EASY PEASY PULLED PORK SANDWICHES!

Being summer, I hate to use the oven and heat the house up any more than I have to, so I use the slow cooker, just like Melissa does. This is BY FAR the easiest recipe you will ever see, so pay close attention.

Put a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker with about an inch of water at the bottom. Cook all day until it easily shreds with a fork. Shred tenderloin entirely. Mix with BBQ sauce of your choice, amount is up to you. Serve on buns or Arnold Select Sandwich Thins. DONE!

I usually cook 2 pork tenderloins at a time and freeze half of it for another day. The kids love it and I love it because it’s lean meat so it’s Weight Watchers friendly!

What could be easier? Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Karen

It's Tuesday, and I'm Slightly Neurotic

It's Tuesday and I'm slightly neurotic. Slightly? I know. Stop your giggling. I mean it! What is it that I believe I'm neurotic about? Seriously, do you ned a list? Go read some of my posts.

It's storming here in the Midwest, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. I don't particularly care for tornado season. It tends to put me on the edge. I have one weatherman that I watch, because, well, I know it's time to worry when he tells me to. That's why I watch him. To keep me from being neurotic. (If you live in The Lou, you KNOW I'm talking about Kent Earnhart. LOVE that man! Can't spell his name right, but he gets me through tornado season one day at a time. But I digress. . . )

Like I said, storms don't bother me too much, EXCEPT WHEN MY KIDS ARE AWAY AT AN OUTDOOR DAY CAMP.

Breathe. . . . in. . . . out. . . . goooooooood. . . . .

I'm sure the staff has everything under control. I know they have planned for bad weather and are keeping the kids occupied and entertained and above all, SAFE. And two if my very dearest friends are there, so my kids know who to run to in the event of an emergency.

But right now, the only thing that is keeping me from getting in the car and picking them up is the fact that I'm blogging and would have to cancel my lessons to do so.

Does anyone else have the overwhelming desire to get all the baby chicks in the nest every time it storms? Let me know I'm not alone!

Yours, still fighting the urge,

Melissa

SUMMER ORGANIZING!!!

Yes, I typically like to be more original when writing a blog post, but this article, by HousekeepingChannel.com is so awesome, I had to share it with you. So click on the picture below and read these 10 great summer organizing tips!

So now, get organized!!!

Karen

Friday Funny-Talk About Spunk!

Good Morning, Mac-n-Chick Readers! Time for a little Friday Funny. In the spirit of Caring For My Aging Parents, I offer you the following joke:

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, living in Miami , are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests they go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: "Are you the owner?"

The pharmacist answers, "Yes."

Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"

Pharmacist: "Of course, we do."

Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"

Pharmacist: "All kinds."

Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism?"

Pharmacist: "Definitely."

Jacob: "How about suppositories?"

Pharmacist: "You bet!"

Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis and Alzheimer's?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."

Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"

Pharmacist: "Absolutely."

Jacob: "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"

Pharmacist: "We sure do."

Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"

Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."

Jacob: "We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry."

All I can say is, I can only HOPE to have this much spunk when I reach 92!

Yours, wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Melissa

I'M HAVING A HUNGRY DAY!

Do you ever have those days when you’re just hungry all day? That’s today for me. Nothing is different today. I had the same Egg Beaters on Bagel Thin breakfast that I always have, and then I did a little office work, then walked on the treadmill for a few miles.

But 10:00 rolled around and BOOM, I was hungry and it hasn’t let up yet!

So why does this happen? There have been no changes to my routine. It’s not “my time of the month.” WHY SABATOGE MY DIET THE DAY BEFORE WEIGH-IN????

So quick update on my weight loss progress: I made my Weight Watchers goal (yay me!), but not my personal goal yet. I’ll explain. Once you make goal at WW, you have to maintain that weight for 6 weeks, at which time you become a “Lifetime” member. (HUGE status at WW!) As a Lifetime member, you don’t have to pay any fees, but you have to weigh-in once a month and maintain your weight within 2 pounds of your goal weight.

Yes, you heard me right… 2 POUNDS!!! Okay, I don’t know about you, but 2 pounds could be water retention. It could be having not pooped for a few days. It could be a really big meal the night before. 2 pounds, are they kidding me? So while I set my WW goal at X (no, you don’t need to know that number!), my own personal goal is actual X minus 3. So since I just hit WW goal last week, I really have 3 more pounds to go to hit MY REAL goal. That way, if I ever go above my goal by 5 pounds, well then I should be held accountable and have to start going every week and paying again because I’ll need to. Get it?

So there’s my update! Really, I just wanted to share that I’M HUNGRY TODAY!!!!

Karen

ARE THESE PEOPLE FOR REAL?

I love my children, really I do. But when I see people posting things on Facebook about how excited they are that it’s summer and they get to spend the next 3 months with their kids, I really have to wonder if I’m the worst mom in the world. Am I the only one who thinks summer break is WAY too long? A week, maybe two, would be great. But THREE MONTHS? With 2 nine year old BOYS? Who have to be MOVING AT ALL TIMES? I’m exhausted just thinking about it!

So do you think they really mean it? Maybe they have girls. Or maybe their kids are old enough that they don’t need constant supervision. (Not that I have to watch my boys at all times, but it’s not like I can go run errands and leave them at home by themselves obviously.) Personally, I think these moms just say these things on Facebook and to other moms to make themselves look better. Really, everybody has to feel SOME anxiety over having their schedules and lives uprooted for 3 months. It can’t be all wonderful. Can it? Maybe I’m missing something. Hmmmm.

Okay, I just looked downstairs. The housekeepers left only 15 minutes ago, and the house is already a wreck. Nope, I’m not missing anything!

Karen

Tuesday Tidbit- My "Monica" Closet

It's the first day of summer. It's 1:25 in the afternoon and they have already told me they are bored. Currently, Z2 is having a meltdown because of something her brother did. And I'm already having to remind of discipline measures which include "taking away every happy moment of summer if I have to!" (Not that I would, but it sounds pretty threatening, doesn't it?)

This morning we hit the library- which was a complete madhouse!- and then a few more errands. Home for lunch, after which they read for a bit and Z2, wanting to color, opened up the art cabinet. When half of its contents spilled onto the floor, we decided it might be time for a cleansing. A half hour later, we've paired it down and neatly stowed everything away. And then I took Z1's pencil box downstairs to the storage closet.

That's when it hit me. I write books on organization, and yet I have a "Monica Closet". Today, I could not even get the door open. Mind you, the rest of my house is in order, mostly. But that closet is supposed to become a guest room this summer.

How am I going to do that if I can't even open the door?

And no, I'm not ready to post pics yet.

Yours, contemplating the closet,

Melissa