Are You Suffering From SAD?

So here's what's going on in my life right now:

I've been extremely irritable. At the kids. At the hubby. Just irritable. I've even thought to myself, "What is going on."

In the past three weeks, I've bought about 8 large bags of candy and I've been eating bits and pieces every day. I was doing so well before the holidays but now I've fallen off the wagon.

I just want to get in my bed, under my warm down comforter, and sleep.

I've noticed my behavior changes .. and I know my husband has noticed my behavior changes (even though he's been nice enough not to say anything) but I didn't realize what was REALLY going on until a friend mentioned it to me yesterday. I'm experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder and I know I'm not the only one.

SAD typically occurs during the late fall and winter and is most common in young adult women. But according to emedicinehealth.com, it can affect men and women of any age. The website says some lifestyle changes may help prevent SAD or improve symtoms. Here's what you can do:

Spend at least 30 minutes outside every day.
Take daily walks. Exercise.
Increase indoor lighting with regular lamps and fixtures.

Like all types of depression, SAD can have a devastating effect on your life. If you have feelings of extreme sadness, hopelessness or emptiness or you find it impossible to carry on life as normal, contact your doctor.

A Chicken Recipe That Even My Kids Like

While visiting my mother-in-law over the holidays she made a delicious and healthy chicken recipe that I was able to replicate at home. It's extremely easy and very flavorful. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Bistro Chicken

6 chicken breasts
2 TBSP. flour
1 teas. of salt (divided)
1 teas. of pepper (divided)
1 teas. of thyme
2 TBSP. of olive oil
1 28 oz can of diced tomatos
1 can of condensed french onion soup (Campbells)
6 slices of swiss cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Pre-heat a non-stick skillet.

Place the flour and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Dredge the chicken and then brown it in a non-stick skillet until it's golden. Once the chicken is browned, place it in a 13 x 9 glass dish.

Put the can of diced tomoatos and the teaspoon of thyme in the skillet and simmer for five minutes. Put the condensed french onion soup and salt and pepper (to taste) in the skillet and simmer for about five minutes. Place a piece of swiss cheese over each piece of the chicken and then spoon the tomato mixture all around the chicken. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until done. I served it with brown rice and brocoli. YUMMO!

My kids, who are not big fans of baked chicken, even liked this one.

I love new recipes so if you've got one, please e-mail it to me at
nancyflagg@933thedrive. I'll post it on my blog and give you credit.

The Secret to Staying Slim

We have a problem in my house that involves my eight-year old son and food. He eats sooooooo fast that he's done with dinner before my husband and I barely sit down. We've explained to him that he needs to use his manners at the dinner table and shoveling in his food as fast as he can is not the best way to do this.

We've also explained that eating this fast could be bad for his health and that it may cause him to overeat because his stomach doesn't realize that it's full.

So I was relieved to find a possible solution to our problem. A Japanese woman claims the Asian secret to staying slim is by eating with chopsticks because it makes it harder to shovel food in and slows down the pace.

Problem solved. Chopsticks for the whole family.

The Tooth Fairy Forgot - Again

We had a Tooth Fairy incident this week. Two nights ago, my eight-year old son lost a tooth and put it on his bed side table so the Tooth Fairy would have no trouble finding it. Just like all children that age, Lucas was hoping for some fast cash, but he didn't get it. The Tooth Fairy forgot to come. Yep. It happened (again). So last night, he tried again but this time he wanted some questions answered. Along with the tooth, Lucas left a questionaire on his table. Here were the questions:

1) What do you do with all the teeth you collect?
2) Why didn't you come last night?
3) How do you get to the all the children's homes every night?
4) What is your full name?

Here were the Tooth Fairy's answers:

1) I make jewelry out of all the teeth.
2) Your dad was up too late.
3) Magic
4) The Tooth Fairy - but some people call me BOB.

This morning, Lucas will get all the answers to his questions .. and three bucks. The Tooth Fairy was feeling kind of generous. :)

Handy Husband

The cost of replacing a part for my broken dishwasher = $166
A husband who can fix a broken dishwasher = priceless

I am so lucky to have a handy husband. He can fix anything!!

I have a friend who gets frustrated every time something breaks in her home because she knows she'll have to find and then pay someone to fix it. I shake my head and try to relate, but I can't because I am fortunate enough to have the handiest husband ever. In the past year, Bruce has fixed three major appliances : our washer, dryer and, just last night, our dishwasher. Every time he's successful, the kids and I give him a standing ovation (we really do clap for him). It's great fun for the kids plus it's fantastic for our bank account as we've saved hundreds of dollars in labor costs.

With that said, I am getting irritated that these expensive appliances keep breaking. We've only had them for 4 1/2 years and we paid a lot of money for them. My parents had their washer and dryer for over ten years, at least. I think that says something about how well things are made these days. Unfortunately, there's not a lot, as a consumer, I can do about it. I can complain to the companies (blah, blah, blah) or I can just call my husband. :)

Back to School .. Back to Work.

Things will be getting back to normal in my house today. The kids go back to school and my husband goes back to work. (Thank goodness.) Don't get me wrong. We've had a great couple of weeks at home but I've had enough of the kids playing video games. And I've had enough of my husband playing video games with the kids. They've had great "together time" and we've all enjoyed playing "Rock Band" as a family but it's time we all got more productive.

What does that mean?

Well, my husband is going to do some painting. (He was supposed to do that over the break but never got around to it.) Oh yeah, he also plans to fix our broken dishwasher. He's very handy around the house.

The kids are starting up activities again : hockey, soccer, and piano.

I'll be shuffling kids to hockey, soccer, and piano. Plus, working, teaching classes, cooking dinner, doing laundry, etc. I don't mind. It all sounds busy but it brings a sense of order to my life. Even my 8-year old son said last night he was glad to be going back to school today.

(Sigh) :)

Ringing in 2009 With Resolutions

I love the start of a new year because it feels like a new beginning.

I WILL become more organized.
I WILL eat better and I WILL stop buying so many bags of candy.
I WILL be better at sending birthday cards to family and friends.
I WILL not charge as much on my credit card.

I feel better already. I've written it down so, therefore, it must come true! :)

The bottom line for me is that making new year's resolutions helps me re-focus on the things I want to accomplish. It helps me set short and long-term goals. Do I always follow through with my resolutions? No. But I feel like it's a waste of an opportunity if I don't try.

How about you?

Happy New Year!