It's been a while, huh? I've been busy with work, writing, and trying to keep the house somewhat clean. As it turns out, May is a much better month than April. We got our taxes back last week, and the van is half fixed. Turns out we needed new brakes. All four of them. The front is done, and we're making an appointment for the rear.

The big thing is that I finally have a digital camera. Which means I can now post all sorts of pictures. Like these:


  


Those were all taken today. And I can post them without stealing them from my sisters' Myspace or Facebook pages. Which is something that I've been waiting to do since I started blogging.

Becca is going through another teething phase, which means she has been cuddling one minute and throwing a tantrum the next. She hasn't been sleeping very well, which means I haven't been sleeping very well, either. But I think we are through the worst of it finally. Right now, she is cuddling though. So I'm going to get off of the computer for a bit and enjoy it.

****UPDATE BELOW****

April is the suck. Umm. The month. Not the person (sorry!)

First everyone got a nasty sinus infection (except me). Then the taxes got all screwed up. Then Mark and Becca got pink eye (Becca still has it.) With everyone sick, I have been barely able to work (too busy taking care of them), and the only time I have gotten, I've been exhausted. It's taking me forever to get anything written. Mark took of Friday, because of his eyes, and so we were really short on money to begin with. We would be able to pay rent, but it would be close. Very close.

And now? Now the van is dead. Hurray!!!

We've been having problems with the brake lights staying on. There is some switch stuck way up underneath the dashboard somewhere that gets bent sometimes, I guess. (Did a lot of research this morning). Usually just pulling the brake out extra works. Not yesterday, though. It was bright and sunny, and even though Mark pulled the brake up several times, and checked, we didn't notice that the lights were still on. Until a neighbor told us around 9:00 pm. By that point, Mark couldn't get the van started at all, and couldn't get the lights off. I was in bed with Becca, but I suggested pulling the fuses. No, once the lights are dead there is no more power being drawn from the battery. Didn't really make sense to me, because a dead light bulb anywhere else will draw power still, right? As long as the light switch is on?

My brother showed up this morning with his battery charger. Nothing. So we charged the charger back up, and still nothing. The van will make a few short clicks. That's it. I had one of the guys out back of us check, and he thinks it might be the alternator. I still think it is just the battery and that switch. But we'll see. My dad is coming over this evening to check it out, and to see if he can get it to charge off of his truck. If not, he'll take the battery home and hook it up to his other charger, and we'll try again tomorrow. Hopefully that solves the problem. The last thing we need right now is an expensive repair bill.

Becca had a doctor's appointment today. Sinus issues, complete with ear infection and pink eye. And then they gave her 2 shots and drew some blood. All while she was exhausted and not feeling well. She was awake at 3:00 this morning with her eyes all gooped up, and then was too congested to fall back asleep. Other than a short one hour nap around 8:00 this morning, she had been awake all day. And now, to top things off, I'm getting sick too.

My mother in law wants to send Mark and I out to eat (she's paying) tonight, while she watches Becca, but with Becca sick, and now me getting sick, I don't feel like going anywhere. And my dad is supposed to be trying to come over. Mark still wants to go out, but I think we're just going to stay here. Maybe order take-out. We were kinda craving Chinese food anyhow. We might walk down to the video place and rent a movie or two even. I would not at all mind a quiet night at home, as long as nothing interferes with House tonight. Supposed to be a great episode.

Can I add the fact that they killed off Kutner to my rant? I know this has been discussed elsewhere, but Kal Penn really made that show special. Kutner was my favorite of the three new doctors.

April is almost over. We're hoping that May is better.

****UPDATE****

The van is running again, as of last night. We're hoping that it stays that way. My dad is going to ask his next-door neighbor for advice. The guy is a mechanic, and has worked on the van for us before.

One problem down, another problem popping up. Or bubbling up, more accurately. I went to hop in the shower about an hour ago only to find that the bottom of the shower was covered in sewage. Eww. There is dirty water coming up now, and it is threatening to spill onto the floor. Pretty gross. Landlord is sending someone over to check into it, but REALLY???

Two days to go until the end of April, and fate is pulling out all of the stops.

Lessmeatarianism. I didn't make the word up; Mark Bittman did, and it is the basis of his book Food Matters. Which I don't have yet. But soon. Along with Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, both by Michael Pollan. And the How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook.

Lessmeatarianism is more commonly known as flexitarianism. It is a vegetarian-like eating plan for those who enjoy meat too much to go all the way. I believe that Mark Bittman's idea is to go vegan, or close to it, until 6:00 pm, or dinner time, every day.

This is a fascinating concept for me. I have heard a lot about the benefits of vegetarianism, even veganism, but I just can't imagine giving up cheeseburgers, bacon, and pot roast. I love the thought of buying local, fresh produce, but her in NY, we only have a farmers market for three months out of the year. And as much as I love fruit, I hate lettuce, tomatoes, and radishes. Just the scent of cucumbers makes me nauseous. Not to mention, my ability to commit long-term to changing eating habits has a very poor track record.

Lessmeatarianism can produce many of the same benefits of traditional vegetarian living, just to a smaller amount. It reduces green house gas production and has a positive effect on health. There is an emphasis on eating less junk food, less meat, and preparing more food yourself. More fruit and veggies.

This makes sense. These are the tenents of healthy eating. And I know that my family eats way more junk than we should. If I'm looking at a hectic week, the grocery list will quickly fill up with frozen convenience foods. We are big fans of Hot Pockets, Lean Cuisine, and Stouffers. We have, at least, just about given up the canned and boxed pasta, sliced white bread, and ramen noodles. I try to make healthy choices now, and, most weeks, prepare almost everything from scratch. One of the perks of being a work at home mom.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to start slowly making the switch. It helps that summer, and better produce, is just around the corner. I probably won't mention this plan to my husband. Even though we don't eat a whole lot of meat now, he would still object. I'm pretty certain he won't notice unless I say something; I do all of the menu planning and write the grocery list each week.

I like the fact that I can improve my family's health through making smarter food choices. I've been worried for a while about the shortage of veggies in our diet, but the thought of microwaved and buttered corn, peas, beans or carrots everyday sounds so boring. I'm going to start looking for better vegetable recipes, and start incorporating them into our meals. I want to raise my children to eat, and enjoy, healthier foods, as opposed to the fried diet my mom had us on growing up.

I should be getting the books within the next few weeks, and then I hope to be able to get a little more in depth on everything. Everything I've learned so far has been from the preview on Amazon. But the books all look really fascinating. Has anyone else read any of those books, or anything similar? Any recommendations? Thoughts?