (although there are exceptions): Noodles, rice, dairy, herbs, anything you want to eat crunchy.

4.  Crockpot recipes are fabulous for adding extra veggies...shredded carrot can be hidden in almost any recipe.  So can chopped onions.

So, without further ado, here's my first crockpot freezer recipe:  Chili!

Chop half an onion, and 2 cloves of garlic.  Grate a carrot.  Place veggies in a bag with 1/2 pound of dried beans.  Add 2 Tbs Worsteshire sauce, and a packet of your favorite chili seasoning.  Top with a small can of tomato paste.  Add in 1 pound of ground chicken, turkey, or beef.  Freeze.

On the day you want to eat it, place crockpot liner of food in crockpot.  Add 2 cans of beef broth.  Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.  Serve with cheese, chopped green onions, and sour cream.

Finally, the office! (Day 12)

Today (well, yesterday...I wrote half the post then had to go to the laundry mat because our dryer broke), I braved the office.  It's totally overwhelming, totally overflowing, an (along with the garage) totally embarassing.

Let's start with the books.  I have a book addiction, and I hate getting rid of them.  I was so glad to get a kindle for Christmas...at least my book fetish won't be taking up any more space in my house!  Even better, I won't have to move any new books I get...

Recipe time! Whole Wheat Tortillas!

It's a good day.  Mom made quesadillas!

I'm going back to work next week!  Since halfway through my pregnancy, I've only been working 8-10 hours a week, and I'm going crazy!  But I finally got the state of Illinois to cooperate, finally got my Psychotherapist license, and was hired on by my favorite internship site!  

In preparation, I'm slowly filling the freezer with food.  It's not that I don't trust my husband to get food on the table at night (since I'll be working evenings).  It's that I don't trust my husband to get healthy, fresh food on the table while being followed around by my favorite Toddler.  

First up for the freezer food:  whole wheat tortillas!

Why tortillas?  I mean, they're dirt cheap at the store, keep forever, and are easy to find.  However, I've been making a commitment to try to get 75% of our grains as whole grains.  And whole grain tortillas are a) expensive, b) not always 100% whole grain, and c) still full of a bunch of crap I don't want to feed my child.  So I make my own, with only 4 ingredients.  And they're delicious.  

Too Many Sippies! (Day 11)

Before Levi was born, I had this dream. A dream that he would use the Take n Toss sippy cups - the only ones that stack together nicely and take up very little room.

Of course, once we introduced the sippies, I learned that it was not to be.  We tried several kinds of sippies, hard spouts, soft spouts, straws....finally he decided he'd accept the Munchkin Mighty Grips sippies.

Which are now discontinued.  Or at least not available at any stores near us.  Sigh.

I've gotten him to the point where he'll drink juice out of the Take n Toss, but he only drinks milk if it's in the Mighty Grips.

Of course, this means I have a cabinet full of rejected sippy cups, plastic dishes, and unmatched tupperware.  It can't be babyproofed (well, not with my sophisticated hair-tie system), so it's Levi's favorite cabinet.  He loves to "help" in the kitchen, surrounded by rejected sippies.

In my fancy bag-counting system, 2 Target bags = 1 garbage bag, and the sippies only filled one Target bag, so I scoured the rest of the kitchen and filled a second bag with odds and ends.  A couple of extra spatulas.  An extra can opener (my excuse for keeping it before: "what if I lose one?").  And my second tea kettle.  Again, I have no idea why I thought I needed two tea kettles.  The one I'm keeping looks like a cat, so I'm in good shape.

Of course, to get some of the kitchen stuff, I had to stand on a chair.  Which apparently taught Mr. Toddler to do the same.

Day 10 - 1/4 of the way done!

So here I am, 1/4 of the way done with my Lenten purge.  Some fun facts:

1.  I am a giant nerd.  I have a spreadsheet of the areas I've cleared out, how many bags/boxes I've removed, and where they went (trashed/recycled, sold, donated, returned).

2.  From this spreadsheet we can learn that I have removed 19 bags or boxes of stuff from my house.  Let's let that sink in...19.  So I'm ahead of schedule!  Eight have been donated.  Three have been sold (or at least listed....still waiting on some pick ups!).  Three have been recycled or trashed, three returned to their original owners, and one has been passed on to a friend.  This is one of those times that I wish I could pile it all up and take a picture.  The sheer volume of this is mind boggling...and I still have 3/4 of Lent to go!

3.  There have been some major improvements to my daily life.  Since clearing out and organizing Levi's toys, my nightly clear-out of the family room has been cut down to 5 minutes instead of 30.  My clothes are easier to see and organize.  The linen closet is no longer spilling out into the hallway.  Best of all, we had friends over last night, and instead of spending the entire day cleaning, we spent an hour doing the deep cleaning things (mopping floors, vacuuming) and were done!

4.  In the words of my husband (who is only kind of on board with this project) "but we still have way too much stuff!"  Seriously, it doesn't feel like we got rid of 19 bags of stuff.  I can still look around and see tons of stuff that is begging to be bagged, listed on Craigslist, and taken out of my house.  

So onward we go!  Last night when our friends were here, we gave them back their baby swing that they loaned us for Levi.

Levi napped in that thing for almost 6 months. He had reflux, so the upright position and the rocking soothed him.  Even so, I was grateful to see it leave our garage.  If there's anything I learned about baby gear, it's this:  Everyone has too much.  If I'm ever in need of a baby swing again, I'm sure I can post to Facebook and have one in my family room in days.

And now I'm glad it's Sunday, a day of rest.

Day 9 - That Moment of Panic

We've all had that moment of panic.  The moment when something important isn't where you left it.  Or where you thought you left it.  I confess, I have these moments of panic more often than the average person.

I'm horribly, horribly disorganized when it comes to papers.  It doesn't help that I also have a mischievous toddler who LOVES papers, and really loves to throw things away.  I'm in the habit of checking the garbage can every time I throw something away, just in case he has tossed a toy, book, or important document in there.

Today I had that moment of panic when I realized I was missing my license and debit card.

What ensued was two frantic hours of tearing apart the living room and kitchen, going through every pile of papers, every end table drawer, my laundry, Levi's room (as he loves to hide his favorite objects in there), and eventually the garbage.  Turns out the kiddo had hidden the cards under the tablecloth on the table.

Good news #1: during the process of searching, I was able to toss a bag full of old greeting cards,  coupons, receipts, and other odds and ends.

Good news #2:  I realized that as I got rid of stuff, there would be fewer of those moments of panic.  Thank goodness!

Day 8 - The Love/Hate Craigslist Relationship

Since last summer, I've been periodically posting my belongings on Craigslist. Today, after another sweep through Levi's room, I listed a few more things.  Extra gifts we've received (friends and family: we no longer need piggy banks, stuffed animals, or blankets!!), some cloth diapers we never used, and some more toys.  Some stuff I'm OK with donating, but there are other things I'd rather sell.  Plus, the more money I bring in, the more I can justify my random book, coffee, and Babylegs purchases.

I love Craigslist.

I've met some awesome people through it.  In fact, when I sold my pump, the person who bought it went to the same grad school as me, and we commiserated in the Meijer parking lot about post-partum depression.

Where else can you find people who want your old hangers?  Or bottles?  Or TVs from 1975?

Again, making money from your stuff without the hassle of a garage sale?  Awesome.

I found our awesome deal of an apartment on Craigslist and negotiated a $20/month additional discount.  Win.  I also got a $90 Jumperoo for $25 bucks.

This thing was only 25 bucks!?

I also hate Craigslist.

For one, I have a whole pile of "Craigslist Stuff" sitting in my very small family room.  My 1-year-old likes to rifle through it, occasionally putting things "away" in the garbage can or his toybox.

Also, people are crazy.  There are scams.  If you're a missionary in Zimbabwe, I'm 99% sure you don't need to be my landlord, or purchase my car.

It's a pain in my butt as well.  Right now I'm negotiating with a lady.  She wants to buy my bottles.  She saw my location and thought "although I live 70 minutes away, I will be in that general area on one specific evening during a vague timeframe, so I'll buy those."  When I had to work at that time (you know, because I can drop everything at 2 hours notice because you have a return to make), she began negotiating for a pick up somewhere else.  Except her plans are constantly changing, as is the location of the pick up.  Sigh.  I wish someone else would just want the bottles already.

There's also the fear of being raped, murdered, or robbed.  I'm constantly texting my husband with things like "we're meeting a lady in the Cracker Barrel parking lot, if you don't hear from me by 3:10, assume I've been kidnapped."  Or  "Yay!  I wasn't raped!  Now we're at Target!"

I think I need to start giving my Craigslist stuff a deadline for getting out of my house.  I also need to set better limits with my postings.  Any suggestions?