Okay, so I managed to gain 5 — FIVE — pounds during the holidays, and I am NOT happy. So I have tossed out the buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, yum!), poured the eggnog down the drain, and eaten the last of the fudge (a girl has to have her standards).

Now, I’m turning an eye to more healthy eating, and one of my favorite snacks is hummus on pita bread. It’s not the most low cal snack in the world, but, hey, it’s healthy.

You, too, can join me in the hummus-eat-a-thon. It’s soooo easy to make.

1) Buy a can of Garbonzo beans. You can get a can of chick peas from the Asian section of the market, but they’re the same thing. At my HEB, the “chick peas” shelved in the Asian section cost $2.19/can. The Garbonzo beans in the canned food section cost $0.89. Guess which one I buy?

2) Buy a jar of Tahini. It’s a bit pricey, but lasts a long time.

3) Buy some lemons.

4) Buy some olive oil

5) Buy some minced garlic in a jar. It lasts for freaking ever, and we eat lots of garlic!

Open the can of beans and drain. Save the juice!

Dump beans in a food processor (I got mine from Goodwill for $9). Add the juice of 1 lemon, about 2-4 table spoons of olive oil, one spoonful of garlic (I use an iced tea spoon), and about 1/3 cup Tahini.

Blend, blend, blend. It’ll probably be a little too dry. You can add more oil, but that ups the calories. So I use the juice I saved from the Garbonzo beans until it’s the right consistency.

Put on warm pita bread (no recipe, but you can buy it at pretty much any grocery store).

Yum.

Enjoy!!!!!

So, today Don calls me from the living room; a mommy emergency. I go in there. Isabella has gum stuck up her nose.

Me: “You stuck gum up your nose?”
Izzy: “No, it went up through the hole in my mouth.”
Don: “You don’t have a hole in your mouth anymore.”

Well, yes, she does. A small one, right on her gumline, which they’ll repair with a bone graft from her hip when she’s a few years older. And, yes, gum was up in there, tucked waaaaay back in a hole behind her one crooked tooth that grows in the gap, and you could just see it if you looked into her nose, too. Tweezers wouldn’t reach. Got the end of a floss stick and got some to come out, but, hey, it’s GUM and stringy.

So I’m calling med-link to see if our doc wants her to go to the ER (I’m imagining her aspirating it in the night!)

In she runs: “Mommy, mommy! I sucked it out.” She spits it into my hand, then grins. “Nose gum!”

Personally, I prefer bubble gum….

Me and Isabella

So, Isabella has a new fascination: Star Wars (clearly she is my kid). Started when she played the LEGO Star Wars game at the Apple store when D and I bought his new computer. We finally broke down and bought the game and OMG, she’s insane over it, and the movie ( the original 3, fine with me if she neiher sees nor acknowledges the existence of the later 3). (nb: apparently there is a LEGO movie. Must investigate…)

At any rate, what truly amazes me was that she was sooooooo over the moon about Wall-E. Now, that little robot is sloppy seconds. She even gave her stuffed Eve to her sister!

Poor Wall-E. I foresee the tossing of boyfriends in the future. Sorry Joe, your out. Doug’s the new guy..,

(the benefit, of couse is bribery-yes, you can have 15 minutes of star wars. Just pick up the living room….)

Can I just say how much I hate being sick? Since Friday no less, with fever and chills and the whole 9 yards. Yes, this is a blatant call for pity. Whine… Whine… Whine…

Two more chapters of GOOD GHOULS DO! are now up…just click on the icon in the sidebar, at Kennercast, listen through your RSS feed, or pop over to iTunes!

Tagged on to the end: Chatter from my kiddoes!

Took them to Sea World on Tuesday as a last hurrah before we start in hard with school (we’ve been just doing the basics this week to get our toes wet. July was summer vacation for us). Next week, we’re jumping back in with a vengeance. And I’m so excited because the Austin Nature and Science Center has a great line-up of homeschool classes that are totally up the kids alley. AND, even better for me, the classes for 3-5 year olds is at the same time as the one for 6-8 year olds. BONUS!

That’s going to be the challenge this year, as CEK is doing a mix of all sorts of grade levels (2nd grade by age, anywhere from 2nd to 4th in work), and IYK is starting kindergarten. But I’ve been the organization queen and have been making lesson plans in Bento (I really need to take a one-on-one class at the Apple store. It’s intuitive, but I think I’m doing a lot of things the hard way — the same with Garage Band).

At any rate, the classes look great. Wish I could take them!

And now, back to my regularly scheduled galleys …..

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Here’s Catherine’s book review on one of her favorite books from this set that she loves! (We’re doing audio reports because mommy’s been playing with podcasting and Garage Band!)

At long last, I have permission from the eldest kiddo to upload for the world to see her original tune (and accompanying performance), “Stinky Wedge of Cheese.”

I took this footage in Beijing about 2.5 years ago, just a few days before we got Isabella.

Neither my husband nor I (nor Catherine) remembers what prompted the song.

And without further ado, here’s Miss Catherine performing her original composition, Stinky Wedge of Cheese (American Idol, anyone?).

Oh, and leave comments! She runs from the room now if anyone sees it, and D and I are telling her it’s adorable! Leave gushing praise and fuel my child’s inner diva!!!!!

I have discovered the downside of life as a writer … more particularly, life with deadlines: the mantra Butt In Chair also means Butt Spreads Out. And because my jeans are no longer fitting the way I want them to (and because I have conferences coming up where I will have to wear more than pj bottoms and tank tops) I’m determined to lose at least 5 pounds (10 would be nice — I’d be back to pre-baby weight!), and tighten up some flab.

I found www.livestrong.com recently, and am using their Daily Plate for calorie counting. It’s pretty cool!

And I just found this blog, which will go nicely with the exercise ball I bought recently.

So I’ll be posting my progress here periodically. I figure shouting out to the cyberworld will keep me honest. And if anyone else is in the same boat, check out these great exercises I found which should help remedy the aforementioned butt spread …

10 minute Tush Toners!

GraceLazenby’s Blog | LIVESTRONG.COM.

When the kids behind me yelled “Mommy! We’re ready for bed!”

Julie and Don Go to Ireland

I’m in the process of organizing photos and scanning them into my computer so that my electronic life jibes with my real life.

Here’s one I found that I thought would be fun to post. And check out that purse. I loved that purse! Where the heck did it go?????