Back to normal.

No puking for over 24 hours. (Touch wood.) Emmett stopped throwing up yesterday but had no appetite--he lived on crackers and electrolyte juice until evening when hubby took him for a Slurpee, his favourite treat. Mercifully, it stayed down. He also spiked a temp yesterday afternoon, but today he is back to his old self. I even went out for coffee and knitting last night with my coffee and knitting buddy guilt-free (but with my cell phone turned on).

I have been having MAJOR chocolate cravings these past few days--I even put cocoa powder in my cream of wheat this morning. (delicious, by the way ) I had a chocolaty, creamy coffee drink last night, but had enough restraint to only drink half of it. I am down an inch on my waist--I want to keep it that way and lose a few more.

Hey! I haven't talked about knitting in a while. I will be heading out to an agricultural fair this afternoon to fondle some alpaca fibre. I should probably leave the credit card at home. I have been known to have accidents where I trip and fall with it in my hand and somehow it gets swiped by a cash register. Purely accidental. I still don't have my wrist splints so I have been careful about knitting too much. My knitting buddy lent me her brand-new copy of Mason-Dixon Knitting and now I am all inspired to make dishcloths and log-cabin afghans. Dishcloths are fun knitting for me. They work up fast, you can try out new patterns and then use them and enjoy them instead of tucking them away at the bottom of a box of yarn, where good swatches go to die.

My rule about no clothes shopping until 10 lbs are gone is getting harder and harder to follow. My clothes are all loose and there are so many cute things in stores. We just got an invitation to a wedding in June and I keep going past a dress shop that has the most adorable 50's inspired party dress in the window--A-line flared skirt, runching in the bodice to tuck me all in and spaghetti straps that I would probably remove. All it needs is a lacey wrap, the new bronze dress sandals I have coming in the mail and a great pedicure. Must. Be. Strong. If I buy it now, it may not fit in a month, right??

Home made pediatric electrolyte replacement.

Here is what I have in a big jug on my counter right now:

2 quarts water (2 litres)
1-teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon salt
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 packet Sugar-Free Kool-Aid
1/2-teaspoon salt substitute

The salt substitute and Kool-Aid are optional. Store in the refrigerator. Be creative; use your special Kool-Aid to make ice cubes so it will stay cool in their bottle or sippy-cup. Or, insert toothpicks into your ice cubes before freezing and make homemade popsicles.

I used Crystal Light because that is what I have in my pantry and the ingredient list is virtually identical to the Sugar-Free Kool-Aid package.

This is a good recipe to have--real Pedialyte is $10 a litre and you have to go out to get it--very inconvienient when all of your clothing is in the washing machine from being puked on.

I wish Emmett would throw up in a basin--I have now had to wash his bedroom floor and halfway down the hallway. Don't get me started on the laundry.

Char was feeling left out so she had to throw up too. All over me. When is hubby getting home???

I need help, Part II (don't read if you have a weak stomach)

One child has diarrhea, one child is throwing up. Get me out of here!!! They are not acting sick, they just run around and play and make disgusting messes at random intervals. Poor Emmett does not remember ever throwing up so he runs away from it as it is happening. I have washed half the kitchen floor, the livingroom floor, the loveseat and part of the diningroom rug so far. I have also done a couple of loads of pukey laundry. I am watching the clock for hubby to get home and help me.

I also had to put a headless chocolate Easter bunny out of his misery...I think I earned it today.

I need help!!!

Why can I not stay on top of housework? Fellow bloggers, I need your tips, tricks and techniques to help me stay ahead of the avalanche.

Here is what I already do:
I keep a bottle of cleaner and rags in my bathroom so I can do a spot-clean as I get ready in the morning. I generally use my damp towel to wipe the floor and then drop it in the laundry chute.

I do laundry Every. Frickin'. Day. I fold the clothes right out of the dryer and each family member has a basket everything gets sorted into so I can carry one basket into one room and put everything away. In a perfect world everything gets put away everyday, but my world is far from perfect and it is a major thing that the laundry even gets folded regularly now.

I vacuum twice a week. I have a shedding dog so I should vacuum daily, but I don't.

The kitchen gets cleaned daily after dinner while hubby is bathing the kids. I try to unload the dishwasher as I am making breakfast so I can load it during the day, but if there are rugrats tugging at my coattails, it sometimes doesn't get done until I am doing the big evening clean. I like seeing clean counters first thing in the morning. I need to wash out my fridge more regularly--leftovers and spoiled condiments get thrown out once a week, I just don't wash the shelves often enough.

I plan our dinners a week in advance so I can do one big shopping trip and I never have to wonder what is for dinner. (This helps with my weight loss--I never have an excuse to eat junk because the ingredients for a healthy meal are always in the kitchen)

Generally my house is clean, it is just never, ever tidy and hardly ever dusted. I try to purge our belongings regularly, but as soon as I turn around, any given surface in my house is covered in junk. If you speak the language of Flylady you would say I have multiple hot spots in my house. How do I keep on top of them??? How do I deal with a husband who leaves piles of stuff everywhere and denies that he is messy? (Hey, I am messy too--At least I admit it!). What can I do? Leave me a comment! Maybe we can help each other.

In other news--my favourite belt is on the last hole and is getting too loose to do its job!!!
Check out my food blog for a couple of new recipes.

Some good news.

I got a call from the Speech Therapy department at the hospital. After 18 months of waiting, Emmett now has a regular weekly slot with a therapist. I am happy and relieved all at the same time. I know this means we have gotten to the top of a hill and have found a mountain, but now I have the lovely and perky Linda, Speech Language Pathologist, to guide us up. Charlotte is helping Emmett with his speech. She can say "Mum" now, so Emmett is working on the "mmmm" sound. Nothing like a little sibling rivalry to get some wheels turning!!

I also found out yesterday I have the beginnings of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome happening. I saw a neurologist who taped electrodes to my hands and fingers and then shocked me in various places up and down my arms and wrists with a Taser-like thingy and then measured how fast the electrical current travels down the nerves. It sounds like much more fun than it really is. So far I test normal, but since I have numbness and tingling in my hands and wrists almost every day, I need to start treatment. It is really no big deal. I will be fitted for wrist splints to be worn at night. That is it. How sexy will I look??? I just feel old.

I have started a new blog:
Prairie Knitwit cooks so I have a place to put the recipes I post from time to time. (Thanks for the good idea, Sarah!)

For Tisha.

This recipe was at my last Weight Watcher's meeting. They are very tasty and keep well in the fridge or freezer.

Super-Easy Chocolate Bran Muffins

Mix together:
3 cups All-Bran Cereal with 2-1/2 cups water and let stand 5 minutes.
Add in:
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and one package of low-fat brownie mix.
Add in some mini chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, nuts, if desired.
Blend well and pour into greased muffin tins (or line with paper...you know the drill.)
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes


If you are counting points: 2 points each if you make 18 muffins, 1.5 points if you make 24 (these will be pretty small)

I have a boy who dresses himself.

Last seen at the mall:

A cute almost 3-year old who probably needs a haircut, but has such awesome highlights and little curls showing up that momma isn't ready to part with them just yet.
He was wearing:
A Bob the Builder sweatshirt
Lime green swim trunks
Muddy Dora the Explorer boots on the wrong feet
Accessorized with a Baby Einstein videocassette pilfered from a friend's house on their last playdate (I'll get it back to you, Cheryl!!)
Blue windbreaker added at mom's insistance.

I'm back!

Well, it has been a while. What have I been up to? Quite a bit. Last week I went Up North to take care of my mother, who is very sick right now and no one knows what is wrong. She is waiting for tests and is slowly getting her strength back now. While I was there Emm and Char visited my Aunt, Uncle and cousins Down South. Emm ran outside on their acreage for two days and had a blast. Char was spoiled rotten--she got to snuggle between my aunt and uncle in their bed when she woke up at night. My aunt did the impossible and weaned Emmett off his bedtime water bottles. I really must send her flowers for that. My van took some damage when a tree jumped out into my mom's driveway--the driver-side window exploded all over me. Amazingly, I only ended up with a very tiny scratch. I got the pleasure of a 4-hour drive home with a sheet of plastic flapping in my ear since it was a long weekend and Richard wanted to replace the window himself when I got home to save some cash. The autobody shop guys Up North were super and vacuumed out my van and taped up the window and didn't charge me a thing.

I got home just in time to throw my bags in a corner and get ready for two Easter celebrations. Here are some pics from the Easter-egg hunt at Grandma Lynn's:

It was the first sunny, hot day of spring .
Char hates wearing a sun hat, but you can still see scalp through her hair, so she will just have to get used to it! Emm wouldn't look up at the camera until he had eaten all of his Easter eggs.
How nice that Grandma has a sandbox in her back yard!! (Emmett is still chewing.)
We all came home a little sunburned. (Where did I put the sunscreen???)

Sunday was spent with Grandpa W, Grandma Holly, Uncle Devon, Auntie Steph, Auntie Rachel, Nanny Mabel and Uncle Bill. (whew!) We had brunch, played in the park and ate pizza and birthday cake (it is Richard's birthday) Grandpa W and Uncle Bill put together Richard's birthday gift: a spanky bike trailer/jogger Emmett sat in it to eat his dinner last night. We couldn't get him out of it. We took it for a test drive today and the kids love it. I do to--you can pack a lot of groceries in the back and around the kidlets!!

We are not going to talk about what these past two days are doing to my Weight watchers journaling. I lost 4 pounds last week so if I don't lose any this week it won't be too bad. I am just hoping that I didn't gain. I am working very hard at getting right back on track.

In bridesmaid dress news, I sent my measurements in so that the dresses can be ordered. I got a call from a salesperson at the bridal shop. They wanted to ask me if, based on my measurements, I was PREGNANT and that they couldn't figure out what size to order me. What the F@#& is wrong with these people???? It is their job to know what dress to order. I cannot be the first woman in the history of bridesmaids to not have model-perfect measurements. I had to assure the twit at the bridal shop that I was losing weight and would be able to fit into what ever dress they ordered. Between having samples with ripped zippers and clueless salespeople it is going against everything I believe in to give my money to this store.
Note to those readers who have not met me in real life: I am not morbidly obese. I carry my excess weight around my waist. My arms and legs are relatively slender and since I have upped my exercise and dropped a few pounds I actually have muscle definition in my legs. My belly is just quite poochy. I had two babies 23 months apart--what do you expect??

Since coming home from my Mom's house I have been keeping myself busy re-organizing and purging my house of excess junk. I have quite a sizeable pile of stuff in my basement to give away. I am trying to decide if I should just donate my junk or if it is worth the trouble to have a yard sale myself. How much cute new clothing (in a smaller size) can I get for my old stuff?

It's been a while.

Yes, I have not blogged in a while. What can I say? Since Charlotte is getting more and more mobile, my time at the computer has been getting shorter and shorter.

I have to go on a little road trip to check on a couple of very important people in my life. I'll be back soon.

Spring Forward.

To some of you, Spring Forward just means you have to remember to turn your clock one hour ahead or you will be the laughingstock at work on Monday morning. I have decided to take this term literally. It is time for a transformation. I want my outside to match my inside. I want to look at an outfit in a shop and think "Wow. That will look so good on me!" Instead of scrutinizing it for tummy-hiding abilities and reaching to the back of the rack to see if they carry it in a not-quite-plus-size-but-give-me-time size. I will be in someone's wedding pictures this summer--I do not want to be self-conscious in front of all of the cameras. I want to hold my head high and be proud of how I look.

I have joined Weight Watchers and now write down every morsel I put in my mouth and do math to see what I can have for a snack every day. How humbling to know , in black and white, how much one really eats. I have done this before, so I have vague knowledge about how to maximize my points, but I still have a lot to learn. I always feel a little hungry at this point, but I am waiting for my stomach to shrink and am guzzling down on lots of water (Crystal Light or lemon wedge optional) and filling my plate with lots and lots of steamed veggies at dinner every night. I have always liked vinegar on my veggies instead of butter, so I have a bit of a head start already. Why Weight Watchers when I know South Beach or Atkins gives almost instant results? One: My name is Not Jenny and I am a carb addict. I do not have time to chase small kiddies while detoxing from carbs. Two: I refuse to cook two dinners every night and hubby would shrivel up and disappear if I took away the carbs. Three: I don't need instant results I need lasting results. Weight Watchers is something I can follow for life without dieting myself into a kidney transplant later on.


My big challenge is making time and motivating myself to exercise. Thankfully the sidewalks are getting clearer and clearer and the sun is shining more and more, so the stroller will be racking up the miles once again. I have workout tapes gathering dust on the back of the shelf that I will be brushing off and using on not-nice days. I just have to make myself. I am a lazy person and I have exercise-induced asthma. I really have to kick myself in the butt to get off the couch and turn off the computer. The asthma is an easy excuse to stay put, but if I pace myself correctly and watch the weather I hardly have to use my inhaler at all. We even have recordings of a kid's exercise program by the BBC for Emmett--we could dance together. We will dance together.

I haven't picked a goal weight yet--do I pick what I really want to be, or what I think I can attain? (that is a three pound difference in my mind--those last three pounds can be a kicker) I have two more days to think about it--that is when I weigh in again.

Until then my first goal is 10 pounds--there will be no shopping for clothes until I lose 10 pounds. This is proving to be hard since all of the spring/summer clothing is coming out in stores, but what better incentive to count my points than being able to buy what I really want instead of what makes me look the least pregnant???

Flashin' my stash.

Hey! It's Flash Your Stash Weekend! I didn't have time to pose my stuff, so you see it in its natural state. My stash has several layers--just like an archealogical dig, the deeper you go, the older it is.This is the newest yarn, aquired on our last trip to the Big City. It is still sitting in the van organizer in my front entranceway. You see some cotton/viscose/silk for a summery sweater, a bunch of chunky acrylic blend for some kids sweaters and some Patons Kroy socks for well, socks. There are a couple of balls of bamboo in there too--to add to its friends in another layer.
The second layer of stash lives beside the couch in a basket. It contains all WIPs. You see a bamboo Clapotis, a sweater in Paton's Shetland Chunky I have been picking(throwing) at for at least a year, a purple boucle baby sweater for a friend and a cotton dishcloth thisclose to being finished. In the tall box is some wool hubby bought me that doesn't know what it wants to be yet, but it is happy hanging there with a loooooong swatch. Anybody know what to do with thick/thin yarn??? Really. I need some ideas here.This stash lives in the top drawer of the entertainment unit. What did you think I would put there? DVDs? There is more bamboo, some Knitpicks Wool of the Andes for a dog sweater and more yarn for The Sweater That Will Never Be Finished (see WIP basket) The back of said sweater lives here too.The final layer of stash lives in the basement. Hence, the bad picture--the lighting is terrible and the flash didn't know what to do. The drawers contain, from bottom to top: An acrylic monstrosoty that needs to be frogged and turned into an afgan, some green wool harvested from a sweater that my MIL gave me because it was wayyyy too big on her, leftover Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake from a baby ponch and assorted eyelash crap, cotton for dishcloths and on top in the bag is inherited stash from my late Grandma--a Mary Maxim Christmas stocking kit and some cool sock yarn. The blue box has randon bits of this and that, mostly from Grandma. There is a bag of rough brown handspun wool that doesn't know what it wants to be, a bunch of baby weight acrylic, and leftovers from projects.
This picture is for the Mommy bloggers who read me--Emmett got some new kitchen toys this weekend.