Ten on Tuesday

1. We had a fabulous weekend in KC! The only thing that kept it just short of perfect the fact that Josh wasn't able to join us.

2. The kids and I had a great breakfast with Kari, Allison, and baby Drake (who by the ways is freakin adorable!). I wish it could have lasted many more hours, because the three of us could talk and catch up for days! It amazes me that here we are, entering our thirties, married, kids, and we still have the connection with each other that we did 15 years ago. Life keeps us busy and we can go months without talking, but its a friendship that picks up right where we left it at, because of that, it is truly valued.

3. Malakai and Leila spent ALL DAY Saturday with Mama and Papa Miller. The had an absolute blast! I know I've said this before, but my children are truly blessed with wonderful grandparents. I love that all I have to do is even mention any of their names and their little faces just light up. Thanks Mama and Papa for the great day!

4. The purpose of this trip to KC was to see my little sister Kiera participate in the musical Cinderella. She is definitely a S.T.A.R.! I am so proud of her!! She totally rocked it and I look forward to watching her in many more throughout the years.

5. Recently, Colleen posted a blog which you can see by going here. As a mother, I knew exactly how she felt while writing this blog and her friend Claire gave some amazing advice! I LOVE Claire line of advice! "My RESPONSE is MY RESPONSIBILITY" What a great line to live by! This leads me to number 6...

6. Malakai tested me tonight for the first time in a REALLY long time! Not to go into long, boring, details, but it went a little like this. Josh coaches his baseball team and it was my night to be in charge of snacks. As I was handing them out to all 15 kids while lined up patiently, Malakai realizes the snack is Scooby Snacks. At this point he starts screaming and crying that he HATES Scooby Snacks....IN...MY...FACE! I immediately thought....My response, is my responsibility. We all know, initially, I wanted to drop what I was doing and drag his skinny, little bottom to the car, and from there....use your imagination. Instead, I looked him in the eye, told him I suggest he just stop talking before he digs himself a deeper hole and remove himself from my presence. I ended up dealing with the outburst later when I didn't have 10 other kids still waiting for their snack. I was totally humiliated by his behavior!! OMG! I'm sure you have all experienced this (or not if you have a perfect child) and you just want to crawl under a rock!

7. I WON!! I won a blog giveaway over on Kate's blog!! How cool is that?! I never win anything!! The prize is a $25 gift certificate to Build-A-Bear!! I am SO excited!! Thank you Kate!

8. Josh painted while I was in KC! This is the kind of painting I love! I leave, the walls are white, I return and they are a beautiful Allspice. It's like the painting fairy came :) We still have several rooms to do, but it is a start!

9. One of my Best Friends, Autumn is going to be my neighbor!!!! Hopefully....I hope I'm not jinxing anything. Her and her husband have a contract on a house just one street over from us! How exciting is that?! So cool!!!!!

10. Every time I watch Glee, I cry. I can't help it! I'm a total sucker for that kind of stuff. It just makes me think that in my next life I am going to be a star on Broadway....

XOXO,

Menu Plan Monday

Let me start by saying, the swiss chicken in a crock pot was NOT near as good as when baked. I don't know if I missed a step or what, but it was BLAH!! Josh ended up eating some of it on a bun covered in mayo :)

Monday:

French Dip Sandwiches

Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Veggies

Tuesday:

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Verde

Spanish Rice

Wednesday: Didn't get to this last week....

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Beer Bread

Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner

Surprise Pancakes

Crockpot Apples

Friday: Leftover Buffet

Saturday:

Pizza Melts

Macaroni and Cheese

Sunday:

Grilled Malibu Chicken

Grilled Asparagus

I hope everyone has a fabulous week! I am linked at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

XOXO,

Miller

Menu Plan Monday

Well, this week is a little different. I am doing the pantry challenge. I did not do my norm, which is plan my menu, then add the stuff I need to the weekly Sunday grocery list. Instead, I did do some grocery shopping, but only for a few staple items that I can't get through the week without, ie. milk, bread, dog food, etc. I am challenging myself to "cook from the pantry/freezer." I am not very good at this, because I am not very creative. Makes it a little easier since we will be headed to KC for the weekend. So, this is what I came up with.

Monday:
Good Ole' Spaghetti w/ meat sauce
Salad
Garlic Bread

Tuesday:
Enchiladas
Spanish Rice

Wednesday:
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Beer Bread
Fresh Fruit

Thursday:
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Salad

That's all I have this week folks! Short and Simple :)

I'm linked to Menu Plan Monday @ orgjunkie.com

XOXO,
Miller

Spirit Sprint!

Yesterday the Miller family partook in the 2nd Annual St. Paul Spirit Sprint. Good times had by all. I'll tell you though, I really had NO idea what to expect. With everything this past year, we went in to it totally blind. That is the hard part about being new to this school. I just feel like when fliers go home, or when things are explained they are geared towards those (the majority) that already know what they are talking about. So, this year, Josh and I have been winging it and taking notes for next year, so we actually have a clue of what is going on :)





It is VERY rare that we ever have Josh home on a Saturday morning. Yes, he had to go in to work at noon, but still, we took full advantage of the morning. In fact, Malakai was SO confused when he woke up this morning because he thought it was Monday, since daddy was home yesterday morning....lol.


The day was beautiful, the weather actually had a bit of a chill in it which was nice. There were no age groups, just all the kids ran one full lap around Fenton park which turns out to be a little more than a mile. Malakai did an awesome job, and as you can see, had a lot of friends to socialize with along the way. We hung out and waited for them to finish so we have no idea what they did along the way, but he seemed to finish really well which means he had to of ran the majority of the way!! Leila enjoyed the face-painting!!





After the race, we chilled out with some water and bananas and completed the morning with some time at the playground. It was a great day! Josh and I wish we could have participated in the parent run, but his allergies were killing him and I'm not really sure what I would have done with the kids if we were running...hmmm.

XOXO,

P.S. If you couldn't tell, I was playing with different ways to upload pics into blogger...not sure that any way is better, just testing them out :)

Ten On Tuesday

1. Does anyone else do this? I honestly think it would save my life!! But....I'm nervous! My luck...I would ruin something VERY important. Not that I can think of anything off the top of my head that qualifies as important, but I am still very nervous.

2. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture? Previously Annaka posted a blog about her dog's bed. Looks like this is where my puppies prefer to sleep. Leaving very little room for myself to rest as well.

3. Allergy season has hit the Lou like a freight train!! My poor Josh and Malakai! They can't breathe they have swollen eyes and they are for the most part, miserable. This has lead to Malakai coming in to our room at the wee early hours of the morning because he can't sleep and I don't have the heart to turn him away. Again...another picture of me sleeping. Notice a trend? Josh said we both looked so cute and peaceful he couldn't turn down the kodak moment. My hair is H.O.T!!

4. There is no other season that gets this Miller Family more excited than BASEBALL SEASON! Specifically Cardinals! Love them! I have lived in many of towns, well okay only 3 with major baseball teams. I was even lucky enough to live in AZ when the Diamondbacks won the World Series. There is not a town in this country that compares to St. Louis during baseball season. This city is OBSESSED with their Cardinals...and why shouldn't they be? Their amazing! It's exciting! And we are not an exception.

5. Has anyone else's picture uploader in blogger changed? It's really annoying and makes me not even want to upload pictures! I used to be able to do them all at one time and just drag them where I wanted them to be. Now it is a huge PAIN!! I'm super annoyed by this!

6. I need a painting fairy! One of the very few downfalls of our new house is the stark, white, walls! It's awful! The only rooms painted were Malakai's and ours. I miss Leila's beautiful room from the old house. We have finally purchased some pain...at least for the living room and kitchen, but finding the time and energy to do it hasn't been very easy. Does anyone want to volunteer to come turn Leila's room back to this?

7. For fun, I did the Jersey Shore Nickname Generator for Josh and I. His nickname is Juice Box and mine is The Rack! I find this hilarious!!

8. I really want to plant flowers. I have a spot in the front of the house that really needs work. My problem is I don't even know where to start. I need a xanax just to enter the lawn and garden section at lowes...it's so overwhelming! Does anyone have any suggestions? I have to start from scratch...like get dirt and everything. Help!

9. My children are obsessed with toothbrushes. They each have like 12 and notice if one is missing. Is this normal?

10. Melissa (wish I could link you to her blog, but it is still in progress) and I have signed up for a pole-dancing class! Has anyone ever done one of these before? Talk about a cardio workout! Most of you would be lying if you said you have watched those girls and haven't, at least for a second, wished you could do that. We have finally synced our schedules and Wednesday nights it is! Oh boy! Wish me luck!

XOXO,

Menu Plan Monday

It's another busy week!

Monday:
*Chicken Tenders, courtesy of Colleen...
These are her exact instructions: Take a package of chicken tenders, crush up a container of those French fried onion things, dunk each chicken tender in mustard, then the onion things, layer in baking pan or on a sheet. Bake at 350 until tenders are cooked through and golden brown. Usually about 30 minutes. You can make them in advance and refrigerate or freeze.
*French Fries
*Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: I'm working late/happy hour, so I will leave Josh to make his famous "Karissa isn't home, and I'm in charge of dinner" meal.
*Chili Dog Casserole

Wednesday: I'm hosting a get together at my house, so this will probably be a happy meal night for Josh and the kiddos.

Thursday:
*Crockpot Swiss Chicken
A long time ago, Colleen shared the baked swiss chicken recipe which everyone in my family LOVES! I am going to try this version in the crockpot and see if it is as good. Thursdays are always tough because Josh ALWAYS works late and there is no better feeling than to have dinner already ready when I get home from work.
*Crescent Rolls
*Steamed Veggies

Friday: We don't have volleyball tonight till 9:00 so, it's Breakfast for Dinner!
*Surprise Pancakes
*Crockpot Apples

Saturday: Eat Out

Sunday:
*Burgers on the grill
*Grilled Veggies

I am linked to Menu Plan Monday!!

XOXO,
Miller

Easter - Family = Bittersweet

I have very fond memories of Easter as a child. All of my cousins gathering at my grandparents for the annual Easter Egg Hunt....just waiting for the day that I was actually old enough to be an "Egg Hider" and not just an "Egg Seeker"

As I entered college, Easter was not one of those holidays that I made it home for. Unfortunately we weren't granted much of a break, plus it landed either before or after Spring Break which I usually used to come home. So, in stepped the Kerwins. Oh, how I love the Kerwins. My home away from home, my second family, my savior in many situations. My Easter basket from Mrs. Kerwin, church with everyone, and the day spent at the Sawka's playing card games and eating ungodly amounts of food became my new Easter tradition. Those were the days!

Now I find myself at a point where I have to make my own traditions, for my own kids. As much as I would love to go home, there is just so much going on, that it isn't possible. So, even though it was much different than what I have been used to, we set out to make a very special Easter for our kiddos. At first I was set on going to a swanky Easter brunch, where we all got dressed up and pay way too much for a buffet that I only like a few items on anyway, and have to deal with crowds of people. Josh talked me in to hanging out at the house, and I was so glad he did!

Saturday we colored Easter Eggs which as much as I try not to, but it totally makes me sweat profusely! Malakai picked out Star Wars, which from the package, looked like it had stickers, however, it turned out they were rub-ons! Seriously?! Rub-ons on a hard boiled egg??!!! I don't think so! Leila picked Hello Kitty, I had Marble (which I never got to) and Josh had sports....original right? All in all, they turned out fine, however, due to my sweating I didn't get great pictures :)

Sunday morning, the kids were ecstatic to wake up to TWO baskets! One from the Easter bunny and one Poppy and Tutu had sent. I don't think Malakai even noticed anything after he saw the Super Mario Brothers DS game in Poppy and Tutu's basket! The Easter Bunny took the practical route this year and filled their baskets with summer themed items. Swimsuits, beach towels, goggles, pool toys, and flip-flops.

The baskets were followed by the obvious, an egg hunt. Malakai hunted for race car eggs and Leila princess-animal eggs. They had a ball!

The day was completed with a trip to the park. So, even though we didn't have family, or the Kerwins, it still turned out okay. Miller Family traditions being created on their own. I guess it's not really about me anymore, but those precious babies I would do anything for. That's what parenting is all about hen it comes down to it.

XOXO,

Discovering where you live....

With the wild and crazy lives we live (ha ha) we get one, sometimes two vacations a year. As much as I would love to travel some where 4 or 5 times a year, it just isn't doable with our schedules. So, Josh and I have sort of made a pact to discover the city we live in. True, we have done A LOT in this city. However, when the research is done, there is still so much left undiscovered. So, every opportunity we have we are going to pick a new landmark and go check it out.


Josh's schedule was VERY light over the holiday weekend, which was SO nice!! We had so much quality time as a family and it was fabulous. Make sure those of you who have husbands that work a M-F job take the time to appreciate that! Because I work M-F and he Works weekends, are time together as a family is not nearly enough!


We decided to hit the famous Boathouse. This is a quaint little restaurant on a lake/pond smack dab in the middle of Forest Park. It is absolutely gorgeous, the atmosphere is romantic, yet suitable for a family, and the ambiance is amazing. The weather was upper 70's with just a slight over-cast, so in my eyes it was perfect. Thank goodness we had reservations because it was CRAZY down there. We purposely avoided the zoo, which is also in Forest Park because we knew it was going to be crazy, but that doesn't mean we avoided the traffic! Holy Traffic-Jam! It was worth it though! The food was great, the kids fed the ducks, the weather was perfect to just walk around the park after lunch and just let the kids be the leaders. Wherever they went we followed.


We ended the day with a volleyball game Josh and I had, followed by a round of Go Karts at the local Swing-Around-Fun Town.


Days like this fall in my "perfect" category.

XOXO,

Menu Plan Monday

You'll probably notice a trend in my meal planning....everything is EASY!! Sometimes I am able to be a little more creative when Josh is off, but for the most party, easy is the key word. After work, I pick up Malakai from school and walk in the door about 5:30. My kids are foaming at the mouth by 6:00. Of course I spend the first 15 giving hugs and kisses and talking to Sarah about Leila's day, so, I have to be speedy!! I try to prep in the evening or pre-cook all my meats on Sunday to give me a leg up :)

Monday: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Verde
Black Beans
Rice
I didn't get to this last week but I am very excited about it!!

Tuesday: Grilled Malibu Chicken
Baked Beans
Pasta Salad
How good does this look? Josh is home on Tuesdays, which makes that a great grilling day for him! I emailed him this recipe and told him it was on the menu this week, all ingredients are on hand, I have no doubt that he will pull through :)

Wednesday: Ravioli in Spinach Alfredo Sauce
Salad
Bread Sticks
I'm really pushing the envelope on this one, but we will see how the kids do :)

Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner
French Toast
Sausage
Fresh Fruit

Friday: Volleyball Night....Pizza

Saturday: Left Over Buffet

Sunday: Tex-Mex Beef Barbecues
Corn on the Cob
Salad

Happy Monday Everyone!! Have an Excellent Week!!

I'm linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an organizing Junkie

XOXO,