What We're Eating 2/27/12-3/4/12

Last week was a a bit of a wash in terms of goals. Our appointment at Dartmouth last Wednesday went very well, but it messed with my schedule. I missed several days of meditation (4!) and I'm feeling it. Friday night was a blast, but otherwise, I didn't have the best weekend - I think I enjoyed a few too many glasses of wine Friday night. My body was sore and tired, and I was pretty cranky. Chris actually told me to go back to bed Saturday morning. Ooops! :(

The weather last week was nice enough that the boys and I were able to get outside for a long walk with my dad early in the week; we also did quite a bit of walking at the hospital on Wednesday. Our trip to Dartmouth was Isaac's first ever time having Chris and I all to himself and he was such a good boy! We were able to keep him awake on the ride up (a steady supply of pretzels and conversation hearts helped) and he had fun exploring David's House. At the beginning of the EEG, he did NOT want to have anything to do with being on the bed. We had to hold him down but once the tech started marking his head for the electrodes, he settled down. It probably felt like a little head massage. Luckily, he was pretty sleepy and he did fall asleep for the second half of his test. He was so cute in his head wrappings, but it kinda looked like he had a head injury!

His EEG readings were all normal and the doctor gave us some more information on his breath-holding. It's a lot more common than we realized! The doctor said it normally starts around 18 months when kids are learning to speak and assert their independence. It normally ends by 6 years old! Yikes! We're hoping that Isaac may stop sooner, and the doctor indicated that might be the case, because he started the breath-holding earlier (around 12 months) and has been a little more advanced with his speech.

The doctor asked if anyone in the the family has a history of fainting easily or has problems with fainting or getting light-headed at the sight of blood or when having blood drawn. Poor Chris! We're joking that Isaac's breath-holding is all his fault. He tends to pass out when he has blood drawn and has passed out after a few injuries. The doctor indicated that the breath-holding and easy fainting are related - it had something to do with blood flow to the brain. Isaac and Charlie (who also passes out, just not to the extent that Isaac does) will probably have the same issue when they're older.

The appointment was very informative and it was nice to speak with an expert in seizure disorders. I'm glad we made the appointment, but I'm also glad it's over!

For this week, the meal planning continues. Woohoo! I'm trying to keep our grocery bill down and I'm also trying to use up food we have in the cupboards and the freezer. This week's menu is made up of meals that mainly use up what we already have here. I won't have to do much shopping other than cheese and a few perishables. Next week's menu is similar, but I've also planned in some freezer meals so we can eat some of the meals I've already prepared. It seems to be getting easier the more I menu plan, but I don't want to jinx myself either!

Monday
L: Leftover Chicken Parmesan
D: Cheesy Baked Ravioli

Tuesday
L: Leftover Ravioli
D: Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole

Wednesday
L: Leftover Casserole
D: Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli, Corn

Thursday
L: Leftover Casserole/PB&J, grapes, chips
D: Easy Italian Stew

Friday
L: Leftover Stew
D: Peppers Stuffed with Cranberry Bulgur

Saturday
L: Leftover Stuffed Peppers
D: White Bean & Chicken Chili
Sunday
L: Leftovers/PB&J, melon
D: Leftover Chili

For more menu-planning inspiration, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.