Everything old is new again!

So, I am chatting with my Mom, and she asks me the address of my "new blog".

My new blog?????

"Ya, your new blog, you know, since you have not been posting on your old blog, I figured you had a new blog."

A new blog? Nope, no new blog. Just a dusty one!

Not posting. Yep. That is the case.

Why not?

I am not sure. I have had lots of stories I have wanted to share...but I have just not made the time.

I did not even summarize our amazing cross-county drive! Oh, I wanted to tell you all about the "sign from above" and our laundry. Or how we drove home through the US and visited Old Faithful - how cool is that?!?!?

Oh, I had a hilarious condemnation of our house sitters. You know, the ones who not only drank copious amounts of alcohol in our backyard, but drank OUR alcohol, leaving all the empties by the pool deck, and whose MOTHER threw a pool party and got busted by my parents! That is a story to share, for sure!

I took lots of photos of the "While-you-were-out-Clean Sweep" my wonderful parents did while we were on vacation - HOLY CRAP did they do a great job...though I still need the sticky notes on some drawers to know what goes where!!!!!

Oh, and I wanted to write about my last few training sessions for the half marathon, and my amazing (and surprising) mental state going into the race. I also wanted to spell out a few race stories and surprises.

I wanted to bitch and complain that my Mom has cancer. I wanted to shout out how proud I am in how she (and my Dad) are handling this challenge. I wanted to update on her condition and how her treatments are going. I wanted to sing the praises of the doctors and entire medical team, and I wanted to tell you all about her "cool-cancer dormitory".

I wanted to tell you about how I have been battling the same 2 or 3 pounds at the scale for WEEKS now. I also wanted to share my funny experiences in finding a new WW meeting. Oh, and I really wanted to post my Monday menus to help me stay accountable and organized. My fitness program, oh, ya, I am changing things up and I wanted to run some ideas past you wonderful readers.

I wanted to update you on the kids and how they are adjusting to the new school year. Heck, I wanted to post about Madigan and her 3, yep, THREE first days of school.

I wanted to complain about how I had to reapply for my own job. My ridiculous hours. My crazy co-worker. Oh ya, lots of good material from the office to share!

I wanted to write about all our extra-curricular activities such as soccer, swimming lessons, Beavers, gymnastics - you know all the regular juicy content of a Mommy-blog!

Oh, there has been so much going on...lots of material...I just have not made the time.

When I mention my blog to friends, it kind of annoys me when they comment about not having time for stuff like that...I usually reply, "Well, it is important to me, so I make the time...it helps me keep sane." And, well, sadly, I have not been following my own words of advise.

Having the time, is not the same as making the time. For whatever reason, I have not made the time. That is sad, especially since I really enjoy blogging. I love the outlet, I thrive on the comments and idea sharing and I enjoy keeping up with all my bloggy-friends.

I have been a bad Mommy-blogger, a bad weight-loss blogger, basically, a bad blogger, all round. I have neglected the Fringe! But that changes today. Everything old is new again! New attitude. New commitment to the old Fringe.

Oh, ya, baby, Laura from the Lunatic Fringe is back again!

I am tired

I am tired.

I am tired of of my new hours at work.

I am tired of the being sympathetic to other working parents, who claim to be so tired.

I am tired of not falling asleep in the arms of the man I love.

I am tired of little, coughing, scratchy, kicking, bodies climbing into my bed at 1am and waking me up an hour before I have to get up.

I am tired of my house being a mess. Ok, let's be honest, I am tired of my house being a disaster.

I am tired of washing dishes.

I am tired of doing laundry.

I am tired of stepping over things.

I am tired of three children trying to gravely injure each other by wrestling, hitting, biting, and pushing.

I am tired of listening to three whiny voices at lunch time and then again at dinner time.

I am tired of the toy room looking like a tornado hit it.

I am tired of beating myself up for BLTs (Bites, Licks and Tastes).

I am tired of loosing and gaining the same friggin' pound, over and over again.

I am tired of all junk food in a 7km radius of my location calling my name - screaming my name!

I am tired of feeling like I have no energy to blog or comment on blogs.

I am tired of not being the type of mom I really am, when I am not tired.

I am tired of worrying if my hubby will still have a job at the end of the day.

I am tired of people thinking I have everything under control. I do not.

I am tired of feeling out of control.

I am tired of being tired.

Feeling tired, looking good and eating well!

Check out more Menu Plan Monday entries at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I'm tired. I had a great March Break with the kids. I had a fabulous weekend. And I have been lacking in the sleep department! In addition, I am full swing into my training for a 10K race and for a "try-a-thon", each a week apart in May! Top that off with working extra hours and the fact that Madigan's 2 year old molars seem to be taking the friggin' scenic route...late nights, lots of crying and early mornings are a combination for disaster!

When you are dog-tired and have three youngsters at home, how do you cope?

Does Dora or Barney seem to take over babysitting duties? Do you read 4 million books - or, one book 4 million times? Do you make popcorn and pull out the sofa bed and play snuggle-bed movie? Do you make an enormous fort in the front room and claim to be resting? Do you play hide and seek and can always be found under the covers in the bed? Do you bake fool-amounts (especially when considering you are on Weight Watchers) of cookies and goodies? Do you have day-time bath time where all three kids slash and soak the bathroom while you sit in the corner and read a novel? Do you guarantee a long bath by declaring that by exiting the tub fun, each child is agreeing to a haircut? Do you allow wrestling attacks while you "do some blog-work"? Do you try to post a Monday Menu list while three kids are asking for their 15th cookie?

You don't???

Oh...

Um, I do! (and that was just today!)

Is that wrong????

Well, at least I have a cool fort in the front room, the downstairs sofa bed has fresh sheets, there are lots of yummy cookies, the kids are clean and the boys are sporting cute crew cuts!!!! But, alas, my Monday Menu is not done, and I'm tired. (I seriously think I am expelling ALL my energy trying to generate enough motivation to get dressed and out the door to my running clinic!)

So, without further delay, here are the dinners I am planning for this week:

Monday - Tuna casserole with long green beans

Tuesday - Chickpea curry and chicken - I stole this recipe from Feebeez, a Monday Menu participant. I hope it is as good and as easy as it seems!

Wednesday - Daddy and kids pizza night since I have boot camp followed by Weight Watchers

Thursday - Pork tenderloin with baby carrots and wilted spinach

Friday - Not sure as we are dropping the kids off at my parents and taking off to Mont Tremblant for a wonderful Saturday of skiing and fun!

Saturday and Sunday - well, honestly, Saturday and Sunday just seem way too far away to even think about...

OK - off to pull the casserole out of the oven, throw on my running gear and walk 1.7km to the running clinic, do my run, walk home, and collapse into bed!

Menu plan Monday - rabbit stew

I am not really in the mood to write much.

I had an AMAZING weekend. But, then it came crashing to a halt when a friend brought it to my attention that I really hurt her feelings...during the course of our scrapbooking weekend I offended her. I am glad she said something, I truly did not realize my comments upset her...and I feel badly about that...but now, I am upset. So, I did not sleep very well last night (couple that with staying up to watch Desperate Housewives, and then getting up for work at 3am) and my Monday did not start off too well. While driving to work at 3:30am, I hit and killed a little bunny...oh ya! I did, and I am a wreck about it...what a great start to the week!

So, without whining anymore, here is my dinner menu for this week. And, um, no, we are not having any rabbit dishes! You can find lots of other meal ideas at Menu Plan Monday entries at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Chicken drumsticks with corn peas and rice

Tuesday - Green Curry Shrimp with mixed veggies and couscous

Wednesday - Crockpot Mexican Pork - Recipe below

Thursday - Spaghetti and meatballs

Friday - Vegetable Quinoa with Tilapia

Crockpot Mexican Pork

1 pound pork boneless loin roast – cut into 1" pieces
1 20 oz jar salsa
1 4oz can chopped green chiles -- drained
1 15oz can black beans -- rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese -- if desired

Mix pork, salsa and chiles in 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hour or until pork is tender. Stir in beans. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with cheese.

1 serving = 345 calories/Fat 10g/Cholesterol 75mg/Sodium 900 mg/Carbohydrate
37g/Fiber 10g/Protein 37g
Weight Watcher's Points = 6