Saying Goodbye to July

Wow! What a week!

It's amazing how quickly time seems to pass. Looking back on the week, our Pack was very accomplished!

Romeo tried to encourage Monday to be a slow, lazy day... Little did he know that Tuesday was an "Up-and-At'em" day; early rise and gone all day to Marietta, GA.



"C'mon... You know you want to..."

5am wake up call for AlphaJ and I made for a very long day; but, the 3 hour drive (each way) is worth it for a play in GA :-)
While AlphaJ roamed around Acworth, Kennesaw, and Marietta completing his work schedule, the girlies and I made ourselves at home at Gramma Linda's; with lunch and swimming at her neighborhood pool.
After swimming, I treated the girls and I to Menchie's Froyo... Soo yummy! [They charge you by the weight of your purchase, not by what you have in/on your tastiness. It's very customer friendly and a very comfortable yet energetic atmosphere].

We ran a few errands after that and made our way back to Gramma's for some relax time before our return drive home to TN. While Kaia watching a show, Holly started wrapping herself up inside one of the really cozy blankets that my mom has... This was the result:

The drive home was fairly easy; we left after both ATL and Chattanooga rush hour traffic, so we had less interstate mess to maneuver around.

Wednesday was a stay at home and clean day for me, with a nice meeting in the evening. I had a bountiful harvest from "Garden Greenthumb" that day, so we had delicious SW chicken for dinner that night.

While I was cooking dinner, AlphaJ pulled a watermelon from the patch to check the progress:



Mmmmm.... Baby Melon



I had big events on Thursday and Friday; changes are on the horizon! [That's all I'm going to say for now... you'll have to come back and read more if you want to find out!]

The "King" and "Queen" tried to rule the throne and lazy the weekend... 

However, the Pack overtook the feline powers, as our days have been packed with progress on the homefront! AlphaJ got his rain barrels mostly functioning properly; we both took some time yesterday for meditation time in the garden; and I got "loads" of dishes done (good pun, Omegan!).

I even made homemade Omegan Pizza for dinner last night. :-)



Mmmm... Pizza



Today is all about planning for the Month ahead.

I can hardly believe that August is already upon us. The days we have are wonderful, but time catches up with you if you don't take a minute to breath and look around to enjoy the moments.

Tomorrow starts a new journey in the AlphaOmegan Pack; this coming month holds many new adventures, challenges, and moments waiting to be experienced...

 - Omegan :-)

Downsides, Upsides, & Backsides

The Adventures of Kaia!

Holly's Butt!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrt! Brrt.

Cheese!

Bean Toes :-D

Alpha paw



O' ....... Megan!
Mommy Booty



Mr. Strong-Man could be opening a jar for me...



Holly Foot



Professional Fluff-er at Work.

Holly Somersault...
On the couch??

Partners in Crime



A Kaia's Eyes Production:
This is Her Perspective



Director & Photographer

 - Omegan :-D

Turtle Tuesday!

Omegan saves the day! ... not really. But, I saved this little guy from becoming Turtle soup on our road this morning :-)



 - Omegan :-D

Lazy Dayz...

The Life of our Cats...

Willow, Romeo, Griswald, and Pandora;

showing off what kitties do best!

Wouldn't it be Wonderful if we could lounge around all day the way cats do?!? ... AND Still have all our needs met, day in and day out... This is my Ode to our Feline Friends. Lazy as they are, they help keep us sane!

 - Omegan :-D

Dinner is Served!

Garden-to-Kitchen. This is what I've worked for...



And, the girls make Thank You cards for their Great Grandma, who so generously bought them new shoes. Omegan Mom sometimes needs help... and family traits have a weird way of surprising your life, right when you need them.

 - Omegan :-D

AlphaJ Brings home a Pool!

July 11th, 2011

What a fun idea, AlphaJ... Maybe this will "cool" the girlies whining!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbtsvUAXXyo

 - Omegan :-D

Karma Gives it Back.

Dilemma of the week:
How do you get a 3 and a half year old to stop whining?!? It's such an obnoxious sound. Holly seems to have a real talent for testing mom and dad's patience...

AlphaJ and I are about at our wits end with the vocal pitch ranges of children. We love both Kaia and Holly, very much. But sometimes, that shrill, squealing giggle or the whining tirades, with full-fledged foot stomping on the way to time-out, can rattle your insides like nails on a chalkboard.

We've sent her to the corner, but the corner is Right next to our bedroom/office door, so then she just carries on, with that awesome pouty face that children are soo good at.

[yep... that's the one!]









So now, we send her to her room. However, in there, she carries on and on; flapping her arms around like a crazy chicken, yelling and screaming that it's not fair and that we don't like her...
She still has 9 and a half years until she's "technically" a teenager and we Already have to manage this type of defiant behavior... AlphaJ and I are doomed! Mom always joked with me that however bad you were, karma gives it back to you 3-fold. I must have been ROTTEN. I have Two Girls... does that mean that my karma owes me 6 times the trouble?!?

Help Me!

'Cause Kaia's been a sassy-pants lately; talking back and correcting AlphaJ and I like she's the Queen of the World. Serve Me, think for me, and praise everything that I do (three times for the same thing). Then, she'll make up stories, all involving a Prince and Princess falling in love. I call this attitude: The Disney Princess effect. AlphaJ and I have been working on that issue, as well, helping Kaia understand that real princes and princesses help their people and do good services for their community and land.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in giving children praise for doing good things, working well on a project, cleaning up, etc., but there's a limit. If you Over-praise, then children will learn to expect recognition for every minute detail of their life, their Entire life... and that's not reasonable to expect.
As adults, there are many things that we do, very well, on a day-to-day basis that we may never receive praise for doing. But we do these things because we either have to do them to do our job, or we really enjoy doing them. Somewhere in life, that lesson is taught and learned, so why not from mom and dad.

Between Whining and Princess Attitudes, we need some change in our atmosphere.

 - Omegan :-D

Journal - July 9th, 2011

Phew! I'm exhausted... Today was a hot day and I felt the heat, in the mid of the day!

I spent a couple of hours in "Garden Greenthumb," pruning and harvesting. One of my zucchini plants had a BigDad zucchini growing on it! More than ready to harvest, he was longer than the upper part of my arm. Along with the big one, I was able to harvest 3 more zucchinis, my first yellow squash, 2 tomatoes, and 6 more jalapenos. My efforts in the garden today also included a pruning and thinning parade on both varieties of squash. They are now cleaned up to much more manageable plants. What's remaining will have room to spread out and absorb more nutrients.

My brother and I were able to sit down yesterday, for a good while, and work on computer "projects." I have assignments! I've started working on them already; I'm soo excited! It was nice to have a good sit with him and share ideas and thoughts; working on a project or not, BroDoug and I needed some sibling time.
Luckily, time allowed for AlphaJ and BroDoug to have some Guy time, as well. On Thursday evening, they took a hike down to Serenity Falls/Valley and played some Wii games. AlphaJ showed off his beautiful photography to Doug and ideas started churning in their minds. Now they have a computer "project" that they will be working on together. Hooray for time well spent and getting some gears to turn!

We all went into Murfreesboro for lunch at Chuy's yesterday afternoon. I rode with Mom (girl free! They were in Dad's truck, so it was peaceful) for one last girl chat. [I love my mom; she's one of my best friends]. Lunch at Chuy's was pretty good, while it wasn't Hacienda Colorado, they were comparable. I did not order fajitas. Although they sounded yummy, when I looked at the menu, the Vegetarian Blue Corn Enchilidas captured my taste buds' curiousity. I added oven roasted chicken and switched the ranchero sauce to the Hatch green chili sauce. They were delicious, especially with the Charro beans on the side.

After "Goodbye's," the Pack headed back to Woodbury for a relaxing afternoon and evening at home. Last night for dinner, I tried a new recipe from Redbook Magazine: Honey-glazed salmon with grilled pineapple salsa. This salmon was fantastic! Even Kaia's mouth was drooling when she tasted one of the pineapples. I used lemon juice instead of lime juice, but I sprinkled some Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime season on top and it was amazing. And even more awesome: I was able to use fresh mint from my garden! [I love being able to do that]. I also used Crisco Canola Oil nonstick spray instead of actual Canola oil. We had Asparagus; with onions and fresh tomatoes, and Baked Potatoes on the side.

This morning, I was going to sleep until 6am, but my mind woke up early and got me out of bed at 5:30. I was able to do my pilates early, around 6:30 (before anyone else was awake), along with 200 crunches and 25 pushups. Then it was breakfast and get ready to head to Murfreesboro for my meeting at 9am. AlphaJ helped me get there and since he was headed into town, as well, we each took one girl (J-K, M-H) to make my meeting a little less chaotic. [Holly can stay occupied with the Tag reader better that Kaia - K's too curious]. Except this time, there was a fly in the foyer that wouldn't leave her alone (she was squealing like a piglet!), so I found an empty room and set her up in there. She was good then :-)

AlphaJ and I rendezvoused after my meeting, settled Kaia in my car, and we were on our way home. They played Dora on the Wii while I worked in the garden and J arrived home in time to work outside with me for a few minutes. I made everyone sandwiches for lunch and now we've all been having a little "Me Time."

Tonight we are having Mr. BigDad Zucchini; with mushrooms and orange pepper, Shrimp, and Smart Taste Angel Hair with red sauce. Right now, I'm going to have a snack with the girlies.

Bye! - Omegan :-D

Journal - July 8th, 2011

I love family.

Journal - July 7th, 2011

Good Day! At least, mine has been, so far :-)

I woke up this morning at 5am, with AlphaJ (early start to his work day; trying to beat the rain and have time with the fam on their way), enjoyed my breakfast - I tried the new 80 calorie Fiber One Honey Squares cereal (DE-liscious-ness to the core!), and had some me time on the computer.

Of course, then I did my workout :-D Pilates, 325 crunches, 40 pushups, and a 7 mile Bikeride... Ahhhh! Feel the breeze! ... After meditation time, it was back to reality, with prepping for the company's arrival.

My mom and brother are here visiting, from Marietta! They arrived around 11 this morning and are staying the night. Tomorrow, the group will head to Murfreesboro for some lunch at Chuey's Mexican Restaurant (Mom claims it's comparable to Hacienda Colorado... Tmw will be my taste test!). Mmmmm... Fajitas are calling my name... 

[My mom brought an awesome pork loin from Kroger for dinner tonight. I generously marinated the roast with Bronco Bob's Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce (thank you, World Market, for making a comparable sauce to Arbor Day Farm's RaspChipotle), Grill Mates Pork Season, and just a touch of Garlic & Herb; slow-cooked to perfection. Fresh Zucchini (harvested in the rain, with mom standing with me amidst "Garden Greenthumb") will be served with mushroom, onion, and red pepper; and Omegan seasoned Brown Rice on the side].

We all had lunch, as everyone was very hungry by the time everything was brought in and arranged from Mom's truck. Turkey sandwiches all around! We spent the afternoon chillin' around the house; playing around on computers, the Wii, and lounging with good reads. Mom and I took an adventure into Woodbury to check out Kaia's potential school (yikes! Kindergarten!) and had some girl time :-) I also showed her my 2 mile walk routine and told her all the gossip on the neighbors!! [Walking the area, you learn quite a lot from observing].

Yesterday's grocery shopping adventure was a success; AlphaJ and I's coordination on schedules and timing actually worked to our benefits. He arrived at Walmart just in time to do his shopping, pay, and be done just as I would be finishing at checkout. We all made a quick trip to Publix for some of their awesome DeliSubs, for a mid-afternoon munch (we were all Super hungry!). Thankfully, this gave way to an easy dinner after my meeting - half now, half later. My meeting was at 5pm, so after snack, it was on to group. Very refreshing words; exactly what I needed to hear... Good thoughts were pondered during and for a long while after.

The girls, J, and I all had dinner and relaxed the evening to dark...
It's getting close to veggie-prep time, so it's time for me to say, "Bye!" for now...

 - Omegan :-D

Journal - July 6th, 2011

Happy Viewing!

Day update later; but for now, another random video :-)

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/n4bHG--xen8?hl=en&fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

- Omegan :-D

Journal - July 5th, 2011

Hello, there! How are you?? Me? I'm Fantastic! Today was a great day :-)

The day started with a 6am wake up; with personal journal time and some refreshing readings... then breakfast and workout! Each of the girls had a yogurt with their b-fast (a staple food in our home) and Holly enjoyed some purple grapes, as well. While I did pilates, the girls were having playtime (in separate rooms - less drama and disruptions that way), but they booted up with shoes, socks, and lollipops for our 2 mile walk.

[Yesterday, I mentioned my meditation time while walking... I am still able to obtain that, while the girls are with me, it's just... different. I 1/3 rd listen to their convo's, but I mostly pay attention to what's going on around us. Sometimes, they "disagree" on what game to play while they sit there, enjoying the view and ride ("I spy," count the mailbox #'s, "Echo," etc...) so,  I have to intervene, but they are soo accustomed to the sit-time on walks, that they know how to be side-by-side and for the most part, not do the "I'm not touching you" routine.
I also, during the meditation time on my walk today, while I was thinking about the above, I started pondering how much extra weight I am actually taking around with me on these walks with the girls. The running stroller (baby trend double jogging stroller - very beneficial investment) itself is at least 30 lbs, add on the weight of each girl: Kaia is almost 40 lbs; Holly is almost 30 lbs; and I'm pushing close to 100 lbs... with my arms and legs as propellers! WOW! No wonder I'm sooo freakin' physically fit. With walking, running, biking, and "strolling," my body is on FIRE! :-D ].

My list of chores today was accomplished with ease, as I had my headphones on, the girls were occupado, and AlphaJ was off to a Loooong day of work and schedules. I cleaned (from top to bare bottom) the girls' bathroom (blegh! It needed it!), cleaned the kitchen counters, and the nasty trashcan lid and base. I also washed J and I's sheets, folded the laundry leftover from yesterday, and ran a load of dishes.
... and after lunch, the girls played games on the computer (nickjr.com) while I indulged my girlie side and painted my nails! Clear coat and all :-)

Oh! And I forgot to mention yesterday, that AlphaJ's electric fence did it's job! While J missed the satisfaction of "nailing that varmint" himself, it was satisfying to know that his electric fence scored a kill on the chipmunk that ate my first tomato. AlphaJ [literally] scraped him off the fence, his tail twined in the fence, teeth trying to gnaw it free. ... In some ways, I feel bad, but in most ways... Dammit! That's MY Family's food! ...
... That was soo generously watered by the water tank that my J did Such a good job at installing and making functional! He was able to water the entire backyard garden, with the 150 gallon tank (that was filled by natural rain-water) ... Again... the thoughts of $$ saved come to mind. AlphaJ watered the backyard garden with the tank and used almost the whole tank-full. How much money would that have cost if we had to use our own hose and water, rather that nature-made garden water that was captured and re-used ?? ...

Before dinner, the girls and I took a moment at the table; they colored while I defined the grocery list. I'm such a dork... [My lists continue their patterns, in every aspect of my life. If I didn't have my lists, I wouldn't get things done]. I sat at the kitchen table and used Excel to make my grocery list.... And signed into email, checked my coupon sites (but they failed to print) and checked my stock of regular paper coupons... A true sign of Mom-hood.

We had a nice, relaxing dinner; and the girls both took part in the cooking. Holly retrieved the plates, while Kaia prepared the dino-shaped nuggets for the microwave... They like being able to participate in prepping and making. (They both make their own lunch, at least 5 days out of the week, and they Always make healthy, balanced choices in their  plate offerings. They also are very knowledgeable, already, in proper portions!)
I had a can of tuna with a baked potato and a frozen veggie mix. I spiced it up, Omegan Style, so my eyebrows beaded up nicely! :-D

The girls played Dora on the Wii after dinner, while I took some moments for Me :-)
My AlphaJ is home now, from his working day and meeting tonight, so we're going to have some Pack Time!

Good Night! - Omegan

Journal - July 4th, 2011

Happy Fourth of July!

Today has been a beautiful day; gorgeous (but warm) sun was shining, with a slight breeze blowing that made the shade tolerable :-)

Yesterday was a semi-lazy day... The fam mostly chilled around the house, watching shows, playing games on the computer, coloring; whatever came our way. I took the day off from my workout - to give my body a rest and to let the incision on my back have a rest. Don't worry, though; today I was back on track!
AlphaJ grilled hamburgers and corn on the cob last night for dinner... Mmmmm; tasty :-P  He also gave us a fireworks show in the backyard! He scored a BOGO deal on mortar shells and giant sparklers, so he lit some fire! The girls each enjoyed two sparklers (of course, one at a time and with parent supervision!). I even did one; but I shared the end with Kaia :-)

I slept in until 7am today... It was nice. Yesterday, too :-) I read some soothing literature while I had my coffee and breakfast and then got the heart rate up. I got outside after my pilates (I listened to the Killers - Day and Age - that album always gets me groovin'!) and did a 2 mile walk. All the neighbors were out and about today due to the holiday, so I had to be on extra alert today for cars and people.

[I really enjoy my walks; they are a very good meditation time for me... I can relax, smell the air, listen to nature; and ponder about whatever may be troubling me, if anything. If there's nothing "bad" on my mind that I need to air out, I ponder on all the happy, good things in my life; all the reasons for me to smile for the day that I have. When I come home, I'm usually more at peace with life and the world; I'm more ready and prepared to "take on" the day].

I spent a good hour and a half to 2 hours in "Garden Greenthumb" today; pruning, fluffing, and harvesting. Today's lot: 2 jalapenos, 2 cherry tomatoes, one reg. tomato, one Giant zucchini (for dinner tonight!), and about 5 radishes. Oh, and a baby carrot for Holly's lunch.

After lunch, it was dishes, laundry (only one load, that I still need to fold), and organizing the girls' coloring station [was a tornado Disaster]. Then the girlies and I took some time for arts and crafts! They got to paint their pink chairs - for the back porch - so they can tell whose is whose without bending over and looking at the bottom of the backs. I painted a flowerpot while they did their chairs; we had a good time. Holly even had a butterfly land on her finger, that hung out on her hand for a good 5 mins or so, while she painted... It was very cool; Miss Butterfly just chilled, despite Holly moving back and forth and getting new paint, splashing the water. Very pretty moment.

I'm currently uploading two new "Garden Greenthumb" videos, for your viewing pleasure :-) And tonight's dinner menu: Shrimp with Angel Hair pasta and baked zucchini, radish, mushroom, and ROpepps.

My mom and brother are coming for a short visit Thursday and Friday and Wednesday is Grocery day, so tomorrow will be Clean, Clean, Clean! ... and hope it stays that way! Kaia and Holly seem to have the foresight of cats - cats know when to yak on freshly vacuumed floors, just as kids know just when to spill their red juice! :-) Maybe I can talk the girls into helping me clean; then, maybe they won't be as likely to make it dirty  ?? We'll see how it goes!

I suppose that's all for today... Later, I believe that AlphaJ is going to have another fireworks show; Yay, Fourth of July celebrations! Be happy, be safe, and have fun!

Bye! - Omegan :-D

Journal - July 2nd, 2011

Good Morning! What a beautiful day outside... It's warming up quickly, though. Good thing the girls and I were able to go to the Dragon Park early, while it was still semi-cool out. :-)

It's been a long morning already... Phew! I woke up at 5am (yes, on a Saturday) so that I could have enough time to do my pilates, get ready, and have breakfast in time for the girls and I to head to Murfreesboro for my meeting at 9am. Unfortunately, when we pulled into the parking lot, it was empty. No meeting.
... So the girls and I made the best of trip into town and went to the park. Kaia and I had fun on the tire swing; I got on with her and we were spinning and twirling all around. She fell over into my lap at one point and we just giggled and giggled.
Holly met a girl named Chloey that was about 10 or 11 yrs old, that had brought her acoustic guitar to the park. Both girls liked the guitar, but Holly stayed around Chloey for a good while, strumming the strings and asking questions about what the girl was doing (tuning the strings). Near the end of our adventure through DragonLand, both girls wanted a ride in the swings, so they each picked a seat and I "double-arm" pushed... It can be difficult to keep rhythm AND keep them going straight! Or maybe kids just like to go diagonally...

Yesterday afternoon, I got my mole removed from the middle of my back... Fun Stuff... J helped clean and re-bandage the area last night. I had to get 5 stitches. Blegh! The doctor is going to send it in for testing to make sure it was not a "bad" mole. On a good note, I was able to get my much needed prescriptions yesterday :-) Yay antibiotics!

When I returned home from that experience, J went into town to finish one more account for the day. On his way back into the neighborhood, he went down to our neighbor, Mr. Mankin's house, to see if he had a drill for AlphaJ to borrow... (c'mon project completion!) YAY! Success. J had been trying, for a few days, to finish the drainspout-to-watertank project. Funny though, every time he had a moment to work on it, the world said, "not right now." So, finally, yesterday evening, J was able to drill the hooks into the foundation, to support the hoses leading to the tank. :-) He did such a good job; it looks awesome and I know it'll work well. Hooray to free water for "Garden Greenthumb" and AlphaJ's hard work and dedication!

Last night, the family went "About Town!" AlphaJ came home with news that Woodbury was having their fireworks display that evening, starting around or after 8:30pm, so if we wanted to go, it was an option... Heck Yea! Let's Go! :-) After dinner (mmm... Southwest Chicken w/baked beans...), we loaded in the truck and headed into town. While we waited for the show to start, the girls and I mingled with a couple other moms and a 4 yr old girl named Lily Belle. She was a cutie! She had sparkly glitter in her hair; Kaia really liked it. The three girls played tag until the show started. J did of video of the display and the girls and I sat on the curb, watching the pretty lights. It was a very nice, relaxed evening... There was a cool breeze and good people to share the moment.

As for the rest of today, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do... I have a mound of dishes that need to be done and a few other nick-knack chores I suppose I could try to accomplish. Dinner Menu is still undecided, but AlphaOmegan Kitchen will come up with something tasty, I'm sure :-)

See you later! - Omegan :-D

Journal - July 1st, 2011