New Blog....

I have not posted here in a while.... I am working on a new blog to go along with my fitness focus. Not much there yet, but check it out if you are interested.
Strength for Everyone

I also finally went kicking and screaming into facebook land (thanks Shannon) and I like it. Most of it still scares me, and I have no clue how to do much with facebook, but I am there and posting about oatmeal and things going on with my crazy little monkeys. No clue how to link to anything on facebook, but I think everyone knows how to find people there except me! :)

Life is good. Here is a recent picture of the crazy monkeys at swimming lessons.... they are loving science camp and swimming lessons this week. Kal just made 8U softball allstars and Kaya just read the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in just over 10 days. Feeling lucky every day to be their MOM.

Short Haircuts for all three girls

We are all three LOVING our new short haircuts. We are READY for school to get out and SUMMER to begin. :)

Crock-Pot Caramel Apple Oatmeal

THIS WAS AWESOME. I mean, really, really good. Amazing. YUM!

(I cut and pasted this from https://www.facebook.com/#!/RecipesforGals) I am just trying it and will let you know what I think.... so far, it looks INCREDIBLE. I love her book: http://www.amazon.com/Ways-Oatmeal-Other-Treats-Tricks/dp/1936631024 I just love it. I have had oatmeal all weekend and have more on our menu for the upcoming week... ***************************** Crock-Pot Caramel Apple Oatmeal This is so good. I could easily say oatmeal is my favorite meal of the day. Makes 5 servings Ingredients: 8 cups chopped Fuji apples (about 6 apples) 1/4 cup TORANI sugar-free CARAMEL syrup (this is to die for - I just bought a bunch of new flavors) 2 tbsp. brown sugar or brown sugar/splenda mix (not packed) 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup light vanilla soymilk 1/3 cup sugar-free pancake syrup 1/2 tsp. salt Directions:In a large bowl, mix apples with 1 tbsp. brown sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Stir to coat apples well. Transfer to the crock pot.In the empty bowl, combine oats, soymilk, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, syrup, and salt. Add 1 cup water and mix well.Add oat mixture to the crock pot, and gently stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 7 hours. Nutrition:Calories: 249Fat: 4.5gSodium: 320mgCarbs: 52gFiber: 7.5gProtein: 4.5g

Corn Cashew Soup

I got this from an AMAZING site for blending... it is http://www.blenditandmendit.com/

The lady is wacky healthy and the girls and I LOVE watching her blend things....

I made this in a Health Master Blender I am borrowing until my Vitamix comes.

I am obsessed with green smoothies and overall a healthier way to eat myself and feed my family (the stuff they do not run away from). I feel the best I have ever felt about the direction I am taking healthwise..... and giving in to my compulsion for this blender is part of that! :)

For this soup you simply need corn (fresh would have rocked, I used frozen), raw cashews, and water. Cannot get much cleaner. You can add some pepper and cilantro at the end which I did and it was wonderful. Amazing actually for 8 minutes in the blender and only the blender cup to clean which is super easy. Even Kaya ate it. :)

You can get the link to this soup here:

http://www.blenditandmendit.com/soups/vitamix-anti-aging-cashew-corn-chowder/

Or, this is how I cut and paste her notes into my recipe binder:

Cashew Corn Chowder
3 1/4 cups of fresh, sweet corn, which I shaved from the cobs this morning. You only need to add 2 1/4 cups to the blender and save a cup of it for the garnish.
Then add in 2 cups of water, I made a couple of other modifications to Ani’s recipe and I’ll tell you about them as I go along. And then, 1/2 cup of raw cashews.
We know that raw cashews are high in fat, that’s good. That’s the good fat, the comforting fat that also nourishes you, that fills up those empty spaces.
2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil
one tsp of kosher sea salt
1/2 clove of garlic
Let’s blend it up, 1-2-3 in the VitaMix and you’ll see how creamy and elegant it comes out, start on low and walk it up. That’s all there is to it.
And remember that corn that we saved? Garnish with some fresh corn, a dash of black pepper, sprinkle a little on and some chopped cilantro.

If you are thinking about getting a Vitamix - get it from Jane at http://www.blenditandmendit.com/ and you get free shipping. It is the same price on all sites... I wish I had found her site before I ordered mine. Once you sign up for her email, you get this awesome blend it and mend it guide that I printed and have in a binder. This site is a great place to get a concept of how you can take better care of your body and why I am obsessed with getting a vitamix. :)

Pine-Sol and Puke....

I hate days like today. The girls and I have been sick all week. There is not time for a mom to be sick. Especially a working mom who is taking classes at night and whose mom is not here. Today was one of those days I needed someone to help me. I started the day throwing up and just wanted to stay in bed. But, the germs are not going to get out of my house by themselves so I got up, and began a wild cleaning festival that resulted in my throwning up in the bucket I just hand moped the kitchen floor with.... gross. But, at least the vomit germs were instantly sanatized and they smelled pine-sol fresh. :( I have missed work and where I work, you have no sick time, and the bills do not change. In fact, with the three dr. visits for the girls, we will spend more this month and I will make way less..... So missed work equals missed money equals more stress. Needless to say, I am in the middle of one long week.

And, I want my Mom. Plain and simple I want her here to tell me this will be OK. To help me re-make all the beds I just pulled apart to clean the sheets. To make me lie down while she dumps out the bucket of pine-sol and puke. I am almost 40 and I was lucky to have my mom most of my life. But, it still sucks that she is gone. That I am here without her for however many years I have left on this earth. That my girls will never remember how much she loved them. That when you lose your mom, there are no places to go to apply for a new one.... spouses get remarried and fill that hole with someone new. Kids just get left behind and no one steps up to take care of them like a mom does. No one knows all your stories and knows what you need when you need it. I know this sounds whiney and it is. I am mad and sad that my mom is gone and that no one will ever love me like she loved me. No matter how much I miss her or how much I loved & appreciated her when she was here will not change the fact that she is dead and gone. I am here to take care of her mom in her place and take care of her grandkids and myself..... and I am not feeling up to the task this week. I just want her to come by to check on me, see that I am in way over my head and tell me to go to sleep and that it will be all right. Because, when she was alive, it always was all right. If not, she sure made it feel that way. And I miss feeling like that. I miss it a lot.

Kaya Turned Six

And she loved every minute of her birthday weekend. From Cupcake Decorating in her class to her small but FUN party at the "trampoline place", we really had fun celebrating the baby of our family turning 6. Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures I took over the past few days:

Clean Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

I found this on a flier in a pack of vitamins I bought and tried it. It was great.
Here is the recipe:
Spicy Red Pepper Pasta Sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 cups chopped sweet red peppers
2 cups chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 small serrano chili, deseeded and finely chopped (I skipped this)

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add all ingredients except serrano chili and cook until peppers are very tender (about 25 minutes).
Stir frequently while cooking.
Spoon mixture into a blender, add serrano chili, and blend until smooth.
Add a few teaspoons of water if necessary (I had to add water to get it to blend in my blender).

Serves 6.

Calories: 80.5
Fat: 2g
Sat. Fat: 0
Fiber: 3g
Carbs: 14g
Protein: 1.5g

I love my Fit Book!

I wanted to post a few pictures of what I use to keep track of everything I eat and all of my workouts. I use the awesome Fit Book (which has space for 12 weeks of food and fitness info). I have used this faithfully for about the past 16 months. I write down EVERYTHING in it and carry it with me everywhere. I take an hour and personalize it every 12 weeks so it makes me happy every time I pull it out of my purse. My Kindergarteners even recognize it and when they find it around the classroom they say "Miss Kristi, I just found your food book!" I love that they know I write it all down to keep track." Sometimes they ask me to get it so they can see if I ran or lifted that morning. :) Here are a few pictures:

Kaya is about to turn 6.

I cannot believe it. My baby - the youngest Sikora grandkid is soon turning 6. Hardly seems possible. But, it is totally going to happen so we might as well put on our CAMO clothes and celebrate. Here are some pictures I took today of her in her full camo outfit. Man, I love this child so much it hurts my heart.

five years ago today....

This is what I put in the local paper for Busia. I know my Mom would think it was insane to do this, but it means a lot to Busia. I hate today. I hate thinking all day about going to their house and being a part of everything that was connected to the accident. I hate the way thinking about it makes me feel inside. I hate that families lose people they love every day for random reasons and they have to live with that sick feeling for the rest of their lives.

Missing you on your 5th Anniversary in Heaven

Sheila Ann Sikora
Five years ago today everything changed. We could never express how much we miss your light and your laughter. It still seems like this all never could have happened to our wonderful family. Like a mistake was made, and everything will somehow be OK again. All of us miss you so much it hurts to think about. We pray every day that you are watching over us and that you are able to look over your grandbabies as they grow up. You will always be the best daughter, mom, wife, Nana and friend that ever was. We have missed you for five long years and we will all love you forever and ever.
With all the love our hearts can hold,
Your Mom, Kids, Husband, and Grandkids