Two weeks till moving week

Wow it has been forever since I wrote on my blog. Well we move in 17 days. So two weeks from today is moving week. I already know moving week will consists of lots of take out meals. We are right now working on operation clean out the fridge and pantry. This makes it hard to come up with meal plans that provide a verity of different dishes. Oh well just two weeks to go then I'll be in my new kitchen and be able cook something different every night:).

For now I'm going back to a favorite. Hot pepper jelly shrimp. It's from Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. It's really good and not too hot. I like to serve it with rice and either broccoli or green beans. Asparagus would be really good too.

Dinner was just as good as always . I enjoyed it with a Chardonnay. Alexandra normally enjoys this meal but tonight didn't want anything todo with it. She would much rather play outside.

Cheers
Katie

One Day at a Time

I have been posting my updates on facebook letting you know how I have been doing with my UC. Today was my first day on my own with Alexandra and it went really well. We had breakfast and lunch in the living room since I still need to be sitting other wise I become really dizzy. Alexandra is such a trooper. She played with her toys and watched TV when I had to take my multiple trips to the bathroom. I'm so grateful she is able to entertain herself.

I keep telling myself that she won't remember all the TV and Mommy not being able to do much. VJ has been amazing through this whole ordeal. He has worked from home for most of the last 3 weeks to take care of Alexandra and myself. He has been to all of my doctor appointments and has helped with all the research of different treatment options. He has been my rock. Thank you Honey I love you.

My mom and dad have also been my source of comfort. Mom was down here 10 days helping with Alexandra and make sure the house didn't fall apart. She comes back this weekend to help for another week. Thank you Daddy for letting mom come down and take care of me. Even though I'm 31 I still really wanted my mommy to comfort me when the pain was too much=).

All I can do now is take this illness one day at a time. Today is a good day. I am grateful I can start counting them and not just see the long weeks of bad days.

Cheers
Katie

Holiday Weight

No matter how hard I tried I still put on 3 pounds over the crazy holiday season. So it's back to the workout program. My only problem is finding the right time to work out. We use to go on walks in the morning before Alexandra's morning nap. Then we would go out for playdates before her afternoon nap. Now that we are down to one nap (from 1 to 3) we do our playdates in the morning. I could go on a walk when she gets up at 3 but the motivation is gone by then.

I guess I really liked working out in the morning because then I was done for the day. Any tips to stay motivated throughout the day?

Back to"normal"

I love the Christmas season. But the day after Christmas I'm over the decorations and just want things to go back to "normal". Anyone else have these feelings?

We took down our tree and decorations yesterday. My living room has shrunk with everything decorated. The only thing left to do is put the boxed back in the attic.

Our morning and afternoon rutiens are going back to normal too. To all the moms out there (or anyone else) Alexandra functions so much better with a rutiene. I'm looking forward to a quiet week and not having to run around town all morning and eating out everyday.

Happy New Year!

Hello 2012! 2011 was a hard year for our family so we are looking forward to a new year. I don't know how we did it but VJ and I stayed up till 2:00 last night. We can't remember the last time we were up that late. We think the gun fire at midnight gave us an adrenalin boost.

Yes we are sure it was gun fire. We could hear a car drive up the road while firing a gun. There was also the recognizable shotgun, and the sound if someone unloading a clip. This was followed by lots of police cars rushing to our area. Alexandra slept through the whole thing.

So we really hope we can sell the house this year:)!

Other than the house we also want to get our family back in shape. So it's time to bring back the lose it app. Instead of having one big goal i think smaller goals are more achievable. So my goal is to be down 10 pounds by Valentines Day. That's it. I'll come up with a new goal on the 14th.

My other goal is to take more "me time". As you know I've been struggling with ulcerative colitis since August. One thought my doctor and I had was to help me have more time to relax and rest. So I take meds to help me sleep all night and listen to calming waves while Alexandra takes a nap. I think that should also mean I should go to a day spa on a biweekly bases:) just a thought:).

So happy new years everyone. Let's make it a wonderful year.

Mmmm Chicken

Tonight for dinner we had roasted chicken with potatoes carrots garlic and onion. This is one I my favorite goto meals. I make it both with a whole chicken and just roasting thighs and legs. Tonight was just parts.

Don't judge but my favorite part of the meal is the clean up. All the chicken drippings are at the bottom if the pan and are at just the right consistence to soak up with a slice o bread. For my non-meat eater readers you might want to skip this entry. The juice and the skin have always been my favorite parts of roasted chicken. It's the one food I never feel bad about eating afterwards. Yes I know the drippings and skin aren't the best part for you but to me they are worth it. I will be out on the trail tomorrow morning jogging my 1/4 mile and then walking a 1/4 mile the 2 and 1/4 mile hike Alexandra Angus and I walk everyday if it's not raining.

What to eat after a week of takeout?

After a week of takeout we had a wonderful tex-mex chicken salad for dinner. Even Alexandra liked it. Only 179 calories. Let me know if you want the recipe.