not typical, but I'm crazy like that.

so, I've been thinking about things that I love lately, things that make my life easier, more functional.

* my cuisinart griddler I love this thing. Think of it as a fancier George Foreman- and much easier to clean and use. I use this ALL the time. I grill/sear almost all of our meat in it. It always stays out. and I love it more than words.

* This book is changing my life. I am not even being dramatic. My SIL originally gave me a cookbook of her's back when Josh and I got married - "how to cook without a cookbook"- which I still use ALOT. But this book is like a memoir/recipe book- LOADED with easy, healthy dishes. As with her other cookbook, she really teaches how to cook, how to stock your pantry, and how to make simple, lovely, food. I love it because I don't have tons of left overs- just enough to feed Josh and I. I was exhausting myself trying to include the girls in my meal planning, when really, it's just easier for me to cook separately for them. Annie is perfectly content eating yogurt with peaches for dinner, so why waste the money, calories, fat, on making enchiladas big enough to feed a small country? She also talks about how she introduced rhythm and routine into her eating habits, and how basically, it changed her life. She lost 42 pounds and has kept it off.

* my 2:30 coffee date. Every afternoon I sit down for a cup or 2 of coffee. And I do whatever I want. Kids can play, watch tv. I don't really care. This also staves off those afternoon nibbles and gets me to dinner without eating a box of cheezits.

* my bike. I've talked about this already, but I love my bike. or I should say riding my bike. The actual bike broke a couple of weeks ago, and I have been beside myself. Turns out it is totally defective and after I sweet talked an Amazon Rep for an hour, I got her to refund the entire bike. I might have mentioned "lawyer" a couple of times, but I spent 600.00 on this bike and I wasn't having it. It became clear that I had "won" when the rep (and I) realized this bike had been bought by a company that sells teddy bears and were trying to unload them. This is totally illegal- and I think from the recent reviews, I am not the only one this is happening to- The actual company that sold the bike is now defunct, bla bla bla- It was actually an awesome bike, had it worked, but oh well. My new one gets her tomorrow.

BUT my point, is that having something accessible, in my home, that I LIKE, has been wonderful and life changing.


ok, my coffee cup is empty. and the kids are, well, needing me.

oh well, more later