I'm trying...

Recently I have been trying to eat better, prepare better meals as in healthier meals. I have been participating in bountiful baskets which gives us lots of fresh fruits and vegetables each Saturday.

Normally my meals would be something pretty much from a box or close to it, except for maybe tacos.
In my attempt to make healthier meals and also try new things that we get int the BB I have been trying out new recipes.

Can I just say I am sick and tired of hearing, "what are we having for dinner?" and after my response (no matter what I say, or so it seems) their response is... "I don't like that. Can I make my own dinner?"

I might just scream the next time I hear that question!  Not to mention that it takes me longer to prepare a GOOD dinner but it also makes a bigger mess in the kitchen. 

For example the mac and cheese with broccoli we had the other day. I used a pan to cook the broccoli in, a pan for the whole wheat noodles, a pan to cook the sauce in and then the baking dish that it went into the oven in. Not to mention the cheese grater and assorted measuring instruments.

So after all that, no one ate it but me and I think Rob did too once he got home from his meeting. Now I have a huge dish left over of home-made mac and cheese with broccoli and that was after I fed it to my family last night again. Of course no one really ate it again.

We have tried things out like fresh coconuts and pineapples. Acorn squash, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, mangos, forelle pears, sweet potatoes, and turnips to name a few of the things we have gotten and tried that I normally don't buy at the store or even consume.

Part of me feels good about eating more fruits and vegetables, and trying out new things.  But it is canceled out with the lack of apprecation from my girls and the huge piles of dirty dishes from making the meals. Oh, and did I mention how I hate the complaining of the kids in those things we are eating for dinner?  It seems the more homemade it is the worse the complaints are. 

Perhaps we will have top ramen tonight for dinner tonight so I can eat in peace.  Perhaps in my efforts of trying, I am failing.  Ugh!

Dr again

Being in Primary I get to see the attendance reports, which in that is included the kids that have not been to church at all in the month.  Guess who was on that list?  Samantha!  She apparently didn't attend at all in the month of Feburary.  She had a little cold, and then another time Amber was sick so Robert stayed home with Amber and we just let Samantha stay home too.  Then Lindsey had pink eye, so she stayed home and Amber was getting over her cold (or I thought) and both her and Samantha had yucky noses.  Then both the little girls were sick. 

I took Samantha and Amber in to the doctor once they too were showing signs of pink eye.  Poor Samantha!  She was looking worse than this picture.  She got yuckier before she got better.  They never really had red eyes, just goopy, slimy eyes.  Samantha also had a 103 temp.  She was burning up. 

Turns out that Amber had pink eye, an ear infection and then Samantha had pink eye, an ear infection, and possibly strep but they didn't swab her for it since the meds for her ear infections would cover strep too.  Amber didn't ever really seem sick, with the exception of coughing.  She did run a temperature one or two nights but was fine during the day, which was about almost 2 weeks before I took her in. 

We have been to the doctor lots lately.  He is our new doctor and we are getting to know him pretty quick.  Lindsey with her eyes, then Samantha and Amber, and then Emily had her 11 yr well-care visit since she is turning 11.  I feel like we should be allowed a punch card or something for the doctor and get our next co-pay free or some other reward.  At least we have insurance.  I am thankful for that!

Amber's art

Amber has been practicing her name. She loves to write it. She still needs some work on it but since she just started writing her name a few days ago and this one she did from memory.
I like her picture too! I think that one of the pink persons are from one of the twins. Her pictures remind me of Emily's pictures in her preschool stuff.

Amber will start her name out by drawing a line to write it on, then she will write her name on her line.  If she mixes up or forgets a letter she will start all over again with a new line and begin her name again.  It is pretty cute.  This is what she will call "play school" which she will ask me to do often if I don't do it.  She calls me Teacher-Mommy.  It always puts a smile on my face when I hear her say, Teacher-Mommy.

She's a lot of fun!  I love her to pieces, every bit of it!