Thursday, August 26, 2010

15 Albums That Rocked My World

I found this on Babycenter - here are the rules. Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you've heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Should be Albums that you can play through all the way with no skipping or few skips.



  1. Hysteria - Def Leppard
  2. Skid Row - Skid Row
  3. The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
  4. This Is War - 30 Seconds To Mars
  5. Dark Horse - Nickelback
  6. Thriller - Michael Jackson (or Bad, I can't make up my mind!!)
  7. Greatest Hits Volume 2 - Olivia Newton-John
  8. Measure Of A Man - Clay Aiken
  9. Titanic & Back To Titanic (Soundtracks) - James Horner
  10. Greatest Hits Volume 2 - Styx
  11. Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich - Warrant
  12. Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
  13. Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz - Pretty Boy Floyd
  14. Greatest Hits - Chicago
  15. Jesus Christ Superstar
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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Recipe Links for Monthly Menus

Breakfast (muffins, bars, pancakes & waffles)


Dinner
beef & vegetable soup (recipe to come)
crumb-coated chicken (also shrimp) - I use the coating only (on boneless, skinless chicken or fish or shrimp)


Snacks


Miscellaneous
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

School Breakfasts/Lunches - Ideas for this year!

I may work in a school cafeteria, but that doesn't mean I want my kid eating what I serve. Sebastian took his lunch most of the time last year, and ate school lunch the year before (in pre-school, and I have no idea whether home-brought lunches were allowed or not...unless there were allergy issues [none in his class], I think everyone got school lunch, and I do know the teachers were very good about making sure the kids chose fruit and vegetables). I wanted to jump on the bento lunch bandwagon but I am what you call a lazy parent. We were extended breastfeeders and co-sleepers because I was too lazy to make formula bottles or pump or quiet him in his own bed. I'm so glad he was a comfort nurser, too. He was so clingy, I managed to watch

and


























AND




before we were all finished.

Luckily, I've found a fantastic blog that's not all fancy bento, but it does offer great ideas and pretty healthy recipes. I cannot tell you how much I love this blog. If I had to cheat on Fitbomb, it would be with this blog.

Breakfasts:

granola/cereal bars
muffins
pancakes/waffles
toast (or bagel/English muffin) w/ nut butter or light cream cheese
cereal (Cheerios, Rice Krispies, or Corn Flakes)

with milk or yogurt and fruit, sometimes turkey bacon or sausage.

Lunches:

ham or peanut butter & jelly/Nutella on whole wheat or quick ogre bread, tortilla roll up, or mini pita
meatballs with easy vegetable risotto
crumb coated chicken nuggets (use boneless, skinless)
chicken Momnuggets
chicken/beef/vegetable soup
Tex-Mex corn & bean salsa
grilled cheese or quesadillas
Sandwich Thin or English Muffin pizza
bulgur chili
kabobs
turkey veggie meatloaf muffins
ham & cheese mini muffins
ham stuffed cheddar mini muffins
tacos
baked corn dog bites

Snacks:

whole wheat crackers w/ peanut butter, jelly, low fat cream cheese & chives
pretzels or croutons
oatmeal pumpkin bars or pumpkin nuggets
whole wheat pumpkin carrot muffins
fruit & vegetable slices
air-popped popcorn
yogurt
oatmeal raisin cookies
baked apples w/ cinnamon

I'm hoping to post a full menu for the month of September, that will include breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both of us (Sebastian and me - Sam gets whatever he gets). I have Sebastian's lunches penciled in and I need to schedule dinners. My lunches will likely be left overs, and my breakfasts the same (or not all that varied). And of course, since I have no idea what the heck I'm doing, September's menu will be very simple and not likely to include any "new" dinner recipes. I'm also trying to figure out how to present it online. I know there are menu planning templates but the once I've seen so far aren't right for my need to be in control of every single detail. I'll probably end up making a spreadsheet in Google Docs.
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Monday, August 16, 2010

I know you want to know.

What's in my Google Reader?

13 Babycenter friends' blogs
1 Lost blog that I really need to delete
26 fitness blogs (some of the personal blogs are no longer updated - that makes me sad)
26 food & recipe blogs
12 blogs related to photobombs, LOLs, FAILs, and Accidental Dongs
3 blogs for job hunting (I really need to add more)
3 local blogs
4 bargain hunting blogs
3 paranormal blogs
8 blogs related to the Twilight Saga and other gross things (I wonder why God no longer updates His blog. Not that God is gross. That blog is just in my "Miscellaneous" folder that does contain some pretty disgusting stuff.)
1 LGBT blog

So, for those of you who can count or own a calculator (I would be one of the latter), that's 100 blogs. I'd say 60% are updated daily and 20% updated many times per day. Add in my Facebook feed and 10 message boards I regularly check, you can see how I have no time for anything else.
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Friday, August 13, 2010

I need an intervention.

I tend to be obsessive about new things. When Ghost Hunters started airing on SyFy, I immersed myself in the paranormal. When I discovered Stargate SG-1, I read all the slash fanfiction I could find. When The X Files produced the spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, I memorized all 13 episodes and made videos. After seeing my all-time favorite band, Def Leppard, in concert, I listened to them non-stop for months. When I do something (low carb, Weight Watchers, various fitness programs, Meatless Monday), I research it to death. I'm an over-thinker, under-achiever.

For the longest time, I was stuck in an old-school, hair metal rut. Aside from the occasional Clay Aiken CD or Titanic soundtrack, I was pretty much all glam, all the time. Then we were visiting my inlaws for Christmas one year...I want to say 2007...and my step-daughter was playing Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. I. Fell. In. Love. I bought their CDs for my step-daughter (and ripped them for my mp3 player) and listened to the Black Parade album constantly. That album quickly became my #1 all-time favorite album. To this day, it still beat Def Leppard's Hysteria. I'm talking, stranded on a desert island and I can only have one album to listen to for eternity #1.

MCR quickly led me to 30 Seconds To Mars. Seeing how hot and sexy Jared Leto is slamming himself up against a wall in The Kill, I was hooked. I alternated between MCR and 30STM for the next two years, declaring that I would most definitely die for either band, and give my kidneys to both Jared and Shannon Leto or Gerard and Mikey Way. Time passed and there was nothing new from either band. Then 30STM put out This Is War and I fell in love all over again. But MCR disappointed me. There is still no new album, and it's been 4 years. There are whispers that the new album is done (as in recorded but not finished) but they've lost their drummer. No reason given, but I think he had surgery on his arm a while back and his recovery may have had complications.

But I digress. Without new stuff from the band I'd die for, I turned to radio more and more. Not looking for fresh meat...just to listen to because I was too lazy to bring my Zune everywhere. For months, 98WOBX was advertising the Shinedown concert. After eight weeks of hearing the Shinedown ad, I found myself getting excited when their songs were actually played on the radio. The Sound of Madness, in particular, made my day. And soon I learned that I have always liked Shinedown - I just didn't know who they were! So Shinedown became my new obsession.

Then, I started leaving WOBX on at night, instead of my usual BBC Radio (a habit I've had since September 11, 2001). To promote the upcoming Avenged Sevenfold album, Nightmare was played a lot. The only reason I knew of A7X is because my step-daughter had some of their stuff, and I had sent her a text when their drummer died last year. Same shit, different day. I did my research and I am currently obsessed with Avenged Sevenfold. I didn't even realize I loved them. I am particularly in lust with M. Shadows, lead singer of A7X.


Sofa King sexy!!! To hear and watch him sing, I've decided that there is absolutely no way I am a lesbian. I was wondering. M. Shadows has prevented me from switching teams. I'll play for both. I don't care. I love my eye candy. And I'm a sucker for great arms and shoulders. I told Sam he had to get more tattoos. I think I like that look. 

I live in fear that each day, I'll "discover" a "new" band. How many times will I fall in love before MCR's next album comes out? How many times will I alternate between being on top of the world because the music makes me feel young and good, and being depressed that I'm 3fucking5 years old and getting too old for this shit? I certainly do not feel old. I feel better now than I did in my 20s. I don't even have any grey hair on my head, and I do NOT color my hair. I feel like I have my whole life ahead of me, then I'm reminded that I can't just be young and carefree. I have a kid and I'm halfway to 70. By the time the kid is old enough to move out, I'll be almost 3/4 of the way to 70. And who even knows if I'll live that long? My life could be 99% over right now. 

Look, in the time it took me to write this post, I went from being on top of the world to depressed! And I didn't even get a new obsession. :(
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Disappointment. I has it.

The annual Perseid meteor shower is peaking this week (meaning tonight/tomorrow night). I haven't been to a good meteor shower since before Sebastian was born. I have a nice little spot at a Kitty Hawk beach access that's perfect - benches, no light, huge ocean to look over. It's awesome. I usually spend about 2 hours there. I take coffee, an mp3 player, and a camera. It's good times.

So I was really amped for this year's display. At first, I couldn't leave the house for too long because Sebastian was just a tiny baby. Then the weather didn't cooperate. Then I was too lazy. Then the weather didn't cooperate again. This year though, I was ready. I was absolutely getting up and going to enjoy myself. I set my alarm for 1:30 AM.

Then I got stuck on YouTube. Don't ask me what I was doing...that's a blog for a different day. When I finally hauled my cookies to bed an hour later, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned for another hour before finally falling asleep. 1:30 came and went. 1:40, and I finally got up, shuffled outside, and looked at the sky. The humidity outside nearly crushed me. Holy shit, it was fucking humid!! The sky was clear above my house. It's too bright and there are too many trees to enjoy a meteor shower here. I went back in, got dressed, made a cup of coffee, and grabbed my shit.

I was three blocks down the road when it started to lightening. I looked up, and the it was completely cloudy as far as the eye could see. I decided to drive the 5 miles to my honey hole anyway. More lightning. The only other people out and about with me were the drunks stumbling out of bars, the taxi drivers to pick up the smart ones, and the po-po to pick up the stupid ones. By the time I got to my sweet spot, the lightning was worse, there were a few rumbles of thunder, and I was wide afuckingwake. I have to clean my house but my guys are sleeping. I don't want to make too much noise. I can't get back to sleep because I've already had 2 cups of coffee.

So I'm watching the beautiful Matt Bomer con some poor schmuck on White Collar.


And I will try this Perseid shit again in 23 hours.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

On All Fours

I found this survey on Cardio Pizza, one of the blogs I read.



Four Jobs I’ve Had
  • McDonald's schmuck (loved closing with Eric and working weekend maintenance)
  • substitute lunch lady (now permanent!)
  • Upward Bound tutor & coordinator (best job ever)
  • High Risk Intervention mentor (glorified one-on-one babysitter for behaviorally-challenged kids)
Four Places I’ve Lived
  • Fredonia, NY
  • Dunkirk, NY
  • Corolla, NC 
  • Kill Devil Hills, NC
Four TV Shows I Love
  • The X Files
  • Dexter
  • Queer As Folk
  • ER
Four Places I’ve Traveled To
  • Bahamas
  • Toronto
  • Minneapolis
  • I suck so much, I can't even think of a 4th place
Four of My Favorite Foods
  • Pizza
  • Mint chocolate chip ice cream
  • M&Ms
  • General Tso's chicken
Four Places I’d Rather Be
  • Area 51
  • On a boat
  • High school (SAY WHAT?? Yes, I would love to start over.)
  • At the gym (I skipped cardio this morning and feel like a slug.)
Four Blogs I Visit (I don't actually visit blogs anymore, unless I am checking them out for the first time. Google Reader is a handy thing to use!)

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Saturday, August 7, 2010

Girl Crush of the Month - August

I am hopelessly behind on True Blood but I wanted to throw this out there because red-heads are fucking gorgeous.


Seriously!!!



For real.

Deborah Ann Woll 

GORGEOUS!
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Thursday, August 5, 2010

The theme to "The Jeffersons" is stuck in my head.

Because I'm moving on up!

Earlier this year, after 6 months of never being called to substitute teach, I got a job subbing in the school cafeteria. Mainly at my son's elementary school, but occasionally at the middle school, as well. I liked the middle school well enough, but I loved the elementary schedule. And they loved me, if I do say so myself. I became a "long term" sub in April-ish, after one of the girls got really sick. I worked every school day from then until the end of the school year. Boss Lady (BL) at the elementary school seemed to like my work, availability, and enthusiasm. I made it clear that I loved the job and would definitely be interested in something permanent if Sick Girl (SG) didn't come back or one of the others transferred.

So, I waited through the end of June and into July. I saw SG at Kmart and she looked good. She didn't see me, so I didn't make conversation. I got my paperwork from the school board about whether or not I still wanted to be on the substitute teacher list. I filled it out and indicated I was still interested - after all, I'd paid my billion dollars for the course and didn't want to retake the course in the future. Then I got my paperwork for the substitute child nutrition list. That's what we are - child nutrition employees, not lunch ladies. In that paperwork, there was also the questions of whether or not I'd be interested in a permanent position. Well, duh. So I checked that box, too.

BL from the elementary school called me this morning. SG isn't coming back, have I found something better? Lady, I wasn't even looking. I was holding out for you! That's what I told her. And I was! I wanted this job. It's still perfect, even without benefits.

It's not officially official yet, but the Director of Child Nutrition (DCN) wants me to attend the training sessions and start the school year, then when things settle down, we'll all sit down with the principal and do the interview. Yikes. I'm not worried.

What does scare me is how busy I'm going to be, after going from being a housewife then stay at home sit on my ass mom for the last nine years to having a job AND being the head of the PTA fundraising committee. I'm also trying to get on the sub list for our school's after school care program. We'll also have Green Team and I wanted to see about starting a Lego Robotics team at our school.

When will I have time to play on the internet? Will being much more active help me lose these last 7 pounds? What time will I have to wake up each day to get my workout done before school? How will I stay in control of my food? Will there be a lot of Crock Potting in my future? Will I get hopelessly behind on my stories?
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My son is the biggest turd ever!!!

He's been asking to watch The Exorcist. I told him no. Not because he's 6, but because that movie creeps me out. He can watch whatever else he wants, or watch it with Sam, but I am not watching The Exorcist. When he asked me why, I showed him a picture of Possessed Regan and he didn't have much of a reaction. Today, the little shit was watching videos on YouTube and he started laughing. "Mommy, you have to come see this, it's hysterical!" I sat down, put on the headphones, and watched a Mario video. At the end, up pops a picture of Possessed Regan, with a scream, like that Flash thing that was being passed around a few years ago. 

My kid is a jerk.
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