Monday Manifest on Wednesday

I found this list of 30 Healthiest Foods on this blog here.  She got it from an article in Real Simple Magazine, you can read here.  I have bold faced the foods we eat, or I should say my kids eat on a regular basis.  I do eat some of those foods, but I am a very picky eater.  I have come light years from where I was even five years ago, ask my husband and family.  I am NOT a super healthy person, I am trying and failing miserably.  I ,in reality, need to lose quite a bit of weight, but that is whole separate post.  I do work really hard with my giving my kids good foods, and explain to them (really just Sonya right now) why we eat foods that are good for us.  I am also not saying my kids never eat junk, because that would be a lie!!  Anyway I thought I would share this list because it is good info and great things to add to your diet.   

1. Mushrooms
2. Walnuts
3. Whole-Grain Pasta
4. Peanut and Nut Butters
5. Oatmeal (They only like this sometimes) 
6. Barley
7. Quinoa (I actually really like quinoa, but I am scared to make it.  I made it once and it was a big fail.) 
8. Lentils
9. Bulgur
10. Almonds
11. Eggs
12. Nonfat Greek Yogurt (Sonya like regular yogurt, trying to switch her.  TR cannot have yogurt)
13. Chicken Breasts
14. Wild Salmon
15. Sardines
16. Kale
17. Kiwi
18. Blueberries (I think my kids are blueberry addicts)
19. Brocoli 
20. Avocados
21. Black Beans
22. Sweet Potatoes
23. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
24. Edamame
25. Chard
26. Kidney Beans
27. Oranges
28. Pumpkin (I have 6 cans of pumpkin in my pantry I keep forgetting to use)
29. Spinach 
30. Skim Milk

Monday Manifest on Sunday

Things I plan to do this week while the weather is freezing cold.

1. Make banana bread
2. Make salt dough valentine ornaments with the kids
3. Have Sonya and I make her Valentine's Day mailbox for school
4. Work on shapes with Teddy 
5. Try to make a home made cake again
6. Do laundry
7. Help Sonya write her classmates names
8. Make a list of all the words Teddy can say
9. Bake a loaf of almost no knead bread
10. Get the blue painters tape out and make a hop scotch game on the floor
11. Hang out with Jillian 20 minutes a day

Monday Manifest on Tuesday

My friends Cary and Katy have recently done this list, and I am going to follow suit.
Things I am looking forward to.

1. Warm weather
2. Playing in the hose on our deck
3. BBQ
4. Our trip to Colorado this summer
5. Sonya and Teddy's hair getting curly again
6. JK for Sonya
7. Pre-3 for Teddy
8. Art in Air
9. Swimming lessons with Teddy (I truly love this child bc I am getting into a swimming suit in March for him)
10. Walking to the library
11. Possible trip to Chicago to see the Vivian Maier exhibit....anyone anyone??
12. Dinner with friends
13. Girls Weekend!!
14. Taking Sonya to the art museum
15. Baby Woodard
16. Getting a Verizon iPhone 

Monday Manifest On Thursday

My Grocery Lists For This Week
Target:

• organic milk
• almond milk
• organic chicken broth
• nutella
• juice 
• applesauce
• soup carckers
• syrup
• nutella
• cake flour
• tin foil
• dish soap

Trader Joes:

• parmesan cheese
• bananas
• very berry cherry frozen berry mix
• frozen blueberries
• chicken sausage
• organic yogurt
• string cheese
• cereal
• valencia peanut butter with toasted flaxseed

Whole Foods:

• organic honeycrisp apples
• oranges
• lemon juice
• lime juice
• kale
• celery
• brussel sprouts 
• organic sweet potatoes
• bell peppers
• onions
• organic carrots
• organic boneless skinless chicken breast
• whole wheat pita bread
• organic cage free eggs
• organic butter
• ground flaxseed
• corn tortillas

Monday Manifest on Sunday

All the Christmas Books We Own

1. The Animals' Merry Christmas  by Richard Scary
2. The Snowman  by Raymond Briggs
3. The Christmas Alphabet  by Robert Sabuda
4. The 12 Days of Christmas  by Robert Sabuda
5. The Polar Express  by Chris Van Allsburg
6. The Silent Night Book  no author, it plays the tune to Silent Night
7. The Night Before Christmas  by Clement C. Moore
8. Saint Nicholas, The Real Story of the Christmas Legend  by Julie Steigmeyer
9. The Story of Christmas, Fear Not Joseph  by Julie Steigmeyer
10. The Runaway Bunny  by Margaret Wise Brown
11. The Purpose of Christmas  by Rick Warren
12. The Advent Jesse Tree  by Dean Meador Lambert
13. The Story of Christmas  by Patricia A. Pingry
14. My First Christmas Word Board Book  by Dawn Sirett

Monday Manifest on Saturday

What Sonya Calls The Characters in Wizzard of Oz

1. Dorfy
2. The Straw Guy
3. The Silver Guy (he is her favorite becuase he is "handsome")
4. Lion
5. Muskins
6. The Wica Wits of da Wist

Monday Manifest on Tuesday

Things We Did WIth The Kids Today That I Loved

1. They unrolled an entire roll of tin foil.
2. They both fell asleep on my lap at 11:30am.
3. They stole bell peppers from me as I chopped them up for dinner.
4. They played with our mini shop vac for over hour.
5. They played with a squirt bottle for 45 minutes.
6. Sonya chose to be naked the entire day.  
7. Teddy ran across the room multiple times to to get a cuddle and a kiss.
8. They practiced taking turns and sharing.
9. Teddy imitated Sonya.
10. Josh and I squirted whip cream directly into their mouths.
11. Gave them a bath....it had been since last Thursday.
12. We all danced around the house to Christmas carols, with all of the lights turned off except the Christmas tree.

Monday Manifest

What I Think The Old Venture at Deer Creek Should Be Turned Into

1. Ikea
2. Costco
3. Babies R Us
4. Roller Rink
5. Sky Zone
6. Indoor Waterpark

What is your dream for Deer Creek?

Monday Manifest

What I Bought At Penzeys Last Week

1. Freeze Dried Shallots
2. Hot Chocolate Mix
3. Mexican Vanilla
4. Garlic Salt
5. Sunny Paris Seasoning
6. Shallot Salt
7. Northwoods Seasoning
8. Cinnamon Sugar
9. Cinnamon
10. Sweet Hungarian Paprika
11. Sesame Seeds
12. Adobo
13. Fajita Seasoning

Monday Manifest on Thursday

Foods I Wish I Liked:

1. yogurt (I like frozen yogurt)
2. beans (I hate all types)
3. seafood
4. smoothies
5. some pasta dishes
6. oatmeal (I have really been trying this to like this one)
7. eggs
8. whiskey or scotch straight up (something that a "braud" would drink)
9. cheesecake
10. guacamole 

Monday Manifest

These are my confessions:

1. I read blogs of total strangers, and people who are just acquaintances.  Josh calls them my fake friends.
2. I only shower 2-3 times a week.
3. When I wear sweatpants to drop Sonya off at school I wear sneakers to give the illusion that I have worked out, or I am going to work out.  I don't think I am fooling anybody, but I still do it.
4. I love all of the Real Housewives shows on Bravo, Secret Life of the American Teenager, and Make It or Break It.
5. Even though I truly enjoy cooking, I will never turn down take out when Josh offers to bring dinner home.
6. I am useless between 1pm and 3pm.  I physically and mentally shut down.  I could and should be spending that time with Sonya doing all types of activities, but I pretty much ignore her for those two hours.
7. I always fall asleep when I read.  So it takes me forever to finish a book, if I even start one.
8. I don't know the last time I cleaned my shower.
9. I have some gray hairs on my head.
10. I spend way too much time on my computer.
11. I have screamed in Sonya's face.
12. The bottom of my feet are gross.  They look and feel like pads on on dog paws.
13. I listen to Phillips and Company on Y98 FM in the morning at my house.
14. My left breast in bigger than my right breast.
15. I know nothing about politics.

What are your confessions?

Monday Manifest on Thursday

The Names Of All Of The Kids In My Wive's Bible Study (grouped by family)

1. Sonya
2. Teddy

1. Winnie
2. Rush

1. Finn
2. Ainsley

1. Claire
2. Mary-Jane

1. Judah
2. Adeline
3. Harper

1. Noah
2. Luke
3. Henry

1. Sadie
2. Ruby
3. Poppy
4. Charlie

1. Riley
2. Cooper
3. Campbell
4. Reese

1. JJ
2. Henry
3. George
4. Emma

Monday Manifest on Wednesday

The Names of Our Animals Growing Up

1. Runner - guinea pig
2. Snowy - hamster
3. Dixie - hamster
4. Skippy - hamster
5. Hoover - hamster
6. Wimsy - hamster
7. Soulard - hamster
8. Socks - hamster
9. Mickey - mouse
10. Minnie - mouse
11. Conrad - parakeet
12. Prince - parakeet
13. Murphy - parakeet
14. Pauper - parakeet
15. Nicholas - ferrel cat
16. Mike - the best dog ever
17. Floyd - cockateel
18. Harvey - cockateel

People I grew up with, did I miss any?

Monday Manifest on Tuesday

Things I used to wish for when I was little 

1. get my ears pierced
2. get a cabbage patch kid
3. see a unicorn
4. when I became a teenager that I could wear a bikini and hang out at the 10 ft at the Webster Pool
5. be an Olympic gymnast or swimmer
6. be on the Mickey Mouse Club
7. be a cheerleader
8. have my own room
9. have a boyfriend
10. be a lifeguard and twirl my whistle
11. that my name was Stacey
12. that I would have twins when I grew up
13. be a mermaid
14. be able to do a reverse off the diving board
15. ride in a limo
16. go to Australia
17. catch a fairy
18. be Miss Webster

What did you wish for?

The Monday Manifest on Thursday

Things I Don't Care About At All

1. Coffee, iced coffee, Starbucks, etc.
2. Twilight, books or movie (really all things vampire, except Buffy)
3. Oprah
4. Dancing with the Stars
5. Survivor
6. Mel Gibson
7. Justin Beiber
8. Farmville
9. Red Bull
10. Las Vegas
11. Jersey Shore
12. Going snow skiiing

What is on your "don't care about at all list"?

Monday Manifest on Thursday

Things I Have Made From Scratch This Week

1. Golden Beer Bread with flaxseed instead of chia seeds.
2. Three batches of chocolate chip cookies.  The first one did not turn out, the second was amazing, so I had to make a third.
3. These pancakes.  I substituted whole wheat flour and added ground flaxseed.
4. Face Wash. Combine 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp castor oil, and 1/2 tsp sugar.  On a dry face massage in mixture for two minutes.  Next drape a hot washcloth over your entire face for one minute.  Then wipe off the oil with the wash cloth.  That is it.  No toner, no serum, no lotion.  It really feels amazing.
5. Teeth whitener.  Mash up one strawberry with 1 tsp of baking soda.  Brush on your teeth for one to two minutes.  Next rinse and brush your teeth.  Then floss to remove any seeds from your teeth.  Super clean feeling.

Monday Manifest on Saturday

I honor of Gap Inc.'s Give and Get Friends and Family Weekend, where you save 30% on your entire purchase, I am listing all of the Gap stores I worked at through out all my years with the company.

1. Gap Women's at the Galleria 1998-2000
2. GapBody at Plaza Frontenac 2000-2004
3. GapKids at Plaza Frontenac Spring of 2004 - Fall of 2004
4. Gap at Chesterfield 2004-2005
5. GapKids at The Galleria Summer of 2006 - Fall of 2006

Other random Gap stores where I helped out

1. Gap at Crestwood Mall
2. Gap at Mid Rivers Mall
3. Gap Men's at the Galleria
4. Gap in Champaign IL (store opening)
5. Gap in Carbondale IL (store opening)
6. GapBody on Michigan Ave in Chicago

Monday Manifest on Thursday

If I could sing, this is who I would sound like.  They are in no particular order.

1. Bonnie Rait
2. Carole King
3. Neko Case
4. Sally Ellyson
5. Gillian Welch
6. Tina Turner
7. Fiona Apple
8. Natalie Maines
9. Aretha Franklin
10. The Trio, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt
11. Amy Winehouse
12. Pink
13. Allison Krauss
14. Lauryn Hill
15. Feist
16. Bette Midler

Monday Manifest on Thursday

Michigan by Numbers

1. 6 hours in the car
2. 4 o'clock in the morning is the time TR went to bed at the hotel in Indiana
3. 3 number of times I have eaten ice cream
4. 4 bottles of bubbles used up
5. 2 babies with fevers
6. 10 pounds of blueberries eaten
7. 148 cans of soda
8. 57 cans of beers
9. 6 half gallons of organic whole milk
10. 4 half gallons of organic skim milk
11. 2 half gallons of organic chocolate milk
12. 32 cinnamon rolls
13. 32 muffins
14. 5 books finished
15. 3 laptops in the house
16. 2 sunburns
17. 5 trips to the grocery store
18. 2 times we went out to dinner
19. 3 number of swimming suits Sonya wore this week
20. 9 loads of laundry completed
21. 188 photos taken (so far)
22. 3 one year olds
23. 1 three year old
24. 2 babysitters
25. 6 adults
26. 1,000,000 the number of times Sonya asked to play the Nintendo DS

More Michigan to come later.

The Monday Manifest

Restaurants I Wish Were Still Open

1. Casa Grille at the Galleria
2. Mary's
3. First Federal Frank and Crust Pizza Company
4. Pantera's (Old Orchard)
5. Hot Diggity Dog
6. Hogobooms
7. Velvet Freeze
8. Two Nice Guys Deli
9. The Tea Room at Dillards in Crestwood Mall
10. The old school Ground Round with peanuts, popcorn, Heckel and Jeckel movies, and where kids ate for their weight in pennies.
11. Schnucks Station Restaurant
12. Taco Bell (Watson)
13. Shoney's
14. Augustus Moody's
15. The Ice House
16. Tippin's
17. New York Burrito (Kirkwood)
18. Something Elsah
19. Lox, Stock, and Bagel
20. The Lotus Room