I'm an Awful Cook, but ...

Look what I made last night!

Usually when I cook, I make things straight out of a box. We're talking Hamburger Helper, taco kits, even spaghetti straight from the jar (I do add meat). If it's not easy, we don't eat it!

Well, we have been watching the Biggest Loser this season and trying to get in shape as best we can. My sweet hubby is even going to the gym several times a week and looking quite good. You can imagine how our eating habits are not contributing to his weight loss goals!

A few weeks ago, Bob Harper (one of the trainers on the Biggest Loser) mentioned the ZipLoc Zip and Steam bags and talked about how easy they are to use. Well, as you know, easy is my language! So I immediately bought them, but didn't use them until last night!

It was so easy and tasted great! Here's what I did: I cut up 1/2 of a fresh zucchini, put in some baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower (they came pre-cut and washed). Then I added about a teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of seasoned salt and popped it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. It wasn't quite done so I added another minute to finish the carrots and it was perfect! I will definitely do this again.

Has anyone else tried these? I have 9 more bags and want to try some more recipes!

Guess What I've Been Doing

You're probably remembering how sweet my hubby is and thinking that he took me on some romantic getaway for the past 3 days, right? That would certainly explain my absence, but what I was doing was nowhere near that sweet!

You may recall the 2nd round of illnesses that came through our house last week and left my sweet Abby with strep throat on Monday. Do you remember my quote? "At least it's not the flu!" Why don't we ever learn to not say things like that!!!!! My dear Abby kept coughing Wednesday and Thursday and we couldn't figure out why. By Friday when she woke up with a fever of 103 degrees, we were back off to the doctor who said she had .... THE FLU! How about that?

After spending $100 on medication for the whole family, we have spent the weekend pretty much holed up in the house. Hubby and I have traded off taking excursions out!

Here's the really bad part. I really need this child to get well and back to school so I can clean this house (and we all know how much I hate to clean!) because Bunko is going to be at my house on Thursday. BTW the theme is going to be a pajama party and the group was very excited about the vote. I will post pictures afterwards!

Again?

Do you ever get tired of the same sicknesses revisiting your home? We appear to be getting another visit from the stomach bug!

If you recall just last week, the wee one Alyssa missed 2 days of school with it. She is on round 2 of it and it appears that big sis Abby may be getting a dose of it herself. Although Abby actually has a few more symptoms (fever and a bad headache) so we are going to the doctor this morning.

So far every time we have gotten sick I have said, "Well at least it's not the flu!" Do we want to take bets on whether this turns out to be the flu or not? I will give the results this afternoon!

2:15 Update: Doctors says strep throat - Woo hoo! No flu!

Getting Fit in February

Fit Mama Friday Presents "Get Fit in February"

Let's get fit in February! I'm kind of coming in on the tail end this but Metropolitan Mama is doing a 5 day fitness extravaganza from February 14-18. If you're like me and intended to get in shape this year and just haven't started, head on over for some inspiration, fitness websites, and some great giveaways. Don't waste another day of 2008 wishing you had started your fitness routine. Let's jump in and do it together! Who's with me?

Illness Confirmed

Took Abby to the doctor this morning. We are confirmed with walking pneumonia!

The worst part is she will have to miss school tomorrow- that's the Valentine's Day party. Her class is having a secret pal lunch. She makes and decorates a box with a lunch for a secret pal and someone brings one for her. So I told her that we would take the lunch for her secret pal and take her Valentine's and leave them at the school in the morning. Then she looked at me sadly and said, "But what about the lunch that my secret pal was going to bring me?" We'll have to do a special lunch at home tomorrow!

More Sickness

I keep reading on new friends blogs about all the sickness going around, so I felt the need to chime in. I finally felt like we were climbing out of our pit that we were in over the Christmas break. Three out of the four members of our house got some form of strep throat before Christmas. Then on Christmas Eve I woke up with a bladder infection that lasted about 6 weeks. During that time we all passed around a cold as well.

So for the past 2 weeks we seemed pretty healthy - which is pretty amazing considering the fact that the flu has hit so hard in our area that the doctor's offices are not taking well-child visits for the next month! I have a friend who went to the doctor yesterday at 8:00 and was not seen until 11:30!

Now, my sweet 7 year old, Abby, has been struggling for just a few days with a nagging cough. Do you ever get the feeling that something is coming? This is just one of those coughs that seems to just hang around. She has no fever or other symptoms and she is still playing fine. In fact, she is acting just like she does when she has had walking pneumonia in the past. I haven't heard of that going around but wouldn't that be our luck to be the ones to start it! We are waiting for the nurse to call back. I am hoping they will call her in something so we don't have to go in and get exposed to anything worse. Goodness knows if it's going around, we can catch it!

The Never Ending Bladder Infection Update

Woo Hoo! It looks like I finally have a clean bill of health! I went to a different doctor last week and had a few more tests run and they all came back clear. Yeah! I am very grateful to have not suffered any kidney or bladder damage throughout this monthlong ordeal. Sadly, I am most grateful to have enjoyed my first Diet Coke in a month this weekend :)

The Never Ending Bladder Infection

I apologize in advance for TMI but I have had a bladder infection since Christmas Eve. For those of you doing the math that equates to over 4 weeks and almost a month! I just got the news today that I am still testing positive for the infection after enduring a 3 day round of IV antibiotics that included 6 1/2 hours in the ER.

This is one stubborn infection and I am downright sick of drinking water and juice!!!! I am afraid to ask what else they can do me! We'll see when the doctor calls back.