Pioneer Woman Rolls = YUM!!!!

I made these last night and they were SOOO goooood!!!


(Image from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

The recipe came from The Pioneer Woman and you can find it here.

Mine were a little different, I used cream cheese frosting because I do not care for maple. Also, I cut the recipe in half. It STILL made five round pans full of gooey luscious cinnamon rolls! I dropped some off for my sis and her family on the way to work this morning. I left some for the "day care ladies" at my son's daycare center. I brought some to share at work. I left a pan full at home. Cinnamon rolls everywhere! Death by cinnamon rolls...doesn't sound too bad!

fortune

I opened this fortune from a yummy little fortune cookie today:

"Your present plans are going to succeed."

If this is true, my friends, then I am destined to be a very happy girl indeed!

just a little (but much needed) vaca...

today i finalized the plans and reservations for a little memorial weekend trip to chicago for the bf and i. we will take the day off work that friday and fly out from the twin cities at 11:30. (should give us time to get the kids dropped off at school/daycare and then head for the airport.) we will fly back in to mn around 8:00 on sunday night...which will give us monday to recover before heading back to work on tuesday.

it's been too long since the bf and i had a nice little vacation together. and this one is CHEAP. i LOVE LOVE LOVE that southwest has started flying out of the twin cities. round trip to chicago for about $120!!! can't beat it!!

the bf's sister lives in chicago too, so we will definitely spend some time with her. the bf has never been to chicago and i've only been there for a business trip, so it should be fun. it's always nice to just get away though, no matter what we do!

does anyone have any tips on "must see" or "must do" while we are there for the weekend?

too funny not to share!

This is courtesy of my sister tonight while she was trying to explain her genealogy to my Niece B:

Sis: "So I'm 1/4 Swedish, 1/4 German, 1/4 Norwegian, and 1/4 English."

Niece M: "And I'm 1/2 Chinese!"

Nephew E: "And I'll have macaroni and chicken!"




*honestly? i nearly peed my pants over this.

growing up

yet another sign this morning of how fast my kids are growing up. this heard in the back seat on the way to school and work this morning:

"raise your hand if you HATE dora the explorer!"

(two hands go up)

guess it's time to pack away the dora umbrella and other lingering dora items of yesteryear. sigh...

mixed emotions

i am trying to write an email to kolby's current daycare telling them that he will be leaving there in june to attend daycare at the elementary school with his sister. since he is going into kindergarten in the fall, he is eligible to go to the same daycare as kyleigh, and this is what he wants to do. believe me, i've asked repeatedly. because even though it will be more convenient having them together, it makes me so SAD that he is leaving GH!

kolby has been at his current daycare (GH) since he was just under two...about four years ago now! we have had a few minor rough patches but overall it has been a wonderful place for the kids! (kyleigh went there for a couple of years too.)

so i am seriously tearing up writing the email. moving kolby out of GH daycare is just another sign of how fast the kids are growing up. that and the fact that i now have to literally chase kolby down for a hug when i drop him off in the mornings. (this from the kid who would kiss my cheek just a few months ago.) they will have preschool graduation in a month or so too, and i shudder to think of the wreck i will be on that day. i may just have to wear sunglasses.

there are so many things in life that i manage to NOT get emotional about. but when it comes to my kids i can be reduced to a big puddle of mush. now...i suppose i should get back to that email. sigh. *sob*

don't you just hate it when...

don't you just hate it when you are paying for your food at subway...and you pick up your change only to notice that you have dropped a pantyliner from your purse onto the counter while putting said change away? and then the poor guy at the cash register looks at you like you have two heads?

not that i know what this feels like, of course...

things heard (and seen) while watching 5 kids...

yesterday i had the day off work to watch three of my sister's kids as well as my own two. we went to their house at 8:00 and were scheduled to be there till 5:00. let me start by saying i love these kids. all of them. my nieces and nephews all have their own wonderful personalities and traits, as do my own children. the ages of the kids i had yesterday were 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7. do you know how LOUD that can get? just checkin. and also pretty funny. i loved the moments of "raise your hand if you want to eat dessert pizza every day!" or "i had to come inside and go potty cuz i was starting to do the potty dance outside." i also got a pretty good chuckle out of catching my 4 year old nephew in the wide open spaces of the neighbor's yard with his pants down around his ankles, ready to relive himself in front of God and everybody. oh, the stories we will have to tell these kids when they get older!

as much as i enjoyed my time with the kiddos, i have to admit to being somewhat relieved to be back to the grind today. i am one of those people who would go nuts staying home with the kids every day. kudos to those of you who do!

fitness update

my fitness rebirth continues to go well! i really rock it during the week, getting some form of exercise in daily. here is what this week looks like:

monday: 30 min walk, 40 minute exercise dvd
tuesday: 30 min walk, 2 mile outdoor run
wednesday: 30 min walk, 30 min elliptical, 30 min dvd
thursday: 30 min walk, 2 mile outdoor run
friday: 30 min walk, 30 min elliptical
saturday: 2.5 mile outdoor run
sunday: easter pigging out! (well, i'll try not to eat TOO much.)

i continue to watch calories very carefully during the week too. it's definitely not fun, but the more i exercise the more i crave the healthy stuff, so that helps. i am finally starting to see some results on the scale, so that helps with motivation too! i still have quite a way to go until i reach my ultimate goal, but i think i can get there!

weekend of fun

we took the kids to stay in a hotel in the twin cities this weekend. it's always a challenge for us to find a place the we and our four (combined) kids can stay for a decent price and all fit in the same room! i did some research though and came up with this place:

Residence Inn Minneapolis / Edina



the reviews i read stated that the hotel was "dated", but had a huge pool and also a great indoor kids play area attached.





it was a bit of a hassle to get to the pool. the hotel is connected to some senior apartments and there is a whole indoor courtyard that has indoor picnic and play areas, swimming pool and awesome indoor running track and exercise room. this part is available to the public, so you have to get special passes to get down there. the pool and exercise area was included with our room, but the play area was extra. $6 per kid for all day, but definitely worth it!

our room was awesome. a separate bedroom with two double beds, a living room area with a couch bed. full kitchen area including a dishwasher. there was a great free breakfast in the morning. the front desk staff was amazingly friendly. we were very close to our beloved southdale mall...who could ask for anything more??

the price we paid was less than $100, so it was an awesome deal overall. the kids were super happy with everything and i could definitely see us going back there again!

up and running!

i finally got up the nerve to tell the bf that my old ipod nano was either lost and/or stolen a few months ago. i figured i better tell him, since i bought this last night to aid me in getting back to running:



the bf wasn't mad at all, his only worry was that i got a good enough deal on it. being the "mac guru" and all, he wanted to make sure that i hadn't gotten gypped. when he was satisfied that i got a decent price, he helped me stock up on some good workout tunes. very sweet.

i took it out on a test run last night. i still had this from a couple of years ago, and it works great with this new nano:



it keeps track of distance, pace, calories and more. i love it!

a good friend asked me yesterday if i'd be interested in running a 10k with her on Memorial Day. i'm not sure whether or not i'll be ready for that...based on last night's pace it seems not. but i'll go another week or so before i make a final decision. either way, i'm excited to get back to it!

are you sure you want someone impatient?

not that i was looking for me, of course, but i happened to come across this job listing and got a huge laugh out of it. so i thought i'd share. i can be generous like that sometimes.

Job Title: Impatient DRG Coder

Salary: N/A / Yearly

Location: Mancato, MN

Type: Full-Time

Zip Code: 56001

Description:
A minimum of two years inpatient coding experience required.
A minimum of five years inpatient coding experience preferred.

Education:
RHIT (Registered Health Information
Technician) or RHIT eligible, RHIA
(Registered Health Information
Administrator) or RHIA eligible, CCS
(Certified Coding Specialist) or CCA
required. Extensive experience or successful
completion of the AHIMA coding course
may be substituted for required education or
passage of the exam within one year of hire.
Training
Special Skills
Licensure
CCA,CCS,RHIA,RHIT

Note: Please mention Get Medical Records Jobs (GetMedicalRecordsJobs.com) in your cover letter when applying.

my house of cards

i'm having some definite issues with work-life-school balance lately. the days are filled and flying by.

work
school
kids
housework
boyfriend
working out
family

there are times i feel so strong, and like i can handle anything. and there are other times that i feel like i am a delicate house of cards, just blow and i will tumble to the ground. sometimes i feel like i have bitten off more than i can chew, single parenting and full time work along with school and everything else is tough. i have no social life to speak of. (friends? what friends?) my house needs a serious once-over and reorganization. the scrapbooks and materials i bought for the kids have not seen the light of day in a year. i need to get spring/summer clothing out and winter clothing packed away.

while there is a lot i am getting done, there is also so much more that i'm not.

i am learning that while i can do a lot, i can't do it all. and really i hate that i can't do it all. it drives my inner overachiever crazy. and it think it drives the bf even crazier.