Mamma Works

We're giving this recipe a try in my house this year.  Have you made it yet?  What did you think? Pecan Pumpkin Crunch on the Food Network

As all good mothers do, I have been asking my child since June what he wants for Christmas.  This lead time has given me enough time to do my own research to give you this kid-created, mother approved list to use during your holiday shopping adventures. Top Ten 4 Year Old Boy 2012 Holiday Gifts 10. Super Hero Squad Wall Decals 9.Mega Bloks 8. Furb y   7.Nerf Mini Sports Pack 6. K inect Home Run Stars 5. Nerf N-Strike Rampage Blaster 4. Play Doh Sweet Shoppe Candy Cyclone 3. Angry Birds Star Wars PJs 2.Spider- Man Adventures Playskool Heroes Spider-Man Headquarters 1. Skylanders Giants

After my immensely busy day, I came home and handed over a package to my husband.  You would've thought that Christmas arrived early, as he lurched the envelope from my hand.  Before I knew what was going on, the Xbox 360 was fired up and my husband was eagerly awaiting the title screen.  (I didn't know he could move that fast!)  I was just told that the MTAR is his favorite gun so far.  The download of Nuketown 2025 is now complete and by his account, "It is pretty sweet!" What's not so sweet about a cool new video game that gamers have been anxiously awaiting?  THE SERVERS KEEP GOING DOWN!  Treyarch, get on this!  I have been reading the Tweets and there are displaced gamers with guns... Well, we shall see how this plays out.  Let me know if you've had a chance to play the game and how you like it.... http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2/videos/surprise.html

My husband and I adopted two kittens when we purchased our first home in 2004.  We got an orange tabby and a grey tabby.   They are both the sweetest cats you have ever met in your entire life.  However, they have both started to "relieve themselves" in common areas of the house, instead of in the litter boxes.  We keep the litter boxes clean and the cats well fed and groomed, but they have started to do this when they are not feeling well.  (This new behavior surfaced this year when they both had UTIs.) The doctor prescribed an antibiotic pill, but it is very difficult to give my cats pills.  Neither of them take pills willingly.  Then once the pill is down, they usually throw it up within the hour.  So, my vet prescribed antibiotics drop.  These still make their tummies upset, but it seems that they like the administering a bit better than the pills. Needless to say, my house is a wreck.  With cat excrement and vomit, I feel like I live in a cat hoarder's house.  

I lost two pounds this week!  I guess spending a little extra time on Sunday creating the meal plan for the week helped me to stay away from the extra snacks. In the midst of trying to lose weight and get healthy, there was a presidential election.  This week, I spent the majority of my time telling my FB "friends" why Mitt should have been President.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda...  While I'm not pleased with the election, there is nothing that I can do about it at this point in time, but to move ahead. Also, this week, I'd like to send a special thanks to the troops that are protecting my rights as we speak.  I'd also like to thank all of the Veteran's that have served this country to ensure the rights of every citizen.  While you fight, I'll continue to respect you, to keep you in my prayers, and to a supporter of yours "back in the States."

OMG How cool is this site?  http://supercook.com/ In a last-minute pinch, when you don't have a meal planned, add ingredients you have in your kitchen and countless recipes pop up that you can make. Thank you, Supercook.com , I will definitely be back!

One technique that I have tried in the past and, ultimately, end up failing at is: planning ahead. As I embark upon this weight-loss challenge, I am up for giving this strategy another try. So, this Sunday, I am prepping as many meals for the week as I possibly can. Since I have to work six of the seven days of this week and one night, I am hoping that this technique will allow me (and, consequently, my family to make good food choices) this week. I might even be able to get in some physical activity too. (As stated before, I am still striving to drink eight glasses of water each day too.) The Menu  One thing that I always find challenging is to create meals that my entire family will find satisfactory. With a husband whose job is physically active, a four year old who eats nothing but cheese and carbs, an infant, who is thankfully still nursing, and me, who is hypoglycemic, I find myself making meals for each individual. (Most of the time my hypoglycemia doesn’t limi

I lost 3 pounds this week.  It is no mistake either; I kept checking...  The only thing I can assume is that all of the worrying that I did this week has helped me to lose the weight.  Hurricane Sandy devastated my friends and family in New Jersey this week, and I have been a wreck worrying about them the entire time.  My friends and family members were without heat, water, electricity, and gasoline this entire week.  There were some amazing stories of neighborly support that surfaced from the storm, and there were also countless tragedies that will influence these people for the rest of their lives.  New Jersey is much more than teenagers drinking and over-using tanning beds.  They are just like you and me, and they need our help! In an effort to show them some support, I have set up a fundraiser for Mercury One Disaster Relief.  Mercury One is a faith-based organization that gives 100% of the money earned to the victims of a disaster, in this case those impacted by Hurricane Sa

So, I have set out on the goal of losing 30 pounds to get myself back into a healthful-lifestyle.  Upon completion of my last post, I set out to drink 8 glasses of water a day, as I am sure that this is just one of the many things that I need to do to meet my goal.  How did I do, you ask.  OK, I guess, but not great.  I have found that the single most difficult challenge for me to overcome is:  time.  I know this sounds outrageous, but I find it incredibly hard to pull away from my office and fill up a glass of water.  This is something I need to solve ASAP.  Maybe if I get a gallon jog of water in my office, I'll be able sip water throughout the day... I will let you know if this works. BTW what prevents you from drinking eight glasses of water a day?